A student once asked me for advice on how he should react to his family, especially his father, who did not approve of him being baptized a Christian. I gave him a lesson that I learned from Acts. In this book, we see "the Way" spread to Jews in Jerusalem and then to Gentiles outward in the Roman Empire. There is a turning point midway through Acts that is carefully engineered by God when the first Gentile, Cornelius the Centurion, is converted. We learn from this what a great gift it is to have faith...

I was once toured around Jerusalem by a 12 year-old boy named Yaakov. He showed me many sites, including a number of Christian sites, as he knew I was a Christian. He also talked to me about the evolution from Temple to Rabbinic Judaism - something that is critical to understanding the theological underpinnings of the Book of Acts. We consider this new movement that is called "the Way" in Acts, and we see what it has to do with the end of Temple Judaism.

I once was asked to sit with a Buddhist patient who was passing away. She asked me to recite a mantra with her. We look at the Prophet named Habakkuk. We see that he offers an unusual message for a Prophet. He doesn't simply warn people that God will punish his people for their wayward means. He offers us an upbeat message of hope no matter what happens. We consider prayer, and the relationship between the practice of reciting a mantra and reciting a prayer. We see that both offer peace for someone who is seeking perseverance and calm.