As the title suggests, the NIV Quest Bible Study is based on the popular New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. It’s billed as “the only Q&A Bible study” with “answers to thousands of questions about the Bible.” Have you ever read a passage in the Bible and had a question about it? I have. […]
We attend a contemporary service at a Presbyterian church. Their interim minister gives a message on “Listening to God”; today is his first official day on the job. Their former minister of twelve years left a few weeks ago and they are in a time of transition. This interim cleric is their “in between pastor” […]
Fall means that I won’t likely be watering the lawn anymore for the rest of the season and that mowing will occur much less often. So you think that I would look forward to fall because it means a lot less yard work. While this is true, there is one thing that I dislike about fall—the […]
Lying to Achieve a Better Outcome May Backfire Mortally wounded in battle, King Saul commits suicide. A young man, an Amalekite, later happens upon the scene and concocts a plan that he’s sure will bring him a reward. His strategy, however, isn’t to tell the truth about what he saw. Instead he fabricates a story […]
We arrive at the church to a bustle of activity. Only a few people are sitting; most mill about, socializing. Many make a point of introducing themselves, genuinely interested in meeting us. Names are important to them. They repeat ours, deliberate and intentional. When they share theirs, they pause, allowing time for us to truly […]
Some People Blindly Accept Church Rhetoric, but They Risk Going Down a Dangerous Path We’ve all heard stories of people taken in and indoctrinated by cults. Though some stories end happily after they extricate themselves from the control the cult, too many situations end badly. There are many common characteristics to help us identify cults […]
Years ago, on a Saturday, my lawn was again in need of liquid sustenance and I was in watering mode, repositioning sprinklers in half-hour increments. During one mid-morning trek, there were two birds on my deck railing. I walked by them slowly, wondering how close I could get before they flew off in fear. They […]
Fear Causes Saul to Make a Bad Decision Though God chose Saul to be the first king over Israel, Saul has some character flaws that lead to his undoing. One time the Philistines come up against Saul and his army. Overwhelmed by the force opposing them, Saul’s men cower in fear. Impatience and Fear Samuel […]
The Broken Bread at the First Communion Represented Jesus’s Body The phrases breaking bread, break bread, and broke bread only appear in the New Testament. And they only show up eleven times, appearing in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, and 1 Corinthians. Should we understand this idea of breaking bread as a euphemism for Communion or […]
If you view church in a tradition manner, then we didn’t go this Sunday. However, if church is two or more people gathering in God’s presence, then we had a most significant time. The pastors begin by sounding the shofar (a trumpet made from an animal horn, as mentioned in the Old Testament) and we […]