Who doesn’t like “easy” when tools are involved? Speedy, simple installations and repairs are a big plus for me, but “wishes aren’t fishes,” and I find that most hardware jobs are much more difficult than they appear. Objects rust and clog, drill bits break, and kits arrive lacking the hardware…
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Three Unknowns of Daniel 2: Part Two
God had yet another surprise in store for captive Israel, embodied in the form of an impromptu prophet. Daniel came out of nowhere and became a prophet unlike any before him. In fact, had the Lord Jesus not called him a prophet (Mt. 24:15) we might have wondered what to…
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Three Unknowns of Daniel 2: Part One
Familiarity breeds contempt—especially in Bible study! The story of Daniel’s miraculous interpretation of the king’s dream is standard issue material for Sunday Schools and required reading for almost any study on prophecy. But for all its familiarity, this passage presents three key unknowns, which we would do well to consider.…
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Revelation: An Open Way for Opened Eyes
The bright orange nozzle is still fresh in my memory. My high school lab was surrounded by counters and sinks, but not one of them matched the teacher’s sink, which stood at the front of the lab, marked out with a large, orange-capped hose hanging directly above it.
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Saving Faith: Part Two
“I still don’t see how you’re going to pull this off,” Azariah jabbed with notable annoyance. “It was one thing for us to stand up to the Melzar and ask for an exception, but to offer to do the impossible for the king seems like nothing short of arrogance.” Mishael…
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Saving Faith: Part One
The king queried his unwanted guest in a skeptical tone that only thinly veiled the frustration that featured prominently in his sharp eyes and grave demeanor. Seated on his throne, he was not unlike an eagle on a high perch, seemingly inactive yet unquestionably dangerous.
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Reactivity: A Ditch to the Left
It started nobly enough as a courageous stand against the idolatry advancing among God’s people. Alexander the Great had swept through the holy land in a swift conquest of the known world, and his agenda soon followed his sword. Greek culture quickly percolated down into all aspects of society, wooing…
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Reliance: A Ditch to the Right
If I believe that I am alone and the government is dangerous, then I do well in refusing to wear a mask in spite of the government’s COVID-19 regulations. But what does God say about my life? And what does God say about the government? If I believe that I…
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Walking Blind: Two Forms of Spiritual Blindness
Are you afraid of the dark? It’s easy to belittle fear of dark places as childish, especially when enjoying the competence and control of adulthood, but there’s a lot more to this fear than we may care to admit. Darkness can debilitate the strong and the valiant instantaneously, but its…
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Reliance and Reactivity: Part Two
Of course, I hadn’t the time to stay and eat; what had seemed like a straightforward charge was proving to be anything but that. An execution is not usually difficult to perform, especially if the person in question is frozen in fear or resigned to his fate. And while I…
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Reliance and Reactivity: Part One
My tongue froze in my jaw and a silent paralysis pervaded my body. I was panicked yet forbidden to show it. The full measure of what was involved now settled upon me, but could I dare own it before those I was sent to slay? Up to this point, I…
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Escape From Error: Command Three
When was the last time you found yourself staring in the mirror with soap in your mouth? Twenty-five years have come and gone since my last “soaping,” and a lot has changed since then. The adolescent years are rich with reminders of how easy it is to say the wrong…
