When we took our trip to Israel a couple of years ago, amongst the many places we visited was a stop at Caesarea Philippi. This was a settlement at the foot of Mount Hermon where a spring forms the headwaters of the Jordan River. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, this area was called Panias and was dedicated to the worship of the Greek god Pan.It is from this place of idol worship that Jesus asked h...  Read More

As we are often reminded, in the first century, there were many persecutions against Christians. That persecution has continued to follow believers in Christ at many times and in many places around the world. Even in our own church when we highlight our missionaries, we often do so in a way that seeks to keep them safe since we don’t want them to be put in harm’s way.The apostle Peter wrote a lett...  Read More

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” - Ephesians 4:3Conflict is an inevitable part of life, but as followers of Christ we are called to pursue peace and reconciliation. In the midst of conflict we have the opportunity to demonstrate God’s love and bring healing to broken relationships.When facing conflict in our marriages and families, we begin by examinin...  Read More

"So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better." - 1 Corinthians 7:25-40Singleness, a growing phenomenon in our culture today, stands in stark contrast to the past. Less than a century ago, singleness was uncommon, with people often marrying straight out of high school or a few years after. Today, we see a shift toward independence over inter...  Read More

“Honor your father and mother”— which is the first commandment with a promise —“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” - Ephesians 1:2-3For whom do you think this was written? Was Paul writing to young children in their parents’ home? Was it written to teenagers? Was it written to adults/parents? Keep in mind that the culture in Israel often had 3 or more g...  Read More

As we reflect on marriage again this week, we will consider the way of wisdom described in Proverbs 31. However, Proverbs 31 is really a famous summary of the many virtues and blessings of godly Wisdom, personified as a woman earlier in the book (Proverbs 1:20-23; 8:1-9:12) and contrasted with another woman named Folly (see Proverbs 9:13-18). Verses 1-9 and 10-31 follow much the same pattern.In Pr...  Read More