If you enjoyed reading today’s post

please consider getting new content delivered directly to your inbox.

Join 6,541 other subscribers

Archaeology and Women’s Studies

Theology and Spiritual Formation

Devotionals and Intimacy with God

Bible Studies and Bible Commentary

Stories … and much more


HER STORY: Birth of Christ, Elizabeth

What fascinated Luke, the scientist and doctor, was Jesus’ special emphasis on prayer, the activity of the Holy Spirit, and joyfulness and in his account of Jesus’ birth he highlighted the Holy Spirit’s activity in the lives of five people in these first two chapters. Luke’s chronicle of Jesus’ life is the longest of the…

Keep reading

Isaiah 61: The Beatitudes

Isaiah’s prophetic proclamation of the Lord’s favor spoke not to the rulers and the wealthy, but the downtrodden and impoverished. The entitled would not experience God’s favor in the same way as those who had nothing. Isaiah spoke of a people who perhaps had lost hope as beloved of God, who perhaps accepted as their…

Keep reading

Revelation 17: A Mystery, Babylon the Great

Then one of the seven angels pouring out the seven ceremonial bowls came out and was talking with me, saying, “Here, I will reveal to you the judgment of the great idolator/prostitute sitting upon the many waters.” In association with [the great idolater/prostitute], the rulers of the earth have practiced idolatry/indulged in unlawful sexual acts,…

Keep reading

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

HER STORY: The Birth of Christ, Candle of Joy

Have you ever wondered why the third candle in the advent wreath is pink? Why pink? Why the third Sunday? The short answer is joy! But the long answer is fascinating, and it has something to do with Lent, and something to do with an early Gnostic movement that dismissed Jesus as a real human…

Keep reading

Isaiah 61: Year of the Jubilee

Have any of you ever met a warrior?  There are many men and woman who really do have the “blood of justice on their garments,” soldiers, police officers, guards … warriors. Have you ever had an opportunity to listen to their stories, what it took to fulfill their mission, the heartache, the strength and courage,…

Keep reading

Revelation 17-18: Babylon the Great

Summary of the Cycles of Seven Three cycles of sevens have transpired. Scholars, as they review the whole arc of this series, see different metanarratives. Historicist Scholars with this perspective see the history of the church in John’s prophecies. Early on, the church took a wrong turn, and the growth of the Roman church as…

Keep reading

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

HER STORY: Exodus Pioneers, Thanksgiving

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”* Paul was no stranger to pain and hardship. He knew what it was to be hated, persecuted, beaten and left for dead. He did time in prison, dealt with chronic…

Keep reading

Isaiah 60: A Better Country, A Beautiful City

The final part of Isaiah’s prophecy goes far beyond earthly brilliance. “The sun shall no longer be    your light by day,nor for brightness shall the moon    give light to you by night,but the Lord will be your everlasting light,    and your God will be your glory.Your sun shall no more go down    or your moon withdraw itself,for the Lord will be your everlasting…

Keep reading

Revelation 16: The Seventh Bowl, A Preterist Take, and a Spiritual Take

Then, the seventh poured out his ceremonial bowl upon the atmosphere, and a might voice came out of the innermost part of the temple, from the throne saying, “It has come to be!” Then a lightning bolt appeared and voices and thunders, and there came massive seismic activity the like which had never before occurred…

Keep reading

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.