The prophet Amos had a difficult message to present to his audience. Amos, whom God chose to be his mouthpiece, was told to leave Judah and travel to Israel to rebuke the king and the people. The problem with the Israelites was that they had gotten too comfortable and greedy....
It is vitally important that we understand what we stand for and teach others to do the same.
As I was reading Luke’s gospel account this week, I came across an interesting theme. The theme centers around one question, “Who is this?” The question first appears immediately after Jesus begins his ministry. As “news about him went out through all the surrounding country” people started asking, “Is not...
In our Sunday sermons, we are studying through the teachings of Jesus. Our study aims to focus on what Jesus says to us through God’s Word so we can know God’s will (Psalm 40:8; John 6:38, 40). Although we have shored up our thoughts with other verses throughout the Bible,...
The book of Daniel is filled with incredible accounts of individuals and their encounters with God. Most of the book is about Daniel and his three companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah––but there are also stories about the kings of Babylon. As we read these stirring accounts, we learn a lot about...
One of the more intriguing aspects of God’s design for humans is the ability we possess to create habits. Even the most unregimented individual has habitual tendencies. For example, a habit can be as simple as one’s morning routine or the way someone prepares lunch. Whether we acknowledge it or...
The holiday season brings with it the potential for a lot of conversations with friends and family. These conversations can be good and rewarding or result in disagreements and chaos. We can all think of at least some story to illustrate either point. I would like to present a challenge...
Many of our movies, TV shows, and books weave tales about rebels revolting against some tyrannical force or person. There are many reasons why we find these stories captivating and see ourselves rooting for the rebels. One reason might be that we vicariously relate to these characters and stories because...
There is a genre of literature that is called postapocalyptic dystopian. These works take place in a world that has been drastically changed by some natural or created disaster. The result is that civilizations, societies, and people must create a new way of life. As humanity begins to rebuild and...