In this Characters installment, we have been following the family drama in the life of Joseph, one of the patriarchs of ancient Israel. His is a story of extremes. Joseph lost his mother in childhood, but was his father’s favorite. His father loved him, but his brothers hated him. He had dreams from God aboutContinue reading “How one family’s drama was healed – Characters: Joseph, Part 5”
Tag Archives: israel
How to respond to family drama – Characters: Joseph, Part 4
How do you respond to family drama? Roll your eyes? Frustration? Anger? Weeping? It is particularly difficult when it is the kind of family drama that has hurt you. When your family has betrayed you, the pain can go so deep. Have you ever experienced that? What should you do? How should you respond? InContinue reading “How to respond to family drama – Characters: Joseph, Part 4”
Why we need to wrestle with God – Characters: Jacob, Part 4
In this series, we’ve been looking at a character in the Hebrew Bible, a guy named Jacob. In the previous post, we left Jacob about to cross over the border of his brother, Esau’s land. He had deceived his brother 20 years before, and when Esau found out, Esau threatened to kill Jacob. Jacob fledContinue reading “Why we need to wrestle with God – Characters: Jacob, Part 4”
Introducing “Characters” – a series about how flawed people can still be used by God – Characters: Jacob, Part 1
Who in your life would you say is a real character? Usually we say a person is a character when they are wild, crazy, bold, extroverted, or humorous. Maybe certain people in your life come to mind. But the reality is that every single one of us is a character. We are each made inContinue reading “Introducing “Characters” – a series about how flawed people can still be used by God – Characters: Jacob, Part 1″
Practices for a blessed life [Deuteronomy 26-28]
Today we’re talking about practice. At the time of the interview above, Allen Iverson was taking heat for skipping practice. We’re going to find that being committed to practice can save us from a whole bundle of trouble. Turn to Deuteronomy.26:16-19. This little section at the end of chapter 26 will transition us to theContinue reading “Practices for a blessed life [Deuteronomy 26-28]”
Can we learn God’s heart from a ritual for a dead body? [Crime & Punishment – Deuteronomy 21, part 3]
Imagine the scene. In ancient Israel, a murdered body is found in a field, and no one knows who committed the crime. Who should deal with the body, and how does God want the people to deal with the blood guilt? In this series we’ve been exploring the fascinating ritual God commands the people toContinue reading “Can we learn God’s heart from a ritual for a dead body? [Crime & Punishment – Deuteronomy 21, part 3]”
The difficulties of holy war passages in the Old Testament [Christians & War – Deuteronomy 20, part 3]
In part 1 and part 2 of this series on Deuteronomy 20, we learned that Israel’s priests and army officers are to address the army before battle. Now God gives them some instructions about how to carry out battle. If you aren’t aware of these passages of Scripture, brace yourselves, as they can be shocking.Continue reading “The difficulties of holy war passages in the Old Testament [Christians & War – Deuteronomy 20, part 3]”
The danger of echo-chambers [God’s heart for people to find the truth, part 1]
Have you heard of “echo chambers”? I was listening to a podcast this week where a guy said that in our day and age, especially because of the many, many choices we have for news, and because of social media, that Christians too often live in an echo chamber. Echo chambers are rooms where youContinue reading “The danger of echo-chambers [God’s heart for people to find the truth, part 1]”
Supreme Courts and Presidents [God’s heart for good government, part 3]
God wants there to be supreme courts and presidents. Really? Well, kind of. In this series, we are studying Deuteronomy 17, seeking God’s heart for good government, and we move from what God instructed Israel to do with local governance to what he wanted for their national governance: supreme courts and presidents! In Deut. 17:8-20, he describesContinue reading “Supreme Courts and Presidents [God’s heart for good government, part 3]”
Giving our firsts to God [God’s heart for the holidays, part 1]
In your mind, can you recite the cycle of national holidays that tell the story of America. Get out a piece of paper, or start typing in a document. See if you can list out our holidays. Here’s a hint: where do you think we should start? July 4th, of course! There would be noContinue reading “Giving our firsts to God [God’s heart for the holidays, part 1]”
Engaging Scripture 