Empowered to Witness
The book of Acts was written approximately 60AD; the strongest evidence is that Acts closes with Paul in a Roman prison. We also know that Paul was martyred in 63AD or 64AD, and this would surely have been mentioned by the author. Who knows who the author of Acts is? Most scholars believe it’s written [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 3 so far )Reconciliation
Sweet treats for everybody; I’d like to pass out some candy favors today; little pieces of sweetness as a symbol of the wonderful friends we’ve developed in this class. (For my illustration today, I’ll pass out little candy favors to everybody, but “accidentally” overlook Margaret.) Sometimes big conflicts can fracture a relationship. Sometimes, little things [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )When All Hope Seems Lost
This week we follow Joseph into prison. If we’re headed to prison with him, let’s recap how we got here. We know that Joseph was born into a family that was trying to follow God’s will but at the same time was highly dysfunctional. Joseph had eleven other brothers, born to four different women. His [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 17 so far )God's Dysfunctional Children
Dysfunctional: abnormal or unhealthy interpersonal behavior or interaction within a group. We’ve been studying a dysfunctional family now for the last several weeks. They’re a mess! We had Abraham; Abraham had been promised by God that he would have so many children, as many as there were stars in the heavens. How long did Abraham [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Wrestling with God
As we’ve learned the last few weeks, God has a plan for Jacob. Jacob knows this, too, but he’s still trying to do things his own way and for personal reasons. Jacob was the second son born of Isaac and Rebekah, and God had told Rebekah that the elder would serve the younger. Esau was [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )God's Will Be Done Despite Us
I’m looking for a role model this week. As I studied Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob, I couldn’t help but think, “What is wrong with these people?†First they give us an excellent example of walking with God, then they give us a horrible example. These are the great patriarchs of the bible, yet they [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 8 so far )Choices We Make
We’re reading Genesis 13 and 14 today and following Abram, Sarai, and their nephew Lot around the middle east. Lot’s father had died in Ur in the land of the Chaldees, and Abram had taken Lot in with him on his journey with God. Last week, in Genesis 12, the Egyptian Pharoah asked Abram to [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )Tower of Babel
Even though lunch today is at Fajita Flats, I brought along a suggestion from a restaurant I was recently visiting called La Place in Hengelo, The Netherlands. Here’s also a list of today’s specials; I can highly recommend the voorgerecht. (Other handouts go here: the complete menu, shopping flyers, German newspaper, Dutch newspaper, French airport [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 6 so far )God Loves His Creation
Sometimes it can be difficult to remember that God is in control, that God has a plan for us. Let’s open God’s User Manual, Chapter 1, and start at the beginning. Genesis, verse 1:1 begins – In the beginning, God created… Let’s stop right there and discuss just those 5 words. Lately on the New [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 7 so far )Christian Behavior in God's Church
I’ve discovered how slow to understand I must be. We’ve been remarking that when Chris or Fred teach, they get large amounts of text to cover. Chris had the entire Beatitudes plus half of the New Testament to teach in 30 minutes. Fred gets, like, the entire Old Testament when he teaches. And when I [...]
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