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Unveiling Transfiguration
Psalm 99, Exodus 34:29–35, 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2, Luke 9:28–36 Sometimes things we are unaware of about ourselves become a separator be us and others. Imagine Moses already feeling the pressure of leading these people. The strain of leadership along with the regular stubbornness of the Israelites would always keep some separation between Moses and the
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Handing It Off Well
Numbers 27:12-22, Deuteronomy 31:1-23, Proverbs 15:18–29 A relay race requires timing and teamwork. As the baton carrier approaches the next runner, that runner must start running. The two must match stride and pace so that the baton can be handed-off smoothly. Rarely will a relay team just start off, even if all are excellent runners.
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A Day Off Or A Day For
Psalm 99, Deuteronomy 16:1–17, 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:2 If you look at the calendar of any country, you will find a number of secular (i.e, non-religious) observances. Sometimes these to get mixed into religion, and some are just odd. Today, for example, has the following “observations”: Day of Unplugging; Pig Day; Employee Appreciation Day; Salesperson Day;
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Catching What
Psalm 99, Deuteronomy 11:1–25, Malachi 4:1–6 Truth and story cannot truly be caught. They must be taught. And it doesn’t end there. Teaching may often have the appearance of catching, and if the teacher is truly skilled, the hearer/learner will not realize that they have been taught as they have already internalized both truth and
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Forgiveness Such As This
Psalm 38, Leviticus 5:1–19, Luke 17:1–4 “Already forgotten.” “Don’t worry about it.” We sometimes hear these words when trying to apologize or make amends for something we have done wrong to another. Sometimes the person says these words as a veiled acceptance for the apology. Sometimes it was so inconsequential to them that they spent
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Lost in Memory
Genesis 39:21–41:36, Psalm 9:1-16 Old age, being “blonde”, being scatterbrained, being AD(H)D, having a bad time with names are all often used to excuse memory issues. While there are definitely cases of that being true, another cause of memory issues is being overly mentally occupied and pride. Each person and even each situation may have
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Remembrance, Power and Identity
Genesis 9:8–17, Psalm 8 Remembering is an essential part of the human condition. The philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Through technology, humanity is creating nearly 50 billion GB of data a day. At most, the Bible as written is 10 megabytes. This means that if
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Not Always Better
Deuteronomy 9:1–9:7, Psalm 36, Romans 5:20–6:11 You have been trouble from the beginning of this! Moses’ long good-bye speech (all of Deuteronomy) is a summary of God, God’s message, God’s calling, and Israel’s past, current, and future response. It’s not pretty. We can often look at the Israelites and question their memory, wisdom, or sanity.
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Interceding Love
Genesis 44:18–34, Isaiah 59:15b–20, Hebrews 7:11–28, Romans: 8:26–39 It has been said the person who does not pray for their spouse will have their prayers bounce back. It has been said that a person who is not prayed for by their spouse will experience the same. It does seem to be a catch-22. It isn’t.
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Disappointment Not Punishment
Psalm 34, Job 1:1–10, 1 John 4:7–21 There is something in the Old Testament that remains unresolved. The Psalmist declares that the wicked will not be remembered and the righteous will be. This is a common theme. Yet, when we look at scripture, and we look at the world around us, we rightfully question that.