Friends, I'm still on a bit of a Pentecost "high" from last Sunday. What a beautiful celebration and gathering! I loved having the celebration of our time together in the languages of Amharic, English, and the languages of love and community. Above is a short video that Lori recorded to give just a taste of what we shared in the service.Pentecost is still with us in what we are sharing this coming...  Read More

So, that "brief break" ended up being a bit longer than planned.  But we're back!   Heres where things start to go south with David and Saul.  Why David kept staying in the palace - I'm not sureJonathan living out the covenant he made with DavidMichal the same Beautiful Steven Curtis Chapman song about 8:36 - FreeWhat does it mean to you that "if you are free, you are free indeed"?8:58 - those are...  Read More

There's so much new life around Winton Lake right now.  If you want to just soak up some cuteness, be at the lake about 30 minutes after sunrise and in the cove by the main center, you'll see so many little goslings running around with their parents.  It is so beautiful.  Just don't get too close to the parental geese or you might get hissed at or charged at (both happened to me this week as this ...  Read More

Just a note that there will be about a week break in my little "notes" for the Bible in a Year.  We'll resume with Wednesday, May 20!  ...  Read More

Samson's story - women once again are just objects in these stories and honestly there's a growing struggle for me to see how God's hand is at work in these.   Notice that John doesn't tell the story of Jesus being baptized - there are elements of it but it is not specifically told that it happenedv39 - My favorite invitational thing for people - "come and see" - not pushy, not judgy, just come an...  Read More

The story of Jephthah's daughter is often referred to as one of the "texts of terror" for women in the Bible.  Just an awful story.  And why would God honor that kind of vow?  And the cycle continues Think of this as another "creation story" - it is telling a different idea of creation - who was involved and what it was.  Not necessarily one of how all things came to be but who was present and wor...  Read More

Where is God in all of this?9:55 - "When they saw that Abilmilech was dead, they all went home"9:56-57 - The death of Abimilech is attributed to God as punishmentAnd the cycle continues to continue Emmaus story - just love this - it is a pretty literal story but I do think about the times when I have just physically felt the sense of the holy in my body.  As I finish Luke, I do wish that the peopl...  Read More

Even Gideon falls short - ephod / "snare to them"Remember this when people talk about "Biblical marriage" - 70 sons and many wivesAnd the cycle continues after Gideon's death What was it in this moment that led to the centurion to say this?  Was it just what happened in these moments or was it more than that?Interesting how Jesus' story begins with a man named Joseph and ends with one named Joseph...  Read More

Jerubbaal - Destroyer of Baal.  Names matterMore destruction and violence.  Sigh Pilate's actions seem to be driven not by what is the right thing to do but instead to just keep "the peace" and keep himself in powerAs we move to the cross ... what are your feelings about the stations of the cross?  I have found them to be very meaningful even if some of them are not explicitly spoken of in the Bib...  Read More

So Wednesday morning, I was out with Scout at Winton Lake and there was a really uniquely beautiful moment. The lake was a bit flooded from the overnight rain and one of the paths had about an inch or so of water. As Scout and I walked on the dry portion, I noticed this single leaf floating. It looked like it was not only floating on water, but also floating on air because the water was so clear b...  Read More

v13 - Gideon asks the question we all ask - "if you are with us, then why has all this happened?"How do you feel about Gideon here - faithful in responding?  What about his "tests" of God?   Why did Peter weep?  Because Jesus was right and he was wrong?  Because he denied Jesus?  Other?  What would lead us to weep in the ways that we fall short of Jesus' call for us?Jesus is cagey in his responses...  Read More

I struggle with the story of Deborah, Barak, Sisera, and Jael.  I love the fact that a judge is a woman but dang - brutal.  5:31- and the land had rest forty years... vv 35-38 - Hard passage to figure out.  How much of it to take literally, how much figurative?  Is it just a message about being prepared?  And is the "it is enough" a message of "yup - that's a good amount" or "cut it out - that's e...  Read More