A winter’s night descends as a cloak, dark and brooding. So this season turns for one, two—or uncounted others! Don’t we lament loss in the ache of emptiness? Someone dear to us is gone, and we mourn his death. Every person experiences this sorrow, a heavy heart, the numbness, though we carry on because […]
Genesis 4:1-16: Whose Begetting What?
November 30, 2022 by
After giving birth to Cain, Eve lays her firstborn son to sleep. The mother of humanity experiences something new: the first blush of motherhood. Such joy as she breast-feeds Cain, and he coos with delight in being fed. In her elation, she ponders on God’s promise. After Adam’s fall, God alerted the serpent, “I will […]
Deuteronomy 8:1-10: Thank God!
November 25, 2022 by
In the short creation account in the book of Job, the Almighty’s angels approached the brink of becoming breathless. The created magnificence captivated them. So moved, “the morning stars sang together, and the angels shouted for joy.” Next Job tells us why. The Almighty “shut the sea behind doors as it gushed forth from the […]
John 8:31-36: Sweet is the Liberation Christ Gives
October 30, 2022 by
In fighting cadence, a magnificent military, an army, takes the field early on a summer day. The cavalry sat tall in their saddles, their regimental flags unfurling a rainbow of colors in the sky. Young men on foot stood prepared to advance. The officers’ swords, drawn and shining in the sun, lent an air of […]
Luke 18:1-8: The Persistent Widow
October 21, 2022 by
Every so often, you furrow your brow at the paper or glower at the television news. The police arrest an individual for a horrific offense. A jury soon convicts him. After serving time in prison, fresh evidence comes to light, and another judge exonerates him. Whenever we blunder upon such a scandal, we may picture […]
2 Timothy 2:8-13: Remember Christ, Risen from Death
October 11, 2022 by
Scour what life experience teaches us. Do we not secure gnarled callouses, discovering ourselves never far estranged from life’s combat? Suppose someone grows in understanding from his vicious and searing experiences, not enraged or bitter. From these, wisdom is born from those scars we carry, a grit now tempered by compassion. Those same hands will […]
Habakkuk: I Yet Will Triumph in the Lord
October 3, 2022 by
Oh, how we question God’s ways, assuming He’s forgotten us, wondering why things happen the way they do. Little does He stop the violent hurt of our day. The threat of dreadful ilk abounds among our citizenry—not only by our machination but from nature’s forces most unyielding. The world is unequal, as everybody with […]
Luke 16:19-31: Rich Man and Poor Man
September 25, 2022 by
The Pharisees and scribes slander Jesus as they glance askew at Him embracing untouchables and eating with them. So, He speaks His parables: of sheep, coin, son, and manager, of lost and found, of dishonesty and cunning. Oh, He tells His tales in such a way, so they should glean and learn, not fixate […]
Luke 16:1-15: The Cunning Estate Manager
September 18, 2022 by
Too well can money morph into a seductive false god, perched upon your slanted shoulders, confiding in your ear. “Listen to me. Only I’m able to ease your strife. Let me be your best friend, spouse, playmate, your dream, muse, and love. Yes, I’ll teach you the things of life and living. In return, I […]
Luke 15:1-7: The Divine Shepherd Restores Lost Sheep to His Fold
September 11, 2022 by
Furious, unforgiving, and smitten into stone, the Pharisees rail against Jesus. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Such sufferings of unbelief as they moan and mutter over God’s mercy. To them, this teacher from Nazareth deserves their hate for befriending foreigners and prostitutes who pollute their society. Such graven mutterings often fly from […]
