The gospel arrived in Europe via a divergent and unlikely path. It was divergent because the Lord thwarted man’s plans and introduced a better one. It was unlikely because it was a Jewish woman—a prominent entrepreneur named Lydia—who became the continent’s first recorded disciple.
Scripture only mentions Lydia twice. But each mention demonstrates her full surrender and hospitality.
Meeting her and a group (more…)
Besides that, they learn to be idlers, (more…)
Widows in ancient Israel faced lives of hardship and dependence. Without husbands, they became vulnerable to poverty, isolation and oppression. Their options were slim: Remarry or depend upon other family members and gifts from temple tithes.
Their precarious situation made them morally vulnerable as well, prone to yielding to passions that would lead them astray spiritually.
Besides that, they learn to be idlers, (more…)
Imagine being a woman who has lived blamelessly before the Lord all your life, yet you are looked upon with scorn and suspicion. The reason: You are childless in a culture that views barrenness as God’s judgment. And now you are old, beyond childbearing years.
You are destined to die in your disgrace, a shame so great that even having your husband, (more…)
For years, a little girl lived and thrived in the care of her Israeli parents, who taught her the word of God. But then the Arameans came. They abducted her, ripping her away from her family and the only home she had ever known.
She became a slave in a foreign land. Her master: an Aramean army commander.
Had she seen her parents (more…)
Imagine seeming to have it all—a powerful husband and huge family, wealth, respect, celebrity. People move out of your way as you walk by. Everyone is out to please you. You get the best tables at restaurants while others are turned away. You sport the latest fashions. Your name is on everyone’s lips.
But somehow it’s not enough. It’s never enough. You (more…)