Recently I listened to a message by a good friend, George Bradley (Hosea 12:7-14:9 — Shepherd’s Gate Church PDX – shepherdsgatepdx.org). He was speaking about Hosea, one of the lesser-known prophets in the Bible. After the nation of Israel divided into two nations, during the reign of Jeroboam, the first king in the north, God […]
You know the story. David, the beloved king, stayed in Jerusalem when he should have been leading his soldiers. He committed adultery with the wife of Uriah, one of his outstanding soldiers. When David learned she was pregnant, he tried to cover his tracks by having Uriah killed on the battlefield. That was bad. Real […]
It wasn’t the Psalmist of Israel who was honorable, but one of his soldiers who exemplified honor. When it was the usual time to go to battle, David sent his soldiers but, for whatever reason, he stayed back at the palace. “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent […]
Down through history, America has not always treated women well. Today, with the horrific things that are happening to girls and women in Afghanistan, I thought this would be an appropriate time to review how Jesus interacted with women. Adulterer (John 8): Men had set this woman up to catch her in the act of […]
Reading the first pages of the New Testament, you encounter the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Many people skim over these names. Yet, the Spirit of God purposely included five women in this list of 39 men. The fifth one is Mary, the mother of Jesus. But who were the other four? Tamar – She was […]
Ever felt like you’ve sinned too much? Feel too ashamed to face God again and confess the same sin one more time? Think He’s tired of hearing you, rolling His eyes and doubting that you really mean it since you keep repeating the same sin? Feel like giving up? Let me share three verses and […]
When you think of the Bible’s Love Story, what comes to mind? Many people will respond, “Song of Solomon.” There’s nothing wrong with that choice, but I would like to suggest that there is an even better love story recorded in the book of Hosea. If this short book is not familiar to you, don’t […]
Was there an underlying lesson I was to learn from the nursery rhyme, “Three Blind Mice?” Was there a significant message other than learning that mice scare farmers’ wives and get their tails cut off with butchers’ knives? I don’t know, but it did make me think of three men in the Bible who were […]
Historically and legally, there are three ways in which the political control of land is acquired or transferred: conquest, purchase, or settlement. Sovereign control is transferred when one nation settles the land (e.g., America’s westward expansion), buys it (e.g. Louisiana purchase), or wins it in war (e.g., southwestern United States). Transfer of land through conquest […]
