My experience is that usually, if one person has a question, there are a lot of other people wondering about something similar. If that weren't true, why would Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura be so famous? =)

        So here is a forum where you can ask questions and get them answered, as well as reading the questions and answers of others.

        Click on the link below to send your question to Ask Pastor Ron, and within short order your question and answer will appear in this space.

        If you prefer to keep your question (and the answer) private, no problem! Just say so in your letter, and your privacy will be honored.

                            Click here to send your question

Posted 4/21/08

Dear Pastor Ron,

    In the Old Testament, there is mention of the King of Aram. What country is that please?

        Thank you very much!

                  EKB

Dear EKB,

    Aram is generally one and the same as Syria. Sometimes in the Bible it is referred to one way and sometimes the other, but Aram is generally the older name.

    It is this civilization of Aram from whence comes the Aramaic language, which was spoken by Jesus. In fact, by the time of the New Testament, many people of the Eastern Mediterranean were speaking Aramaic, including nearly everyone in Galilee. Further to the south in Jerusalem proper, many spoke Hebrew but others spoke Aramaic. The two languages are linguistically related.

    Here are three phrases of Aramaic that are preserved into English translations of the Bible. They are when Jesus said:

     "Talitha, cum" ("Little girl, get up") in Mark 5:41

     "Ephphatha" ("Be opened") in Mark 7:34

     "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") in Mark 15:34

Posted 1/28/08

Dear Pastor Ron.

    I was recently talking with a friend from an Eastern Orthodox Church, and she was telling about her practice of giving something up for Lent. Where did this practice come from? Was it in the Bible, or did some church just start doing it and the idea caught on?

                    Thanks,

                        R

Dear R,

        The practice of giving something up for Lent has no direct biblical basis, but its history in church practice probably goes back to about the 300s. The idea is that giving up something you enjoy will help you focus on what Jesus gave up for you ( his life). Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox tend to have specific directives on what thing(s) to give up and on which days, while Protestants tend to make it more of an optional practice.

    I Timothy 4:1-5 speaks of "deceiving spirits" who "forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving." This might  be interpreted to mean that the practice of giving something up for Lent is not a good idea. Some Christians choose to donate extra time to a worthy project instead of giving something up. This variation may be more in harmony with I Timothy 4, and there may be something to be said for using our Christian energy in ways that help others, rather than just for denying ourselves things.

    Most of all, we remember that the helpfulness of certain practices can vary from Christian to Christian. If giving something up for Lent  helps one to draw nearer to Christ and grow deeper in faith and in love for him, then suffice to say that, at least for the person , its a wonderful thing!

                --Pastor Ron 

Posted 3/5/07

Dear Pastor Ron,

 What do you think of James Cameron's "discovery" of the tomb and bones of Jesus, and his "family"?

             J.H.

            Pickford

Dear J.H.

As a Christian, I am extremely confident of Jesus' resurrection. (Then again, I'm pretty confident that  Mary Magdalene has eternal life, too, even though her bones must be still around somewhere.)   As to this James Cameron thing: OK, the archaeologists say it's very likely to be a hoax. As a Christian, I think it's a hoax too. But the thing is, the logic has so many more holes than swiss cheese, that even if I were a confirmed atheist, I would STILL think this was a hoax! I'll explain why:

 If I were an atheist, the only possible explanation I could come up with for the disappearance of Jesus' body was that the apostles removed it and hid it, to make it appear that he rose. (This theory evaporates when one realizes that those same apostles were all willing to DIE over their conviction that he is risen.)   So let's follow this atheist hypothesis, that the apostles took Jesus' body and hid it. How smart would it be, then, for them to bury Mary Magdalene, some "son" named Judah, and about 7 other people all together? And, since these didn't all die at the same time, to keep opening and closing the tomb, allowing skeptics many chances to discover it? Finally, for the craziest part of all, that they would sit there and put NAMES on Jesus' and the others' caskets?? If you believe that they would do all this, I have some homesites I'd like to sell you in the Seney Wildlife Refuge! =)

 Mr. Cameron should have quit with "Titanic," while he was still ahead. His logic has split in two and is sinking fast. Is the band still playing?

                      --Pastor Ron