Why Work for Justice?

“I say it kindly but none the less dogmatically, but it is one of the inanities of the human intellect and a foible and fable of man’s imagination that any method contrary to God’s method will succeed.” – J. Vernon McGee J. Vernon McGee, a plain-folk preacher in California in the mid-2oth century, was a […]

Simeon

Sitting alone in prison gives you a lot of time to think. Too much time. Enough time to make you mad. It started with the famine. There was no food in all of Canaan, and when you have six sons and ten brothers with kids, you need a lot of food. So, we went to […]

King of the Trees

“It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it… Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” – Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe When Abimelek son of […]

Samuel

I was what you might call a “miracle baby.” My mom couldn’t have a baby. She was teased because other women had babies, but she had none. She prayed and prayed and prayed. Then priests teased her because she prayed so hard. But God heard her. And he gave her me. She named me Samuel, […]

Magi

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” … After they had heard the king, […]

The Shunammite Woman

Hidden within the politics and violence of 1st and 2nd Kings stands a bold, shrewd, and unnamed woman. Assertiveness In chapter 4, she is described as a “well-to-do woman,” and she used her resources to host the prophet Elisha any time he was in Shunem (v. 8). Eventually, she wanted to make a guest room […]

Doubting Thomas

I’m Thomas. You probably know me as “Doubting Thomas,” which is really unfair. Sure, I doubted sometimes. I asked questions. But I shouldn’t be branded by that. I shouldn’t have to wear a scarlet D on my chest as if doubt were some unforgivable sin. Here’s the thing – I asked a lot of questions. […]

Manoah’s Wife

I am from the tribe of Dan. For as long as I can remember, we have been under the rule of the Philistines. My mother taught me that the reason for our submission to the Philistines was because of the misbehavior of our ancestors. For being the Children of God, Israel has a history of […]

Ishmael & Isaac

My name is Ishmael. It means, “God hears.” I have a little brother named Isaac. His name means, “he laughs.” We’re actually half-brothers. Our father is Abraham. Isaac’s mother is his wife, Sarah. And my mother is her servant, Hagar. Our moms fought all the time when we were little. They both wanted to be […]

King Xerxes

I’ve never been very confident in my ability to rule, so I’ve surrounded myself with advisers I feel I can trust to help me make the best decisions. But this can sometimes result in trouble. I’m sure you’ve heard of that debacle with Haman. He told me of a people who disobeyed my laws and […]