Banished. Isolated. Pushed away. Trying to survive in a lifeless desert. That’s what happened to Hagar and her son Ishmael, according to Genesis chapter 21. Deserts, though, aren’t as lifeless as they appear. God does interesting things in deserts. According to an online article I read recently titled, “127 Stunning Desert Plants,” an amazing array […]
MONDAY Reading for Today: Matthew 17:14-27 Acts 24 Psalm 39 Leviticus 5–7 Leviticus 5–7 The guilt offering: atonement made for an unintentional sin. I marvel at the details regarding the sacrifices offered at the tabernacle and later, the temple. Even accidental sin made a man guilty before God and therefore needed to be covered. As […]
We sometimes use the expression, “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” when we want to emphasize that good is on the way and that soon our “tunnel experience” will end. But sometimes we add to that secular proverb the phrase, “But the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming […]
At first, it looked like Joseph had a charmed life. His father Jacob showed him special favor. Smart and handsome, Joseph sported a flashy wardrobe and had a God-given penchant for interpreting dreams. His fortunes, however, quickly turned upside down. His jealous brothers tossed him into a pit in the ground, then sold him to […]
Use one or both of these questions to introduce the lesson: 1. Consider these three pairs: a wildfire vs. the fire in a household furnace, a stampede of wild horses vs. a horse-drawn wagon, and a car bomb vs. the explosions within your car’s engine cylinders. What makes the difference between destructive and constructive power? […]
