Old Testament prophets have miserable, unenviable jobs. God taps these individuals – mostly men but also a few women – to proclaim bracing messages of doom and gloom to wayward souls who’ve strayed far from the fold of God. Over the past few Sundays, in our exploration of the story of God with us, we’veContinue reading “Heart health”
Tag Archives: forgiveness
A Heart Transplant
Dire warnings from a couple Old Testament prophets have given us reasons to grit our teeth these past few Sundays. First it was Amos, whose voice speaks for the Lord in declaring that God’s people are crooked and out of plumb. Then last Sunday came Jeremiah with an equally harsh indictment that minces no words:Continue reading “A Heart Transplant”
Patching the Leak
The Old Testament kings and prophets, along with God’s perennially disobedient people, have been the main characters in our Scripture lessons for the past couple Sundays. As the story of God and us continues to unfold, the long era of royal rule has begun for the Israelites, and their kings are mixed bags of goodContinue reading “Patching the Leak”
Drawing the Line
Chaos seems to be the order of the day for God’s first people, the Israelites. Not long after the Lord their God rescues them from the bonds of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites begin stepping way over the line, far out of bounds, and deeply into dangerous territory. They most definitely are not meeting God’sContinue reading “Drawing the Line”
Ash Wednesday: The Past Comes Knocking
Lent is a lot of things to a lot of people. But at its heart, Lent is a gracious invitation to take an honest look in the mirror of self-reflection, muster up the courage to allow the Holy Spirit pick out those attitudes and behaviors that are separating you from God and those around you,Continue reading “Ash Wednesday: The Past Comes Knocking”
Flawed Heroes
Only seven weeks into our look at the biblical story of God and us, and already, a sad, gloomy cycle of broken relationship between heaven and earth has taken hold. An ever-faithful God is doing what only heaven can do to try and corral the ever-growing ranks of unfaithful mavericks among God’s people. But theContinue reading “Flawed Heroes”
The Scapegoat
The glass shattered with a nauseating pop. And somewhere on the other side of a broken garage window, my cousin’s carelessly tossed rock landed with a sickening thump. My cousin and I sprinted like mad down an alleyway hoping to find some cover. And over our shoulders, an angry voice cried out after us: “Hey,Continue reading “The Scapegoat”
Liberty Isn’t Lawless Living
Standing bare-footed before a burning bush and attending nervously to the address of God, the Old Testament prophet Moses receives a daunting task: “Go and free my people from slavery in Egypt.” Thus said the Lord in the Scripture lesson from the book of Exodus that we heard last Sunday. Moses reluctantly obeys his intimidatingContinue reading “Liberty Isn’t Lawless Living”
Living East of Eden
We have just begun a spiritual journey from one end of the Bible to the other in hopes of better understanding the big-picture story of God and us, and, along the way, we aim to become more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Thus last Sunday, weContinue reading “Living East of Eden”
In the Beginning
The better you know the chapters and verses of the Old Testament – and the more you take to heart the stories held tenderly and eternally in those ancient words long preserved, the wiser you’ll become for salvation in Jesus Christ. So says the apostle Paul. Of course, finding Jesus crouched down behind every desertContinue reading “In the Beginning”