My Preschooler’s Takeaway On His Sunday School Lesson “What did you learn in Sunday school today?” I asked my preschooler as we drove home from church. “Man should not live alone with bread,” he replied. I pondered his answer for a moment. “Do you mean man should not live by bread alone?” I asked. He shrugged. “Yeah, something like that.” “Do you know what it means?” I prodded. Driving with a captive preschooler was a good time to instill spiritual... Read more
A Prophet and An Author Are Rejected in Their Hometowns The Bible tells us in Luke 4:24 that Jesus, after being rejected in his hometown, replied with the words, “No prophet is accepted in his hometown.” I have always been somewhat baffled by the fact that the Jews were anxiously looking for the Messiah, and when He showed up, they didn’t recognize Him. Still, in their defense, I might have been a bit skeptical too, if I had played hide-and-seek... Read more
Were Adam and Eve Perfectly Compatible Before the Fall? I sometimes wonder if when God made Adam and Eve they were perfectly compatible before the Fall. For example, they were both naked in the beginning, and I’m guessing Eve didn’t complain that it was too cold while Adam vigorously fanned himself with a fig leaf because of the heat. After the Fall, did Eve require twice the number of animal skins as Adam to keep warm? Is the inevitable pairing... Read more
My body is a temple? More Like a Crumbling Ruin Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV.) The Bible tells me my body is a temple. I’m not quite sure how to take that. I think, in my case, my temple is more of a... Read more
Halloween Means Free Candy Regardless of all the conflicting religious views on Halloween, I loved Halloween as a child when I could dress up and get free candy. It was a time of fun and innocence without all the Satanic undertones. This was back in the olden days when children dressed up in costumes usually created by their mothers, such as an old bedsheet with two eyes cut out for a ghost. There were none of these foo-foo outfits, such... Read more
Step One: Goat Hide I sometimes wonder how the writers of Scripture managed to get their words down on parchment or papyrus or whatever they had available to write on. Imagine having to get hide from an animal before sitting down to write those words that the Lord gave you before they went out of your head. Of course, things could have been worse. Some verses in Ezekiel and Jeremiah were written on clay. Some parts of Exodus, Deuteronomy, and... Read more
Elijah and the prophets of Baal – An Amusing Biblical Story The story of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, found in 1 Kings 18:17-40, is one the most amusing stories in the Bible. To give you some background, King Ahab, of the northern kingdom of Israel, married a heathen woman named Jezebel, who henpecked and corrupted him to allow the worship of Baal and Asherah, a pagan fertility god and goddess. This did not sit well... Read more
Are You a Martha Trying to Live in a Mary World? Lord, I want to be like Mary today, but can you send Martha over to clean my house? I found that quote during extensive research on Google, and it so perfectly fits my personality I just had to share it. Now be honest. How many women can relate? I believe there are a lot of us Marthas trying to do our best in a Mary world. After all, someone... Read more
How Can I Be Joyful When I’m Depressed? Today, I am veering away from humor in recognition of World Mental Health Day. Inherently, as Christians, we often have the mindset that we should be continually joyful regardless of our circumstances. I Thessalonians 5:18 says, Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV). But in reality, we live in a fallen world, and Christians are as vulnerable to depression and other mental disorders... Read more
Was there a favorite child in your family? Can you imagine growing up as one of Jesus’ siblings? If you’re anything like me, you probably had that one sibling who you just knew was your parents’ favorite child, regardless of how they kept reassuring you they loved all their children equally. He or she was the perfect kid who made straight A’s, made all-state in sports, won the county-wide science fair and spelling bee, and volunteered in his spare time... Read more
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