Like You've Never Heard It
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Author Archives: Todd Bolen
Netanyahu on Iran
My friend Josh mentions a recent speech by Benjamin Netanyahu in which he says, “It’s 1938 and Iran is Germany.” He also shares a lesson learned from a Holocaust survivor and the Single Bomb Theory. The former prime minister of Israel makes a good case that Israel is facing its gravest threat ever.… Read More »
Most Popular Names in Israel
Todd is not a good Israeli name. They usually think I’m saying “Tal” or “Ted.” My colleague Bill had problems with people understanding his name in Israel until the prominence of Bill Clinton and Bill Gates. I don’t see any famous Todds on the horizon to solve my problem. If you think your kids might live in Israel, here are some names that will fit right in.
Both Directions
Our two sons each live two lives. By day, they study in Israeli schools and speak, read, and write only Hebrew. By night, they live at home where only English is spoken, read, and written. They’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, and both are in second grade. Mark turns 7 tomorrow… Read More »
The Race
Paul: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Cor 9:24) How are you running in the race of faith? Are you running to win, or just out to “have fun”? Does it matter… Read More »
Piper on Marriage
The preachers that I respect the most usually do not talk about their personal lives in their sermons or writings. John Piper is no exception. But if you want more of an inside look into his marriage than I’ve come across anywhere else, you’ll find it in his sermon last month on “Marriage Lived to the Glory… Read More »
Success or Accident?
Last week Israel killed 20 Arabs in the Gaza Strip when an artillery round hit them. Israel said it was an accident and apologized. The U.N. tried to issue a condemnation of Israel for the action, but it was vetoed by the U.S. Many criticized the U.S. for aiding Israel in its terrorism of the Palestinian people. In Israel’s parliament on Monday, there was an exchange about the incident between some Arab ministers and a Jewish minister, Ephraim Sneh (of Labor, a leftist party). I think it’s all worth reading, for insights on several levels. Keep in mind that this exchange happened during an official meeting of the congress.
Serious, Sad and Funny
Three things I’ve come across recently in other blogs seem worth repeating. Each evokes its own emotion, which makes me consider which order is best to list them here. I think I want to end with the serious one, because I hope that you think about that the longest. I’ll start with the funny one because I don’t think it would follow the sad one so well. And the sad isn’t truly, deeply sad, but it’s not happy for one who has devoted his life (so far) to the very opposite notion.
New Hanukkah Book
Former IBEX students will especially be interested to hear that Ariel and D’vorah Berkowitz have just released a book on Hanukkah. The book is entitled, Hanukkah in the Home of the Redeemed: The Story of the Battle Against Assimilation and includes: – A historical summary of the events of the first Hanukkah– A practical guide… Read More »
Three Myths about Heaven
Do you long for heaven? If not, it’s probably because either 1) your desires are skewed or 2) your knowledge is inaccurate. Here are three myths about heaven that bug me: 1. It will be boring. This is a strange notion. Is earth boring? Are the sites and smells and activities of earth boring? And… Read More »