This Week A biblical tale of espionage Drama. Political spies. Seamy and seedy locations. Life-threatening danger. Chase scenes. Does all that sound like a John le Carré or Ian Fleming novel? Nope. It’s all part of the story of one of five women Matthew names in the family tree of Jesus: Rahab. Gather with the saints…

This Week The genealogy of Jesus The Gospel of Matthew starts by tracing Jesus’ family tree back to Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation. Today, most of these names mean little to us, but the last one is, as they say, the reason for the season and the reason for all the hope we…

This Week You need a friend when . . . Isn’t it amazing how a minor disagreement can grow into something bigger than you would have thought possible? And maybe even hurt more people than you would have thought possible? Maybe you’ve met someone who said about a friend or a spouse, “I don’t know…

This Week You need a friend when . . . “Why can’t we all just get along?” You’ve heard that or even said it. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could? Because of the world we live in and the condition of human nature, it won’t always happen. You will be attacked by sickness, Satan,…

This Week When you need a friend Public health journals are filled with studies demonstrating the importance of friendships for a person’s well-being. A recent survey (The American Perspectives Survey) finds that Americans report having fewer close friendships than they once did, talking to their friends less often, and relying less on their friends for personal…

This Week Back to the Word again Our celebration of the Reformation this weekend is less about lauding Martin Luther and company and more about maintaining God’s Word as is. We thank God for preserving his message of free salvation by grace through faith. The “re-” in “reformation” tells us that we are doing something…

This Week What came out of the ark When circumstances force you to rearrange your budget, you still only have so many dollars. When you take a stand in hopes of some kind of a reset, you are still only one person. Ultimately, you don’t have much control, and you’re usually going to be working…

This Week Rules for a reset Isn’t it nice to have an opportunity to reset? This might come with a new house, new job, or new school. For Noah and his family, it came with a new world. After the flood, everything went through Noah. His family established the beginning of culture and civilization. God…

This Week But God remembered Noah Have you ever felt as though God had forgotten you? Maybe a relationship wasn’t working out as you had planned. Maybe your health took a sudden turn for the worse. Maybe the job you thought you’d keep for a long time is going away. God, where are you? The opening…

This Week Flood lessons Do you stand by the microwave and tap your fingers? Is your finger ready on the horn if the car ahead of you doesn’t move on green? Most of us aren’t very patient. God is. Genesis 6 – 9 not only leads us to a deeper understanding of God’s covenant of…