Matthew 16:24-26The Message (MSG) 24-26 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way,ContinueContinue reading “My Journey of Self-Awareness”
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The Finishing
Doesn’t it feel good to finish something? Especially something that seems important! A few years ago when I felt God tell me to go…write, I globbed onto this idea of blogging. It seemed doable. I could start and finish things that I wanted to write about. The possibilities of what to write seemed endless. ButContinueContinue reading “The Finishing”
Epic of Eden — The New Covenant
Have you ever seen or read the J.R.R. Tolkien series The Lord of the Rings? The final book in the series is titled, The Return of the King – a fitting title for the last chapter of our current study, Epic of Eden. Here we are…ready to bring this amazing study to a conclusion. Let’sContinueContinue reading “Epic of Eden — The New Covenant”
Epic of Eden — David
We started out this Epic of Eden journey looking at “The Great Cultural Barrier,” wrapping our minds around the fact that without the lens of cultural context we will fail to capture all that the Old Testament has for us. Recognizing that Israel was a tribal, patriarchal society helps us grasp depths and truths andContinueContinue reading “Epic of Eden — David”
Epic of Eden — Moses
If we were to play a word association game, and I said, “Moses,” what would you say? My dad would say “Charlton Heston” (of The Ten Commandments fame). Basketball fans might say “Malone” (as in the NBA player). Others might say “baby on the Nile,” “splitter of the Red Sea,” or “recipient of the tenContinueContinue reading “Epic of Eden — Moses”
Epic of Eden — Noah and Abraham
We’ve been organizing our Old Testament closets in this Epic of Eden study with the five people we’ve memorized (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David). If we add Jesus, we have six “shelves” in our once-messy closet. Last week we talked about Eden and the New Jerusalem as bookends of redemptive history – lookContinueContinue reading “Epic of Eden — Noah and Abraham”
Epic of Eden — God’s Final Intent
What did you think of Eden last week? I don’t know about you, but Eden is so much more than I had ever imagined. To use Dr. Richter’s “proverb” for this perfect place God created, we get a sense of what Eden held: “The people of God, thriving in the place of God, dwelling inContinueContinue reading “Epic of Eden — God’s Final Intent”
Epic of Eden – God’s Original Intent
How many times have we heard phrases like, “God has a plan,” or “God’s got this,” and wondered to ourselves, “Really? Does God really have a plan? Does he really ‘have’ this?” I’ve had those very thoughts…especially when life gets hard, when things fall apart. Because in those moments, it doesn’t FEEL like God “has”ContinueContinue reading “Epic of Eden – God’s Original Intent”
Epic of Eden — Treaty
We did our best to unpack the Ancient Near East practice and understanding of covenant last week, and today we’ll dig into that concept further. We’ll look at the ancient practice of treaty SO THAT we can see how God met His people where they were and spoke to them in a way they wouldContinueContinue reading “Epic of Eden — Treaty”
Epic of Eden — Covenant
Last week we zoomed in a bit closer on the culture, places, and key people of the Old Testament. This week our focus is on the concept and practice of covenant. Place and People I’m not super great at memorizing things…unless they’re accompanied by a catchy tune. 😉 But I have figured out over theContinueContinue reading “Epic of Eden — Covenant”