One of Jesus’ shortest parables has always stuck out to me — even haunted me. Just these few verses make me examine myself to see who I really am as a Christian, and often, I don’t like what I see. “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first […]

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Two prophets – Jonah and Nahum. Both messengers of God prophesied against the great Assyrian capital of Nineveh, the largest city in the world at that time. It was also the very heart of the empire that took ancient Israel captive and threatened the kingdom of Judah. However, the two prophetic books have vastly different […]

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The Bible says much about the subject of reconciliation. Through the blood of Christ, God forgave our sins and reconciled us to Him. But what happens when someone does wrong to us? We can gain insight through the story of Jacob and Esau. Family conflicts Long ago, there were twin brothers born to parents who […]

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My mother-in-law, Linda Whitney (Grandma Linda, to my kids) had more questions than most teens her age in the 1950s. She loved and respected her parents, but at times she wasn’t sure whether she agreed with their beliefs. Linda’s mom, Vernettie Jones, had a houseful of kids, so there wasn’t much time for them to […]

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The theme of reconciliation is as old as humanity itself. Because of sin, humans damaged their relationship not only with God but also with their neighbor. Because of the Fall, communion between Adam and Eve was lost, giving rise to individualism. Both covered themselves with fig leaves, which they had not needed before: “I was […]

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Growing up in the CoG7 is not always easy. Sometimes you are faced with difficult questions from friends. It can be hard to explain to friends why you cannot eat certain foods or why you don’t celebrate some holidays. I have had many experiences with this, but I want to share only one as an […]

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It was 2:38 a.m. and only eighteen degrees outside. I was soundly sleeping in my warm, comfortable bed when I heard a deep growl and loud barking in our yard. Two large dogs were attacking our lambs and three-month-old horse. The nightmare scenario of every shepherd enfolded in front of my eyes. What could I […]

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The 2000 movie Pay It Forward tells the story of a seventh grader named Trevor, whose new social studies teacher issues an assignment to think of something that could change the world, and then put it into action. Trevor comes up with the idea of doing big favors for three people that are not intended […]

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Exhausted from a long, demanding day, Joseph feels his body begin to release stress and his mind struggle to let go of its seemingly endless list of responsibilities. It’s almost Sunday, he tells himself. Maybe I’ll finally get a chance to rest. The sad irony is that this is a relatable situation for many pastors, […]

The post Receiving the Gift of Rest appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Most of us are familiar with Lady Justice. We may have seen statues and paintings of her holding a sword in one hand and a balance scale in the other. The sword, of course, represents punishment and justice, and the balance scale symbolizes fairness in the justice dispensed. If we look closely at these representations […]

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