Written by Donald Brake Dec 5, 2019 Lewisville, Texas: I was staring at my latest accusation—a rare 1549 Tyndale New Testament Bible. An inner surge of happiness gave way to an outward grin that crept across my face. My eyes were transfixed as if looking at a priceless jewel. I could barely conceal the joy that engulfed me. Not only is it a rare specimen, but it came from the collection of my Bible collecting mentor and friend, Dr……
Written by Donald Brake Oct 22, 2019 LEWISVILLE, TX: While Halloween glorifies ghosts and goblins, death and mayhem, and maybe entertaining, don’t miss one of the most important events in Christian history: Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95-Thesis protesting the selling of indulgences to absolve purchasers from sin. All Souls’ (Saints) Day (November 1) is a Roman Catholic, Anglican and some Protestants’ celebration of Christian saints. The celebration is reminiscent of the Celtic festival Samhain (following the last harvest and…..
Written by Donald Brake Sep 5, 2019 LEWISVILLE, TX: In 1971 a young Bible teacher and his family began a ministry in Soddo, Wallamo, (now Wolaitta) Ethiopia. The province supported the largest group of protestant Christians in Ethiopia—a worldwide phenomenon. The local SIM Bible school taught grades 1-4 with an advance division for post-elementary 6th-grade students. All classes were taught in the national language, Amharic. In addition, Ethiopians from our Bible school system taught in 13 district Bible schools. The…..
Written by Donald Brake Nov 13, 2019 LEWISVILLE, TX: It may or may not surprise you that the Bible does not mention December 25 as the day of Jesus’s birth. Actually, the Bible is completely silent on the day or the time of year. As far as we know the earliest Christians did not celebrate his birth—they focused on His death and resurrection, a date more easily fixed because of Passover celebrations. It is generally accepted that it was Emperor…..
Written by Donald Brake Aug 22, 2018 FLOWER MOUND: Christianity is the world’s largest organized religion at 2.2 billion people. Christianity stands or falls on the veracity of the Old and New Testaments. While the archaeological evidence, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, don’t prove the Bible’s authenticity, it supports many of the details it has uncovered. An earlier article (Discussing Religious Authority: Who wrote the Bible, God or man?) suggests that scholars assume the accuracy of the Scriptures when assessing…..
LEWISVILLE, TX: Meandering through the narrow winding roads surrounded by hedges brushing the car from time to time and meeting cars that seemed to be on the wrong side of the road, I finally arrived at a picturesque two-story manor—the home of the Walkers. The long search for a legendary bookseller in Lydbury North, Salop, England began a longtime friendship with Les Walker. It also set me on an unusual life’s journey. My first encounter with Les Walker was a…..
– Author Donald L. Brake, along with Shelly Beach, have recently released their new book “They Called Him Yeshua”, a fictionalized account of the adolescent and young adult life of Jesus Christ, inspired by the Bible and the biblical figureheads that helped Jesus accomplish his mission. In dramatic, creative fiction, Brake delves into the unrecorded first 30 years of Jesus’ life, in which he came to awareness with his divine mission and he struggled with being both man and God……
FLOWER MOUND, TX: Hope is one of the most important emotions humans possess. Without hope, life is dreary and one is reduced to just “living” resulting in depression, sadness, lethargy, or anger. Extreme forms lead to self-destruction. Hope and Civility is a biblical promise of better days. The recent commemoration of 9/11 reminded us of the real world we lived in 2001. The reality reminded us that we had external enemies who wanted to destroy us. But we are united…..
