Clik here to view.
My Bible study valentine
I spend Tuesday mornings with a select group of women. One is younger than me, but the rest are my elders by a considerable number of years. They are friendly, devout and wise. I love them. I’m the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Unto the Next Generation
My adorable grandchildren are here for a visit and while it’s certainly a privilege to have them, it’s also sobering me during a curious time in my life. I’m teaching in the book of Psalms this quarter...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If It’s Written Down, It Must be True.
My third son always dashed into the house after school with the same words on his lips: “What’s for dinner?” Invariably, I’d look up from the computer with a woozy brain–still caught in the 1830′s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Turning the Prism: Looking at Our Circumstances Through God’s Lens
We’re all familiar with the Scripture passage from James 1:2 that tells us to “count it all joy when you meet various trials.” We know from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to “rejoice always, 17 pray...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Old Lesson: Take 2,367
I’ve been working off a master “to do” list for over a month now, life has been that busy. I had six writing deadlines to finish on April 1, alone, and felt a lot of pressure to finish up before I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Inside or Outside the Will of God?
What does your life look like if you’re outside of the will of God? I’ve pondered this question over the years–usually when some crisis or another has hit and I’m suddenly not sure I’ve been in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
VBS: It’s Not Just for Little Kids
Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a big deal at our church. We’re not a particularly large Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, regularly worshipping about 325. But we go all out the week after Father’s Day...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Which is the Good Point of View?
I was at a writer’s conference last week and so I’ve been thinking about point of view. Among writers, point of view is one of the primary things to consider when writing a novel—determining whose eyes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On Books and Baby Christians
I became a Christian while attending Trinity Lutheran Church. A Lutheran church was a great spot for me because it married a love of music, learning and history and focused it on God. While the church...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Paperback Bible
I did not grow up in a Bible-reading home. Indeed, the only Bible we owned was a decaying, brown-paged Gideon’s Bible my father swiped from a hotel room. It anchored the bookshelf on the far right,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What to Do With the Bible Study Books?
What do you do with your old Bible study books? You know, the workbooks where you read a passage of scripture, answered some questions and either applied what you learned to your life, or discussed it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Conviction and a Different Ruth Story.
You may think you know where I’m going with my version of the story of Ruth, but you don’t. It’s a different Ruth, not the Biblical Ruth, and it’s a story about God working conviction in my heart and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Bible Teacher’s Worshipful Memorial Service
English: Bible in candlelight. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) For all he was a man of slight build, Don Bauman packed an enormous punch into our lives. We said farewell to him on Saturday, in a memorial...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Does it Take to Kill Jesus?
What did the Romans have to do to kill Jesus on Good Friday? Nothing. They were pawns in God’s hand. That’s not exactly true. They had to play along with Pontius Pilate, who was manipulated by the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Partners in Ministry
This is NOT my friend; Brazilian missionary baptizing. A friend of mine is looking for partners in ministry as she prepares to return to the mission field. What are partners in ministry? Click to Tweet...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Books and the All-Inclusive Resort
So my friend Jay and I went to an all-inclusive resort recently for a week in Cancun, Mexico. All-inclusive vacations are steps back in time–someone makes your bed in the morning and turns down the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Advent: Zacharias and the Angel
My Bible study is working through an Advent book this Christmas and today we examined Zacharias meeting the angel Gabriel–as found in Luke 1. Somehow over the years, I’d missed several interesting...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Advent: Elizabeth and Mary
Visitation by Mariotto Albertinelli (1503) Oil on wood, 232 x 146 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The Advent story, of course, includes not one but two surprise...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Advent: Mary’s Challenging Year
Saint Joseph Seeks a Lodging in Bethlehem (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Christmas is about Jesus, but it would not be celebrated without the faith, determination and joy of a young woman named Mary. You...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Advent: Who was Joseph?
George de la Tour‘s St. Joseph the Carpenter (Wikipedia Commons) As we enter the third week of Advent, my Bible study has turned to Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. So, who was this...
View Article