We’ve all experienced receiving an unexpected gift. Maybe it was from someone you did not buy a gift for. Maybe the value of a gift was far above and beyond anything you gave them. In these moments we feel utterly inadequate. We search for words, and shift uneasily. Simply receiving gifts is difficult for us […]
It is easy, and even understandable that one might gloss over the list of names in Matthew 1:1-17. It is a long genealogy but more importantly, it is a curated one. Subtly but intentionally, Matthew opens his story with the words: “The historical record of” (Mt 1:1 HCSB). Hearing this phrase calls to mind a […]
I drive the same route to my daughter’s school three days a week. I’m barely awake, usually still in pajamas, navigating one of the busiest main roads in this densely populated city. The widespread cultural morning routine is easy to spot because everyone conforms: coffee, commute, phone check at red lights, get where you’re going―it’s a […]
In 1 Samuel, we find two unlikely friends: David, the shepherd boy, and Jonathan, King Saul’s son. Although Jonathan demonstrates cunning military strategy, courage, and godliness, it is David who God chooses as the next king. Yet Jonathan does not demand his rights as heir, but instead extends friendship. This pair will go on to […]