Right now, there is a lot of discussion going on in this country about the qualities that a person must possess to be an effective arbiter of justice.  Looking at a person’s past, and prognosticating what their future character might be, weighing those things next to the benefit of age and experience, all help us to decide how they might exercise their ordained authority.

Whether or not we approve of the manner in which these discussions are happening, the discussions themselves are vitally important, if we believe that God’s ways are truly better for all humans.  Furthermore, they should encourage us…

If there is any one issue that I hear complaints about from young married couples more than any other, it is the issue of communication.  It is not always the failure of one sex over the other, but young men are often quite unprepared to speak to their wives in a ways that demonstrates patience toward the "weaker vessel." (II Peter 3:7)  This is made especially difficult if there is an emotional component.

What is amazing is that the bible provides several opportunities to learn how to speak to people, even women, in a way that communicates dignity and respect.  Many…

The account of Israel’s devastating loss at Ai due to Achan’s error is one that bears repeating.  Not only was the army defeated easily by a small force from a small town, but about 36 soldiers died, and it felt as though God had abandoned the people.  After Joshua addressed the sin in the camp, and the people were prepared to follow God completely, He gave them a specific battle plan.  They were to leverage the pride of the people of Ai, luring them out into the open and then attack from the rear, then attack from the rear flanks,…

It is sometimes hard to read the way the Pharisees completely missed the point of so much of the Old Testament. They were the ones entrusted with keeping it, yet they so often misunderstood or misused passages to justify wicked behavior.

When the Pharisees seek to trap Jesus into speaking about divorce in Matthew 19, they even go so far as to construe Moses’ words as commanding divorce. (Matthew 19:7)  This, of course, flies in the face of so many other parts of scripture (Malachi 2:13-16) that it can only show a willful ignorance.  However, I wonder sometimes if we are…

Those who come into the church in this day and age have many questions that we can sometimes fail to give the consideration they deserve.  They might ask us about things we assume are true, and have not questioned in many years.  They might ask us things that we may consider trivial or elementary, and thus have not taken the time to explain.  Sometimes they ask us things that make us scratch our heads.  When they do, then we must be careful to give them a worthy, and correct, answer.

Sometimes people who come into the church with little prior knowledge…

It seems to me that so much of modern concern is for niche communities or customers that we feel we must make a special appeal to every possible demographic to be relevant.  This thinking can sometimes pervade the church, and we must create a special “ministry” for every part of life.  This, of course, downplays the universal application of scripture and the nature of scripture.  However, there are certain situations to which the apostles and prophets pay attention and it would do us well to see what they say about specific modes of life.

I am not going to downplay the…

There are often two song books in most congregations.  I’m not talking about the supplemental book of “new” hymns that the younger people sing, but the older disciples aren’t so sure about.  I mean that there are the songs in the book that we have available, and the songs that we know.  Those two catalogues are often very different from one another.  A good brother Ethan Longhenry wrote not long ago, “Do you want to understand the theology of a group of believers? Consider not only their song book but the particular songs they frequently sing!”

When we are choosing…

When we consider the kinds of mothers that are celebrated on days like today, we might not think of those who gave their children up for adoption.  However, one of the best examples of loving, godly motherhood did just about the equivalent of that.  She even did so after a great deal of prayer for a child.  Her name is Hannah.

When we consider what qualities reflect our modern values of motherhood, they are hard to identify in Hannah.  She was the second wife of a priest in Ephraim and was treated terribly by her rival, specifically because for a long…

With the recent immigration debate, much has been made about the intersection of faith and politics.  While it is right that all of us who choose to have political insight, or engage in the process should be letting our faith guide us, we must still be careful to be authentic and consistent.  We must let our actions and communication be guided by our faith and the truth of scripture, instead of letting political opinions and leanings determine how we follow Christ.

When we seek to engage in political discussions, or even decide to exercise our right to vote to make an…

I think we can all admit that sin is a problem, even among those who are trying to obey God.  The question comes down to how do we keep it from happening so often, and to such a great extent.  The good news is that we have a few examples in scripture of how people sought to prevent breaking of God’s law, and how that ultimately worked out.

The solution employed by the Pharisees was to extend what constituted sin outward from the actual command to prevent any real transgression.  Many bible scholars and preachers have referred to them building a…