God’s Favorite Gift

I was just remembering a mission trip to Guatemala and one of the interactive lessons we did with the children. We wanted to help them understand they are God’s favorite gift. We told them about how God created them out of His amazing love. That He loves them more than they can even imagine. That …

One Step Closer: Identifying Sub-Units in Inductive Bible Study

This article is part of a series that goes through each step of the inductive Bible study process. If you are just joining, you might want to start at the beginning with this article: The Big Picture: Identifying Main Units in Inductive Bible Study. Even if you have already read through that article, you might …

Recognizing Hebrew Verbs in Scripture

When you're first learning biblical Hebrew, one of the best ways to memorize verbs is to see them in scripture. You already know what the verse says in your native language, so that's a great context for learning these new words. As you look for those words in your Hebrew Bible, you'll get used to …

The Big Picture: Identifying Main Units in Inductive Bible Study

This article is first in a series of steps that will take you through the process of inductive Bible study. If you are new to inductive Bible study, you might want to start with Inductive Bible Study: An Overview, and then come back to this article. When you apply inductive Bible study to a particular …

A Prayer for New Year Blessings

Lord, as we enter this beautiful new year that You have created for us, we want to thank You for how much You have blessed us in so many ways — more than we could count, more than we even know about. Your goodness and faithfulness are overflowing in our lives every day and we …

Praying with Jesus

"In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed." -- Mark 1:35 (NRSV) This is one of my favorite Bible verses about prayer. I love it because it's a reminder that Jesus went off to be by Himself to pray. It's …

Psalm 1:1 – Why Biblical Hebrew Makes a Difference

Today I was reminded of why I love learning biblical Hebrew. I'm just a beginner, but every time I discover something interesting in a Hebrew Bible verse, it makes me want to dig deeper. Grab your Bible and read Psalm 1:1. The first word of Psalm 1 is well known. "Blessed" is how it's often …

Lessons Learned by Listening

Every weeknight, I type audio transcriptions. It’s my proverbial day job. By the time I get the recordings, the conversations have concluded. So I am a captive listener. These recordings have taught me a lot about how to listen well to others. Having to listen carefully and quietly to conversations, and having to catch every …

Are Good Movies Hurting You?

Recently I donated two bags filled with DVDs to the thrift store. They were delighted to get these well-known movies in excellent condition. A friend asked why I got rid of so many DVDs. I told her I couldn’t watch them anymore because they weren’t good for me. She looked at me as if wondering …

If They Hurt Me, Why Should I Repent?

"Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. "Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands -- if I …