normal ⁽⁷⁸⁾

Joshua 7:3–15, 1 Thessalonians 4:1–12 The pivotal character in the book Dune at one point talks about having a “stamp of strangeness” put upon him. This stamp was definitely a different context, yet “stamp of strangeness” was and is exactly what God does to us…

2 Samuel 13:11–39, Ephesians 4:13–19 Parenting is hard. Parents struggle with their own failures personally and with their children. For the deeply afflicted parent (and child), parenting is not just brutal, but it is unending pain. For a normal parent, having children is a blessing…

Exodus 16:13–36, John 6:29–41 Who’s On First? was a comedy routine honed and made famous by the comedy team of Abbot and Costello. It is a masterful—and frustrating—play on words. Mana ≈ What is it? How would you like your food—for 40 years, no less—to…

Exodus 23:3, Deuteronomy 21:15–17, James 2:1–9 Favoritism generally does not result in good things. By good things, we don’t mean financial gain. The normal “benefits” of favoritism is gaining influence or wealth to the detriment of another, usually by showing preferential behavior to an individual.

Jeremiah 9:13–21, Job 6:14–30, Matthew 5:4 Yesterday, when we were talking about misery loving company, we were ultimately talking about people without grace and generosity in their hearts. Today’s misery is very different. For today, misery needs company. We as a nation and as a…