This first sentence of 2 Kings is an odd way to begin a new chapter. The transition from the previous book to this one could have been much smoother. For instance, the last lines of 1 Kings provide all the explanation we need for this new...

 King Ahab left the battlefield, victorious over the Syrians, but he arrived home moody and sullen. In theory, there’s no reason for kings to be “moody and sullen.” If they are troubled, they have counselors. If they feel sad, the...

 Today’s episode requires an explanation, because my plan was to skip this chapter. For the past seven weeks we’ve been immersed in the story of Elijah, but for some reason he does not appear here; not even his name is mentioned. But that ...

 The Elijah with whom we spent time in the previous chapter is hardly recognizable in this episode. He is no longer the prophet who lost heart and had been wallowing in defeat, sulking in a cave. He was transformed. Once again he is on the...

 Elijah was excited–an energetic excited–an excited he had not allowed himself to indulge until now. The tide was turning. The entire crowd witnessed God’s answer from heaven. They had been won over. They had chanted, “Yehovah, he is God! ...

 Elijah found King Ahab sitting off by himself still as a statue, staring into nothing, and his face coated in confusion. Ahab wondered, “What just happened? How could it have happened?” His feud with Elijah had ended suddenly in a phenome...

 There must have been court officials who wished they could restrain King Ahab’s poor decisions and thoughtless actions. But those with enough skill in diplomacy to hold a position in the royal court also had enough sense to value their li...

 The village where Elijah had been living was on the Mediterranean coast, so I find it easy to imagine him walking the shoreline, allowing the onshore breeze to be refreshed. He listens to the rhythm of the waves and the squawking seagulls...

 Picking up from last week, directed by the word of Yehovah, Elijah came to the home of a widow in Sidon, north of Israel’s border. She had helped Elijah when he was hungry and homeless. She let him stay in her home, in the small room upst...

A crooked king, a wicked queen, and a foreign god. You know this is going to be a great story. That’s because in literature (and storytelling), evil is more entertaining than good. We can predict a good person’s actions–they will be honest, kin...

This week a nearby church hosted a Vacation Bible SchoolMy fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Adrianna, volunteered to help out- on Friday, a friend sent me a video that she filmed the day before• when I watched it, there was Adria...

In this final chapter we come to the end of the visionTo me, it feels like waking up from a dream- just before I woke up yesterday morning, I was enjoying a pleasant dream• I heard someone call me, and I was immediately awake...

Once again, John begins to describe an event with “I saw”We are reminded that this entire book is a mystical vision and uses the strange language of images and symbols- however, we could be tempted to read last two chapters ...

When Jesus told the parable of the Prodigal Son,He did not expect anyone to come to him afterward and say,- “Lord, I’d like to visit that family. Where do where they live?”• it was just a story – a made-up story meant to make a p...

This is a fascinating chapterIt is complex, and it is put together well- the chapter divides into two parts:• in the first half, heaven reverberates with praise• in the second half, Jesus leads heaven’s army in a final battle...

 I’m going to begin with a quote by St. AugustineIn The City of God he traces two cities through world historyAugustine, “Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly [city] by the love of s...

 A few years ago, Barry Liesch, a professor at Biola-Talbot University,- wrote an article on worship in the book of Revelation• he suggested that by using its examples of form, content, and splendor,◦ we might enjoy a more mean...

I’ve been feeling that talking about the book of RevelationIs like trying to practice dream interpretation - how do I make sense out of all these foreign signs and symbols?- of course, the bigger question is: what is God’s S...

 I think most anyone reading Revelation sees that it takes a turn in chapter 13What stays the same: the dragon (Satan) is still here- at least at the start – and he’s continuing his fight against GodWhat changes:

Yesterday Barb asked me, “Are you still in Revelation?”In answered with a weary, “Yes”She said, “Oh.” then added, “You’ll probably be in Revelation till the end of the world”One of the challenges of this mystical book is distr...

 We have arrived at the heart of Revelation Not only the middle of the book, but its central message- I’m going to take you backstage and show you my work room• the Bible is many books and among them, different writing ...

Story of El Sal PrisonThere's something life giving when we choose to be a loving presence. Especially to those whohave been out-casted.I’m addicted to it… but I’m not perfect at it.I have a sneaky suspicion that after I ...

I get the feeling that when we read the book of Revelation,We tend to watch each scene unfold from a safe distance- I don’t think it was meant to read this way,• we’re supposed to feel a threatening closeness

When my children were small, I’d read to them every nightFirst from a book of fairytales, then from a Bible storybook- we would pray, say goodnight, and turn off the lights• we were careful about the last thing that entered their...

They came on the first day of week, first thing in morningThey knew what spices and ointments to bring,- and knew what they were doing – they had done this before• what they did not know, was that overnight their world had change...