Lent ⁽⁹⁷⁾

Genesis 16:7–15; Mark 8:27–30 Relational abuse is not something we should tolerate. This is with the understanding that abuse is the regular, deliberate intent to harm or diminish another. It’s important to address this based on Hagar’s statement to the Lord’s messenger. Based upon the…

Genesis 16:1–6; Romans 4:1–12 Abraham (Abram) did as his wife asked of him (the Hebrew translates to “beseech” or “pray”) and went to Hagar. Unlike Sarah (Sarai), Hagar becomes pregnant. As Sarah was focused on Abraham having children (perhaps more so than Abraham, it seems),…

Psalm 22:23–31; Genesis 15:1–6, 12–18; Romans 3:21–31 You are loved by God. Yes, you. If you are reading this, and are not a believer in Jesus Christ, you are loved by God. If you are Jewish, and not a believer in Jesus Christ, you are…

Psalm 77; Proverbs 30:1–9; Matthew 4:1–11 In Through the Looking Glass, Alice comes to a mushroom. Eating from one part of the mushroom causes her to turn into a giant. Eating from a different part she turns smaller than normal. She finally ate from the…

Psalm 77; Job 5:8–27; 1 Peter 3:8–18a Shun evil. That seems straightforward. However, we human beings often make it far too complicated. Or, even worse, we make it about others. The Christian life is not about others; it is about us. What we do, as…