David is in a rage, believing a man named Nabal has disrespected him. David and his men, armed to the teeth, are advancing on Nabal to slaughter Nabal and his servants. But suddenly, Nabal’s wife, Abigail, shows up and pleads with David to stop. In the previous post, we observed Abigail’s genius diplomacy and communicationContinue reading “How the practice of listening can keep us from disaster – 1 Samuel 25, Part 4”
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When you see evil, speak up – 1st Samuel 25, Part 2
This week we’re talking about the roadblocks that keep us from becoming all that God wants us to be. In 1st Samuel 25, David faces two of those roadblocks, one minor, one serious. In the previous post, we saw both of them. Nabal is the obvious roadblock to David, but he is not the muchContinue reading “When you see evil, speak up – 1st Samuel 25, Part 2”
Two roadblocks preventing David from becoming king – 1st Samuel 25, Part 1
What is the largest number of people you ever had to feed? Maybe at a wedding or funeral you’ve had to feed a couple hundred people. As we continue the story of David in 1st Samuel 25, David’s army has 600 men, and they need to eat every day. This is why an efficient andContinue reading “Two roadblocks preventing David from becoming king – 1st Samuel 25, Part 1”
Whistleblowers…good or bad? – 1st Samuel 25, Preview
If you saw something illegal happening, would you call it out? Would you be a whistle-blower? Maybe you notice your boss “cooking” the books to avoid paying taxes. Do you confront him? Maybe your friend is using artificial intelligence to writer papers in school. Do you ask her about it? Maybe your spouse is comingContinue reading “Whistleblowers…good or bad? – 1st Samuel 25, Preview”
Three steps for making wise choices – 1st Samuel 23 & 24, Part 5
We started this week’s series of posts by considering the difficult decisions we all make. Whether rare consequential decisions or frequent minor decisions, decision-making can be anxiety-inducing. As we observed David’s decision-making process in 1st Samuel chapters 23 and 24, what did we learn? First, while David didn’t have a Bible to consult, he hadContinue reading “Three steps for making wise choices – 1st Samuel 23 & 24, Part 5”
How a piece of torn cloth changed the world – 1st Samuel 23 & 24, Part 4
The story in 1st Samuel 24 about David choosing not to kill Saul in the cave, but instead secretly cutting off a corner of his robe, ends with a flourish. Saul leaves the cave, having no idea that he almost lost his life. After Saul has walked a short distance from the mouth of theContinue reading “How a piece of torn cloth changed the world – 1st Samuel 23 & 24, Part 4”
A dark evil day during David’s fugitive years – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 4
David has been experiencing some good news while on the run as a fugitive, which we learned in the previous post. Just like that, though, things turn very dark. In 1st Samuel 22, verse 6, the narrative switches focus on David’s pursuer, King Saul. We learn that Saul is raving made that David has notContinue reading “A dark evil day during David’s fugitive years – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 4”
How to have friendship that supersedes any divisive categories – 1st Samuel 20, Part 5
Let’s consider how the friendship of David and Jonathan might help us learn to be better friends. As we saw last week when we studied 1st Samuel 18 & 19, their relationship began with Jonathan in the power position. At that time, Jonathan is the crown prince, and David is a peasant. They are inContinue reading “How to have friendship that supersedes any divisive categories – 1st Samuel 20, Part 5”
The resolution of the crisis in David and Jonathan’s friendship – 1st Samuel 20, Part 4
David’s life hangs in the balance. But he has proposed an idea to his best friend, Prince Jonathan, in which Jonathan will try to discover if his father, King Saul, truly intends to kill David. Jonathan, though he doubts David’s interpretation of the situation, agrees to the idea. Jonathan will tell his father Saul that DavidContinue reading “The resolution of the crisis in David and Jonathan’s friendship – 1st Samuel 20, Part 4”
How to avert crisis when you disagree with your friends – 1st Samuel 20, Part 3
David and Jonathan’s friendship is in crisis. How so? Read the previous post here. In the previous post, we read that David has proposed a test in which Jonathan would lie to his father, King Saul, telling Saul that David had not shown up at Saul’s house for the New Moon festival because Jonathan gaveContinue reading “How to avert crisis when you disagree with your friends – 1st Samuel 20, Part 3”
Engaging Scripture 