In the 1994 film Forest Gump, the lead character portrayed by Tom Hanks introduced the world to the now well-known phrase, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know...

Joy is more than a fleeting moment of happiness. It is a state of being through God’s Spirit. Joy is a transformative force. According to Psalm 100, joy is a power...

An African Proverb states, “If you want to know the end, look at the beginning.” The start of something likely intimates what it will be like at the end. Deuteronomy 26:1-11...

In the second half of Zechariah’s speech following the birth of John, Zechariah turns to speak directly to his new son. In a prophetic declaration, Zechariah speaks about who John will...

Once on a spiritual retreat, our host tasked the group with an afternoon and evening of silence that would end after dinner. Following our meal I found myself more mindful of...

So what is power for? So far this week we have explored the way Jesus turns our idea of power on its head. We have seen what this upside-down power looks...

In this section of Colossians, Paul tells the believers at Colossae that Jesus was and is every bit as almighty as God; that he was there from the very beginning; and...

The third person to mock Jesus while on the cross is one of the criminals crucified beside him. To paraphrase, this criminal says, “Aren’t you supposed to be one with God?...

When reading scripture, I’ve learned to get curious when I pick up on a pattern. In this text from Luke, three different people say that if Jesus truly had the power...

The Israelites journeyed through many cycles of intense oppression from neighboring nations. Israel’s enslavement in Egypt, which lasted almost four hundred years, was only one experience of exile and oppression. Yet...