1.  The Sending of the Twelve: For me, this is one of the most encouraging stories in Scripture. They are given authority and limited power with very little preparation. They did not earn this. They barely understood what he was talking about. They were in no way ready for it and yet he sent them out. Maybe it was not a matter of trusting them (because they proved untrustworthy or incapable) but of trusting God with them. He sent them in spite of the flaws and did not wait for them to be ready. They were sent to preach something they did not understand. How often I feel that way…

1.  Three stories of faith…but faith is not always required. The Gadarene Demoniac: Luke 8:26-39 The widow with the dead son: Luke 7:11-17 Crippled Woman: Luke 13:10-13 But in these cases there are three expressions of faith. The faith of the centurion – Luke 7:1-10. This is a man who deserves a miracle for all the good he has done. I think he might have sent the lobbyists at first and then changed his mind. It is not unlike the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts. His faith is based in humility and an understanding of the authority of Jesus. What’s surprising to me is Jesus’ response. He does…

When I taught the book Eric Metaxas wrote on Bonhoeffer, I looked at it through the lens of the story of two men who collide without ever having met. Had there not been an Adolph Hitler we would have probably never heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Had there never been a Dietrich Bonhoeffer things might have turned out differently in Germany. Their lives were joined together. This is the same kind of story – but it’s not two men exactly. It is a story of a man who becomes a god and God who becomes a child. It is a story of two people who shape the balance of history in…

1.  Luke has been called the writer who most presents Jesus through the eyes of women and the Gospel starts from the beginning with two women – Elizabeth and Mary. Not just two women but women in very difficult circumstances. One with no child late in life and the other with a child early in life but unmarried. There are several miracles in the Bible related to a woman not having a child. Sarah and Abraham, Rebekah and Isaac, Hannah, the mother of Samuel, Samson’s mother, and the Shunammite woman and her elderly husband. To be without a child is not only to be without a family or security for…

1.  The final chapters in the book and the final chapter in the life of Moses. What are some of the major points of the book? The importance of remembering: What are we to remember? Remember is not simply reminiscing about the past and how good it was. That is living in a world that probably never existed. Remembering is not melancholy or living in regrets. Remembering is not an anchor that keeps us from moving ahead but a keel that keeps us balanced and steady. It is something Moses calls the people together to do before they move ahead into the future. The right kind of remembering prepares us…

1.  What is greatness? Several times in the Gospels the disciples ask Jesus who will be great in the Kingdom.  It’s not a bad question.  In fact, it’s a question I encourage younger people to ask themselves.  How you define greatness makes a difference…and you cannot know unless you ask.  It’s the question we should be asking when we are young and should keep asking all our lives.  Yet, one time in particular the disciples ask Jesus what it means to be considered great or more literally to have the appearance of greatness.  It’s a totally different question, isn’t it?  It’s one thing to have a genuine interest in the…

1. Establish the characters Penninah – unbearable – year after year, relentless Elkanah – loving, accepting, bewildered Eli – failed priest with wicked sons to follow him Hannah – years of pain, grieving, bitter soul Many biblical characters live for years with unrelieved pain. Jacob and Leah. Sarah and Hagar. Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children or I’ll die.” 2. What was their relationship with each other? Hannah and Penninah: Rivals. One has his children and the other his love. Elkanah and Hannah: Love without knowledge or understanding of Hannah Eli and Hannah: A priest with great sorrow and a woman with great grief. His pain is his children…

Numbers 9:18-23: 18 At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD’s order and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted,…

It’s not uncommon for the children of the anointed to fail. Cain, the son of Adam is the first murderer. Two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu fall dead when they make an unauthorized offering. Earlier in the book of 1 Samuel, Eli’s sons are corrupt and wicked priests who are killed after making themselves contemptible. David’s son, Absalom, turns on his father and commits treason. So, it is not a complete surprise when Samuel’s sons do not live up to the standards of either the Lord or their father. They “turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.” God does not often create dynasties, does he?…

Crystal Cathedral is in the news for bankruptcy and then selling to the Catholic Diocese for $57 million. They could not support the vision of an individual or make it to the next generation in the family. Jehovah’s Witnesses is an example of a successful but accidental example of succession. It is stronger now and growing faster than when the founder was alive. There are 7.2 million members worldwide and growing at a rate of 2.5% annually. There are 107,000 congregations. At the annual memorial event (the Lord’s supper) there are over 18 million people attending. On the downside, they have a very low retention rate with only 37% of…