September 5, 2020 | 1 Samuel 5:1-12 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue “My dad is stronger than your dad,” said a little boy to his friend. This childish competition mirrors the way people in the ancient world thought about their gods. The Philistines placed the captured ark inside the temple of Dagon as a spoil of […]
September 4, 2020 | 1 Samuel 4:1-22 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Humans can sometimes fool them-selves in believing that they can control God. Israel knew better. In his book The Divine Commodity, author Skye Jethani observes, “Rather than a religion of superstition or divination, attempting to control and manipulate God, the Hebrew Scriptures called them […]
September 3, 2020 | 1 Samuel 3:1–21 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When one-year-old Ayla Esler was able to hear for the very first time, she burst into a big smile, putting her hand to her ear and wiggling with glee. She was born deaf, but a device called a cochlear implant, which stimulates the auditory […]
September 2, 2020 | 1 Samuel 2:12–36 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In recent days it seems as if news headlines are filled with stories about church leaders whose behavior has shocked believers and unbelievers alike. Unfortunately, these kinds of failures are not new. Today’s text contrasts the scandal caused by Eli’s sons with the simple […]
August 30, 2020 | John 13:1–17 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Corey Nelson is an Arizona high school track coach who his students will tell you “never quits.” While coaching his students on how to sprint, the teacher continues to compete at the Master level. The teacher’s dedication, both to his students and to the […]
August 29, 2020 | Matthew 26:14–56 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Many years ago I attended a student’s sweet sixteen party at a luxurious hotel banquet hall. It was a beautiful event. However, on Monday this same young woman walked into my classroom in tears. She explained that when she got home that evening her […]
August 28, 2020 | Luke 24 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Have you ever looked back at a situation and thought, I sure wish I’d known then what I know now. If we’re honest, we often have the opportunity to make informed decisions, we just don’t always practice foresight. A good teacher shows students how […]
August 27, 2020 | Mark 10:32–45 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Do you ever need to be told something more than once before you truly get it? Or maybe you repeat something to yourself in order to truly remember it? As a Master Teacher, Jesus knew the power of repetition to help His followers learn. […]
August 26, 2020 | John 21:15–19 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue A test is designed to assess learning over a given period of time. What has the student learned, and, specifically, is there a “gap” in learning? A gap means that key pieces of knowledge and understanding are missing. Until that gap is filled, progress is […]
August 25, 2020 | Matthew 25:31-46 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue As a teacher, I have been given the opportunity to work with students of various needs. I have had the blessing of helping students with dyslexia (a reading disorder) move into becoming competent readers of God’s Word. And some of these students are now […]