June 24, 2021 | Psalm 99-100 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In 1741, George Frideric Handel was deeply in debt after a string of musical failures. On the verge of his going to debtor’s prison, his friend Charles Jennens wrote the text of an opera based on the life of Jesus Christ and gave it to […]
December 26, 2020 | Matthew 2:1–12 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue What about this star that made it so special? The star of Bethlehem was special because it led the magi to Mary and Joseph and Jesus. Bible scholar Colin R. Nicholl researched astronomy to make his case that this star was actually a comet. His […]
September 30, 2020 | 1 Samuel 31:1–13 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Although this Old Testament book gets its name from Samuel, one of its main characters, its primary focus is the contrast between Saul and David. Saul’s story unfolds like a great tragedy. His failure is foreshadowed at the outset, and all subsequent events move […]
September 15, 2020 | 1 Samuel 15:1–35 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In his book The God Delusion, atheist Richard Dawkins accused the God portrayed in the Old Testament of being “arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction” and “a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser.” Dawkins may have based his accusations on today’s reading. Modern readers […]
September 8, 2020 | 1 Samuel 8:1-22 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue A vote of confidence is sometimes taken to indicate whether or not leaders continue to have support from those they serve. The term may be misleading. In most cases, such a vote occurs only when a significant number of people have expressed a lack […]
THE LORD IS KING September 22, 2019 | Psalm 29 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue According to the National Geographic, about a 100 lightning bolts strike the earth’s surface about every second. Despite its commonality, the facts about lightning still boggle the mind. Each bolt of lightning can contain up to one billion volts of electricity. […]
A TRUE KING March 31, 2019 | 2 Chronicles 36 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue King T’Challa was the rightful king of the fictional nation of Wakanda. But a usurper, Killmonger, appeared to kill the good king and rule the land with vengeance, hatred, and a thirst for world dominance. The people of Wakanda were resigned […]