In a culture in which women were generally seen but not heard, five sisters dared to speak up for their rights. As their father’s only children, it was up to them to preserve their family legacy. Their names—Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—may be unfamiliar, but their courage and integrity remain as an example for us today.
We meet them first in (more…)
One Sunday, an inquisitive man in our church small group posed the question, “What is a miracle?” His former pastor had told him a miracle is something beyond the realm of the explicable.
I thought about the countless physiological and neurological processes at work within him as he spoke. I was struck by how each one of us, and every moment of (more…)
. . . and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.—Acts 5:40b-41
For years, Thanksgiving week became the time when I would focus on (more…)
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You discern my thoughts from afar.—Psalm 139:1-2 (ESV)
Our society has clung to the idea of speaking truth to power in an effort to effect change. The term often is used in the face of perceived oppression or powerlessness. What if the powers to (more…)
Jesus looked at him and loved him.—Mark 10:21 (NIV)
As Jesus was wrapping up a visit to Judea, a young man commonly dubbed “the rich young ruler” ran up and knelt before Him to ask for the key to eternal life. Jesus cited some of the most common commandments—don’t murder, commit adultery, lie, cheat, or dishonor your parents—leaving the man feeling pretty (more…)