Biblical history doesn’t hold up to our modern standards for history. So how can we trust history in the Bible? And more importantly, how can these stories of ancient peoples and events help us know God better today?
Continue readingMany of us find poetry to be an impenetrable genre. But the purpose of poetry is to point beyond the limits of language to deep truths of our existence. The Bible is more than a quarter poetry – how does biblical poetry invite us to know the God who is beyond our words about God?
Continue readingCan we all admit we skip the legal codes in the Bible? It’s hard to imagine texts that have less to do with our daily lives… isn’t it? How can we read the Bible’s legal codes for spiritual formation? Leviticus 19 illustrates just how relevant these ancient legal texts are to our world today.
Continue readingActs is a history book. But it’s ancient history that has a clever twist: the main character isn’t Peter, Paul or any other human. Acts is the story of how the Holy Spirit empowers Jesus’ first followers to take his good news to the whole world. How can we read this story so that we take part in that transformation?
Continue readingOne of the most challenging genres in the Bible is Apocalypse – in large part because it’s a genre we don’t really use anymore. But surprisingly, political cartoons can help us understand this bizarre biblical genre. We explore Revelation 14 as an example of some very good news.
Continue readingWe imagine the Biblical prophets as fortune tellers promising far off blessings. But the prophets were political activists, called to speak truth to power. So how do we read their ancient messages for spiritual formation today?
Continue readingThe Gospels are ancient biographies. Their goal is to lead us to imitate Jesus’ life. So how do we read the Gospels such that we focus not just on Jesus’ death, but his life? How can we learn to imitate Jesus?
Continue readingEveryone knows reading Scripture is an important element of a vibrant faith. But can we be honest? The Bible is really confusing. Knowing what we’re supposed to take from it is tough. This summer, we’re going to explore the Bible by genre, and learn tips and tricks for reading so that the Spirit can transform us AND our world.
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Signatures aren’t worth as much as the used to be – in the age of digital commerce and identity theft, just signing your name isn’t enough to prove who you really are. On this Pentecost, we’re celebrating the Holy Spirit as the one who confirms who we are: God’s beloved children, called and empowered to be a change in the world!
Continue readingFacing the pain of the world is daunting, and can feel impossible. But the Holy Spirit knows what we’re called to, and empowers us when that calling pushes us to our limit!
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