Somewhere back in middle school science class, we learned that for around 2000 years people believed in something called “spontaneous generation,” the belief that living things can suddenly come from non-living matter. If you left meat out on a table, for instance, flies would spontaneously come to life around the meat. That belief wasn’t completely…
Read MoreCategory: Bible Study
Lessons and studies from the Bible
Conviction and Calling: How the Holy Spirit Turns Us to God
I’m not a lawyer and don’t spend much time in courtrooms. Or any time in courtrooms actually. I do, however, watch enough Dateline to know what happens during a trial, especially when the verdict comes in. There’s always tension in the courtroom when the jury is set to announce its decision. It will either be…
Read MoreThe Work of the Holy Spirit: His Single Focus
Have you ever noticed when two people meet for the first time and enter into small talk, one of them will always ask, “What do you do?” It’s an innocent attempt to know more about a person, but it’s almost as if what someone does is the most vital thing about that person. No one…
Read MoreThe Work of the Holy Spirit, An Introduction
The story of how I was hired for my first job in ministry is, well, interesting. I was a seminary student in need of work experience, and I had met with a local pastor to discuss a staff position at his church. The church had never had a staff member responsible for Christian education, and…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit: Who is He?
You’ve probably heard the story about the young dad grocery shopping with his fussy two-year-old sitting in the grocery cart. A woman heard the dad saying, “Be patient, Billy. It’ll be okay, Billy. Stay calm, Billy.” She finally told the dad, “I don’t mean to interrupt your shopping, but I just had to tell you…
Read MoreThe Helper is Here: An Introduction to the Holy Spirit
Just before Halloween in the second grade, Mrs. Mooneyham assigned us a very fun project – writing a ghost story. We all told her a story, and she wrote down what we said (we didn’t have the best handwriting in second grade). Then she made mimeograph copies (yes, this was before copy machines) and gave…
Read MoreIs the Author of Your Story You? Or God?
You’re writing the story of your life every day. What you wrote yesterday determined where you are today. And what you write today will determine where you’ll be tomorrow. What if you find yourself far from where you want to be? Far from where you intended to be at this point in your life? It’s…
Read MoreLearning from the Book of Judges: How to turn your story around
You’ve been writing the story of your life every day since you were first capable of making decisions. What you wrote yesterday determined where you are today, and the story you write today will determine where you are tomorrow. Some folks can look back with contentment because they’ve written a good story so far. Others…
Read MoreWhere is Your Story Leading You?
When I was a teenager, I saw the movie The Hiding Place, based on the book by Corrie ten Boom. It’s the story of how one man, Caspar ten Boom, held to his convictions despite the consequences. In the Netherlands in 1942, Caspar hid a Jewish woman from the German authorities. She had simply shown…
Read MoreWrite a Better Story
Don’t you love a good story? I sure do. I love good movies, TV shows, books, you name it. I have a mom who instilled in me the joy of reading. She also took me to movies, starting when I was around three years old, and we’ve watched TV together for as long as I…
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