The Size Difference

man wearing pants that are many sizes too big

A number of years ago, without losing any weight at all, I was suddenly 2 sizes smaller.  Shockingly, I could no longer find anything that fit me in certain clothing departments.  Because I have a tendency to believe that size is basically a fixed matter (unless an object is altered),…

Read More

Problems with the Messenger

skeptical young asian man

“Don’t kill the messenger!”  That saying likely came from the account of David putting to death the messenger who assisted in King Saul’s demise, then brought the “good” news to David that he could now become King of Israel. While that messenger was not from God, the Lord used many…

Read More

Secret Preparation

Cartoon of the shepherd boy David hitting a bear with a shepherd's staff

Although the mention is very short, I have always been fascinated by the fact that a shepherd boy, David, could kill both a lion and bear with his bare hands.  I think of people who have been mauled or killed by both of these animals, and the terror they still…

Read More

Sleeping Through a Storm

birds in storm

Mark 4:35-41 describes Jesus asleep on a cushion in the stern of a fishing boat when gale winds hit the Sea of Galilee and churned up fearful waves nearly swamping the boat.  He was so exhausted from ministering to thousands that neither the violent pitching of the boat nor the…

Read More

We Can’t Know What We Don’t Know

inquisitive woman

Just when we think we have God figured out, He does the unexpected.  This is what happened in the historical account of Abraham and Lot.  When Abraham was childless, God made a covenant with Abraham that he would be the father of many nations.  One year before Isaac was born,…

Read More

One Way or the Other

whale

Most people know the story of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish.  While many choose to look at it as an imaginative object lesson to teach obedience and the futility of running from God, in actuality, God has done stranger things than to allow a person to be swallowed…

Read More

Ranger Up!

best ranger competion

In the American military, the Rangers are to the Army what the Seals are to the Navy, both of them elite, specially trained fighting forces.  Most serious soldiers covet wearing the Ranger patch, but the fact is that two-thirds who undertake the training do not make it to the end. …

Read More

Dangerous Alliances

handshake

We have all heard the saying “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” While it carries a lot of truth, those relationships rarely outlast the momentary need.  In biblical times those alliances were often strengthened through arranged or negotiated marriages.  Such was the case between Jehoshaphat, King of Judah,…

Read More