We launched our new Children’s Ministry program at church yesterday. It was the culmination of months of hard work, planning, and training. It all started about six months ago when we realized that we had an increase of families with children attending our small urban church. It dawned on us that the program we were [...]
This week I thought it appropriate to end our series on women in Scripture with a look at the feminine mystique of God, called Sophia (Wisdom): Doesn’t Wisdom call? Doesn’t Understanding raise her voice? On the hills along the road, at the crossroads, she takes her stand; beside the city gates of the town, in [...]
Spirituality is kind of a strange “thing.” A couple Sundays ago we focused on a parable in which Jesus says the spiritual life is like a woman who adds a tiny bit of yeast to 3 cups of flour and with that, the whole ball of dough comes to life. During that service I asked [...]
Bravery. There is plenty of bravery in Scripture, especially among the women of the Bible. In those days women didn’t have the rights, protections and advantages that women (in some countries), have today, yet they found strength to take great risks and step out in faith. One of the brave women of the Bible is [...]
Our Bible Study group at church is studying a book written by Phillip Yancey called “Prayer: Does it make any difference?” In the book Yancey asks poignant questions such as: Is God even listening to all the billions of prayers? Why would God even care about me and my life? Why do answers to prayer [...]
Often the world of the Bible seems so far removed from our reality and daily experiences. Every now and then I’ll catch myself glancing over whole paragraphs when I’m reading a Scripture text – not paying much attention as the story unfolds. Yet, when I take the time, slow down, and take it all in, [...]
One time, Jesus was invited to eat at the house of a Pharisee, named Simon. While there, a woman from the city, who used to be a sinner, dropped by, uninvited, bringing with her a jar of costly ointment to anoint Jesus. But as she stood behind Jesus, she was overwhelmed with emotion and started [...]
This week we will look at the story of Esther. The Book of Esther is a WEIRD Bible book. Why? Well, God is not mentioned in the book. Not even once. No one calls on God for help; no one prays to God, there is no praising or worshipping of God. And God’s self is [...]
Last week I shared with you from the Book of Judges, chapter 11, the horrifying story of Jephthah’s unnamed daughter. This week we will look at the book of Judges once again, but this time the story is dramatically different. It is the story of a woman extraordinaire; it is the story of Deborah and [...]
Not all the stories in Scripture about women are uplifting or empowering. Many are sad, some even horrifying. One such case is the story of Jephthah’s unnamed daughter. A story of blaming the victim, a story of a vulnerable person being sacrificed for so-called pious reasons, a story about a complacent community failing to act [...]