The note card read, "Zipporah". "I don't know who that is!" yelled one of the youth group students at our Church. We were playing a Bible guessing-game. Everyone had a notecard (either on your forehead or back, so you can't see it) with the name of a Bible character written on it. The goal of … Continue reading Exodus: Zipporah and her Sisters’ Ironic Declaration
Exodus: Moses a.k.a the New Noah
The more I’ve read the Bible, the more I’ve come to realize and appreciate its artistry. I mean the writers are beautifully creative and carried along by the Spirit of God so it’s hardly surprising. Yet, I’m often gleefully surprised by the depth of God’s Word. The Book of Exodus has no shortage of artistic depth … Continue reading Exodus: Moses a.k.a the New Noah
Exodus: Pharaoh Plans His Own Demise
A constant claim of the Bible is God's sovereignty. He is the true King—the only true God—whose plan of redemption will not be stopped. The book of Exodus details a battle of sorts between a false king and his gods (Pharaoh and his gods) vs the true King and the true God (YHWH). At the beginning of … Continue reading Exodus: Pharaoh Plans His Own Demise
Exodus: Two Women Defeat Pharaoh
God often uses women to thwart the plans of evil. We see it all over the Bible and I've seen it plenty of times in my own life. In the early chapters of the book of Exodus, God uses women (Shiphrah, Puah, Jochabed, Miriam, Pharaoh's daughter) to defeat the most powerful man in the world—Pharaoh—and … Continue reading Exodus: Two Women Defeat Pharaoh
Exodus: Abram’s Exodus Foreshadows Israel’s
Most people know the story of Israel's Exodus from Egypt. Whether you learned it in Sunday School, or by watching Charlton Heston's portrayal of Moses in the classic The Ten Commandments, or by watching the animated movie Prince of Egpyt (also a classic), you know the basic structure of the story: Jacob and his sons go … Continue reading Exodus: Abram’s Exodus Foreshadows Israel’s
5 Helpful Books on Jesus’ Parables
Jesus is the greatest teacher to walk the earth. He taught through many means, but one of His favorites was storytelling. These were not tales meant simply to entertain, but extended analogies (παραβολή "parable") meant to reveal, to teach, to persuade, and to provoke change. Ultimately, He spoke in parables to reveal the kingdom to … Continue reading 5 Helpful Books on Jesus’ Parables
12 Quotes of Christmas and God Incarnate
So then He united man with God, and established a community of union between God and man; since we could not in any other way participate in incorruption, save by His coming among us...So the Word was made flesh, that, through that very flesh which sin had ruled and dominated, it should lose its force … Continue reading 12 Quotes of Christmas and God Incarnate
6 Books that Will Change the Way You Read the Bible (for the better)
I used to read the Bible like God was tweeting @ me. A random verse here, a verse there. I had a couple favorite passages (usually pulled out of context) I would go to over and over when I was feeling down as if I was reading a therapeutic book written by some psychologist. Don't … Continue reading 6 Books that Will Change the Way You Read the Bible (for the better)
Your Netflix Binge-Watching Skills Can Help Your Bible-Reading Skills
Let's face it. We all binge-watch shows on Netflix. There's much to say about the topic of binge-watching, but this isn't the blog for that. I just want to make one observation about binge-watching shows: the binge-watcher is able to follow the storyline of the show very closely. That makes sense right? If you're binge-watching … Continue reading Your Netflix Binge-Watching Skills Can Help Your Bible-Reading Skills
Jesus: The Cosmic Carpenter
I would imagine that most of the population (whether Christian or not) when asked about Jesus' occupation would answer that he was a carpenter (thanks Indiana Jones). This is not wrong, but maybe in need of some nuance. Jesus' adoptive father, Joseph, is called a τέκτων (pronounced "tech-tone") in Matthew 13:55, "Is not this the … Continue reading Jesus: The Cosmic Carpenter
