Gaining a heart of wisdom
The word judge has fallen on hard times as the universe falls all over itself to be seen as broad-minded, tolerant, and accepting. Many years ago, I had an encounter at my dining room table that has formed my thinking on judges and the practice of judgment... We had just moved into the area, bought… Continue reading Will You Let Your Heart Be Judged by the Word of God?
September always feels like a new beginning to me. No wonder, after so many years of homeschooling! Give me a few sharpened pencils and a clean, unsullied notebook, and I'm ready for a fresh start, focused and impervious to distractions. Christianity is all about new beginnings. Salvation is the starting line for everyone (there are… Continue reading Avoid Distractions When You’re Running the Race of Faith
Often, it's the stories we've read one hundred times that surprise us when they jump off the page because of a minor plot point, missed on earlier readings. I'm reading in Exodus again and, once again, we're slogging through the wilderness. God has provided miraculous food, and Israel is singing the blues about missing the… Continue reading The Truth About Your Complaining
In the little church we call home, my husband and I are team-teaching the adult class, and our goal is an overview of the entire Bible. We're talking outlines, key verses, and major characters, but most of all, we want to consider how each of the sixty-six books fits into the narrative arc of God's… Continue reading Can We Justify Deep Learning In These Troubled Times?
Christmas is a celebration of God's great rescue plan. Paul, chief of the apostles and “chief of sinners,” put it succinctly when he wrote that God “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all," and then asked, "How will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Having gone… Continue reading Celebrate the Gift of a God Given Rescue Plan
"Every story that ends in service for Christ started in grace."1 The words were inscribed in my journal with no attribution, but I had been studying Romans 1:7: To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." "Grace and peace" always… Continue reading Grace and Peace in an Election Year?
"Let's move on," wrote Paul in his second letter to the Corinthian church. "Let's go on to visions and revelations of the Lord." And he revealed, probably for the first time ever, an out-of-the-body experience in which he was "caught up to the third heaven." Did it happen when he was pelted with stones and left… Continue reading When You Don’t Want the Gift You’ve Been Given
Have you ever spent time dreaming about the perfect church? We've all heard the old saying that even if you are fortunate enough to find the perfect church, you will surely ruin it when you join. (Did you know this came originally from Spurgeon?) Of course, all this insight doesn’t stop us from fantasizing about… Continue reading What Does It Really Mean to Be “Saved”?
(Thoughts on Voting from a Political Novice) Voting always feels like taking a test for which I haven't adequately studied. Maybe someday I'll walk into a voting booth with confidence. This year, I'm doing my "homework" to become informed about the issues, and part of my preparation has come through reading the Old Testament book… Continue reading Are You Ready to Vote in the Upcoming Election?
In a fit of sleep-deprived stubbornness, one day I just stopped reading the Bible. I certainly still believed in God, because I told him quite directly that I had no intention of reading his recycled words. It seemed to me that the prophets and apostles had no idea what it was like to bear and… Continue reading How to Stay Motivated and Excited About Reading the Bible
Living Our Days 