I want to take a minute to talk about speculation. Most of the stories we have in the Old Testament don’t give us a lot of detail, especially about what people are thinking or why they make certain choices. A lot of what I do myself as I reflect on passages is speculate about what …
The section on the vows of women might upset some people. It could be easy to read this section and see it as a divine ordinance placing women under the authority of men. It. Is. Not. This is God protecting women in a culture that subjects them to the authority of men. God is preventing …
You know what I don’t understand? They just watched the earth open up and swallow three households. They just watched fire from incense burners consume 250 people, a cloud with the glory of the Lord spread through the angry crowd and spreads a plague that kills people until Aaron out runs it with holy incense. …
Just a quick word about resources. If you’re going to go about the business of examining, understanding, and deepening your faith, you’re going to need quality resources. Sermons. Devotionals. Bible studies. Teachers. Commentaries. These are all pieces we use to construct our understanding of Scripture. Some people are so intimidated by the Bible that they …
Genesis 12:2-3 “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” …
Can we just…can we take a minute with this: “I will never again curse the ground because of man.” After the flood, Noah made a burnt offering to God, and God accepts it, pleased, and, basically, just takes a deep breath, sighs, and says, “Yeah, so that’s the last time I do that. Twice now …
Honestly, this could be an entry for the Bible vs Sunday School. The problem of Cain. The only lessons I was ever taught from this story were about how evil Cain really was. The first murderer. He killed his own brother. He was the example for how depraved fallen nature really is, and he was …
The church as a cultural entity has been under fire a lot in recent decades. We have an opportunity to use this as a refining fire. Culture shifts, changes. Sometimes this is objectively good: abolishing slavery, developing social justice, and broadening civil rights. Sometimes it’s subjectively good: changing fashion and propriety. Sometimes it’s completely neutral: …
Welcome to my home. We make the most of what we have, here. Old items get repurposed; yard sales and thrift stores a regular habit. Our home is more…eclectic comfortable than it is stylish, but we like it. I didn’t always. I’ll be honest. I used to long for a well designed home with coordinated …