Who would actually go shopping with no resources and no money? Who would risk the embarrassment, disdain, and humiliation associated with being found lacking? Yet this passage asks us to be...

I sometimes wonder what the Pharisees in this passage were thinking. Did they take delight in telling Jesus that Herod was after him? Were they looking after his safety out of...

What do you think heaven will be like? Have you thought about who else is there? “Citizenship” implies we are not alone—we are citizens together, with shared rights, privileges, allegiances, and...

It’s possible to trust God and really struggle at the same time. Courage is most visible when it’s held in the face of real danger. This psalm reminds us that we...

We got chickens for our backyard this year. I’ve learned that hens can be stubborn, fierce, and protective. We don’t have a rooster, though, so I haven’t gotten to experience our...

Imitating Christ requires significant humility and sacrifice. I’m always tempted to skip to the parts at the end about the “body of his glory.” Glory in Christ, however, is attainable only...

I find the image of living “in the house of the LORD” quite evocative. I think of my living space and how it’s the place where I do so many different...

When I read ancient texts like this one from Genesis, with details about the preparation of animal sacrifices offered to God, the distance between Abram’s time and mine seems immense. I...

Upon entering a church, I noticed that the children were picking up small bags and taking them to their seats. “What are those?” I asked. “Those are activity bags with crayons,...

Jesus begins his ministry not by joining with family and friends to celebrate his ordination but rather by being cast into the wilderness where he is tempted by Satan. When I...