It’s a classic movie cliché—the teacher is gone for the day, and in walks a substitute. The substitute doesn’t have the authority or relationship with the students, so the students feel...

We can often tell the story of the Bible by telling a story of food—from taking the fruit in the Garden of Eden to selling a birthright for a pot of...

The Corinthian church was a know-it-all, the sort of kid at school who raises a hand for every question, corrects other students, and shows a bit of disdain for those who...

As the songbook for God’s people, the Psalms tell us an emotional and spiritual history of God’s big story of redemption for God’s people. Psalm 111 shows us the mighty deeds...

When we are caught up in the beauty and perfection of something, we can’t help but praise it. From a friend or spouse, to a sunset or an artistic work, we...

When my oldest child entered fourth grade, he was tasked with learning to play the recorder. He would retreat to his room, squeaking out something that sounded like notes, while the...

A Reason to Trust People love superheroes and heroines—Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Black Panther to name a few. Why are these characters so popular? We like them because of...

A Refuge to Trust When I was a church-camp counselor, one of our activities was to take our campers for a “trust walk” in the woods. We would divide the campers...

Come, Follow Me In this reading, Jesus calls four ordinary people out of their ordinary lives. “Come, follow me,” he says (NIV). There was no introduction, no description of what they...

Hope Beyond Today In today’s reading from Mark’s Gospel, John has been arrested. His ministry has concluded, and Jesus has entered the stage of announcing that the time that John had...