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Learn what gave Joseph hope in a hopeless situation
“We have a problem.” How many times have you heard someone say that to you, like a doctor, perhaps? Well, today on Discover the Word, we will talk about the “problem” that Joseph faced in dealing with Mary’s pregnancy. He felt betrayed, but how could he allow his fiancée to be stoned to death? Nor did […]
Joseph chose to lay his power down
When Joseph discovered that his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant, ancient Jewish law gave him the option of having her publicly stoned to death. Yet while that was his right, it wasn’t his heart. Today on Discover the Word, we continue the discussion of Joseph’s role in the Christmas story. In a first-century patriarchal world, Joseph had […]
Joseph’s role in the Christmas story
Any man would be both angry and brokenhearted to learn that his fiancée was pregnant and he’s not the father. Today on Discover the Word, we will look at the role Joseph played in the Christmas story. The seeming not-so-good news of Mary’s pregnancy hit him hard for several reasons causing him to have to […]
Good News!
World news bombards us from the Internet, television, radio and mobile devices. The majority seems to describe what’s wrong – crime, terrorism, war and economic woes. Yet there are times when good news invades the darkest hours of sadness and despair – stories of unselfish acts, a medical breakthrough or steps toward peace in war-scarred places.
The words of two men recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible brought great hope to people weary of conflict.
While describing God’s coming judgment on a ruthless and powerful nation, Nahum said, “Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good…
Looking at Jesus’s family tree
You know, for many, it’s a tradition to read the Christmas story aloud at family Christmas celebrations. But most of the time we skip over the loooong genealogy that precedes it in Matthew’s telling of the story! Well, today the Discover the Word team will be looking at Jesus’s family tree for a very important […]
Editor’s Picks: Top 5 Articles | Giving
In a matter of weeks—or even days—streets will be lined with dazzling displays, shops will be brimming with holiday gifts and Christmas carols will reverberate through the air. For many of us, it’s a welcome change.
The View from 400 Miles
“My perspective on earth changed dramatically the very first time I went into space,” says Space Shuttle astronaut Charles Frank Bolden Jr. From four hundred miles above the earth, all looked peaceful and beautiful to him. Yet Bolden recalled later that as he passed over the Middle East, he was “shaken into reality” when he considered the ongoing conflict there. During an interview with film producer Jared Leto, Bolden spoke of that moment as a time when he saw the earth with a sense of how it ought to be—and then sensed a challenge to do all he could to…
What Are You Worth?
There is a story that in 75 bc a young Roman nobleman named Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates and held for ransom. When they demanded 20 talents of silver in ransom (about $600,000 today), Caesar laughed and said they obviously had no idea who he was. He insisted they raise the ransom to 50 talents! Why? Because he believed he was worth far more than 20 talents.
What a difference we see between Caesar’s arrogant measure of his own worth and the value God places on each of us. Our worth is not measured in terms of monetary value but…
Fame and Humility
Many of us are obsessed with fame—either with being famous ourselves or with following every detail of famous people’s lives. International book or film tours. Late-night show appearances. Millions of followers on Twitter.
In a recent study in the US, researchers ranked the names of famous individuals using a specially developed algorithm that scoured the Internet. Jesus topped the list as the most famous person in history.
Yet Jesus was never concerned about obtaining celebrity status. When He was here on earth, He never sought fame (Matt. 9:30; John 6:15)—although fame found Him all the same as news about Him quickly traveled…
Strong Conqueror
Most of us hope for good government. We vote, we serve, and we speak out for causes we believe are fair and just. But political solutions remain powerless to change the condition of our hearts.
Many of Jesus’s followers anticipated a Messiah who would bring a vigorous political response to Rome and its heavy-handed oppression. Peter was no exception. When Roman soldiers came to arrest Christ, Peter drew his sword and took a swing at the head of the high priest’s servant, lopping off his ear in the process.
Jesus halted Peter’s one-man war, saying, “Put your sword away! Shall I not…
Mystery of the Manger
Explore how the books of Matthew and Mark deepen and illuminate the mystery of God in the manger.
Connecting the Dots
In the 1880s French artist Georges Seurat introduced an art form known as pointillism. As the name suggests, Seurat used small dots of color, rather than brush strokes of blended pigments, to create an artistic image. Up close, his work looks like groupings of individual dots. Yet as the observer steps back, the human eye blends the dots into brightly colored portraits or landscapes.
The big picture of the Bible is similar. Up close, its complexity can leave us with the impression of dots on a canvas. As we read it, we might feel like Cleopas and his friend on the…
Jesus changes everything!
If we just had the Old Testament and not the New, how would your view of God be different? Well, today on Discover the Word, the group will discuss how Jesus’s coming to earth changed everything, putting on full display what there was only a glimpse of before He came. A revealing conversation the group has […]
God wants to be known
God has always been involved in the affairs of people, but He hasn’t always been recognized. Today on Discover the Word, we will talk about how throughout history, God has revealed Himself at various times and in various ways. God wants to be known. But do we seem to have the same level of interest […]
The Beauty of Rome
The glory of the Roman Empire offered an expansive backdrop for the birth of Jesus. In 27 bc Rome’s first emperor, Caesar Augustus, ended 200 years of civil war and began to replace rundown neighborhoods with monuments, temples, arenas, and government complexes. According to Roman historian Pliny the Elder, they were “the most beautiful buildings […]
