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    Practice What You Preach

    I started reading the Bible to my sons when my youngest, Xavier, entered kindergarten. I would look for teachable moments and share verses that would apply to our circumstances and encourage them to pray with me. Xavier memorized Scripture without even trying. If we were in a predicament in which we needed wisdom, he’d blurt out verses that shone a light on God’s truth.

    One day, I got angry and spoke harshly within his earshot. My son hugged me and said, “Practice what you preach, Mama.”

    Xavier’s gentle reminder echoes the wise counsel of the apostle James as he addresses Jewish believers…

    Caring Letters

    Decades ago, Dr. Jerry Motto discovered the power of a “caring letter.” His research found that simply sending a letter expressing care to discharged patients who had previously attempted suicide reduced the rate of recurrence by half. Recently, health care providers have rediscovered this power when sending “caring” texts, postcards, and even social media memes as follow-up treatment for the severely depressed. 

    Twenty-one “books” in the Bible are actually letters—epistles—caringly written to first-century believers who struggled for a variety of reasons. Paul, James, and John wrote letters to explain the basics of faith and worship, and how to resolve conflict and…

    Time-Traveling Letters

    More than a million young people take part in The International Letter Writing Competition each year. In 2018, the theme of the competition was “Imagine you are a letter traveling through time. What message do you want to convey to your readers?”

     

    In the Bible, we have a collection of letters that — thanks to the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit — have made their way through time to us. As the Christian church grew, Jesus’s disciples wrote to churches across Europe and Asia Minor to help the people understand their new life in Christ; many of those letters…

    Do We Worship The Written Word Or The Living Word?

    Do we worship the written Word or the Living Word? And what’s the difference? Today on Discover the Word, we’ll discuss the danger of regarding the Bible so highly that we relegate its Author to the back seat. Don’t miss the conclusion of their series about the “Word of God,” today on Discover the Word!

    Sharpen Your Sword

    Is your sword sharpened? And before you say you don’t own a sword, think again! Today on Discover the Word, we’ll talk about Ephesians 6:17, in which we’re told to use “sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God” against the enemy. We’re exploring the different ways the Bible uses the term “the Word […]

    Washing With The Word

    In Ephesians chapter five, there’s a strange sounding verse about husbands and wives and washing with the Word. It’s a difficult-to-understand use of a familiar term—“the Word of God.” Today on Discover the Word, the team looks at the meaning of this verse in its broader context. Join us today on Discover the Word!

    The “Word Of Christ”

    This week, be part of the Discover the Word group as they help us expand our understanding of the Word of God. Today on Discover the Word, we discuss the apostle Paul’s use of the term, the “Word of Christ,” a term that’s only used once in the Bible. But find out why it really is very significant, today […]

    Going Back To The Basics – “The Word Of God”

    When you hear the term “the Word of God” what comes to mind? Likely, you think “Bible,” right? But when you read the term “the Word of God” in the Bible, is it always referring to the Scriptures? Today on Discover the Word, we’ll go back to basics to help us broaden our understanding of “the […]

    Do You Read Your Bible For Fun?

    I spent the whole of November immersed in the countryside of Western Australia with my family. We brought no work along—no revision (for the kids), no prep, teaching or writing (for my husband and me).

    Exploring mysterious texts of the Bible

    The Bible has a number of confusing texts that bemuse, baffle, and befuddle us! So how do we make sense of them? Today on Discover the Word, we set out to explore some “Mysterious Bible Texts” starting with 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul talks about “being baptized for the dead.” That’s a head scratcher until you […]

    Do you worship the written Word or the Living Word?

    Do you worship the written Word or the Living Word? Today on Discover the Word, we reveal  how easy it is to so revere the Bible that we relegate its Author, and who the book is actually about, to the back seat. Join the discussion today on Discover the Word!

    Going back to the basics

    Have you ever been part of a “sword drill,” racing to find Bible references? Well, today on Discover the Word, the group talks about Ephesians 6:17, where the apostle Paul talks about the Word of God being a sword. So in this reference, is the “sword” referring to the Bible? We’re going back to Bible […]

    Putting a strange biblical term into a broader context

    In Ephesians chapter five, we read that a husband can cleanse his wife by washing her with the Word. It’s kind of a strange term, isn’t it? Any idea what it means? Well, today on Discover the Word, we try to answer this question by putting it in a broader context. Listen today to Discover the […]

    What is meant by the term “Word of Christ”

    This week on Discover the Word, be part of a series of conversations that looks for clarity in understanding what is meant when we read the term “the Word of God” in the Bible. And today, we will discuss the apostle Paul’s use of the term, the “Word of Christ,” a term that’s only used once. […]

    Our Divine Defense

    Under Nehemiah’s supervision, the Israelite workers were rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. When they were nearly half finished, however, they learned that their enemies were plotting to attack Jerusalem. This news demoralized the already exhausted workers.

                Nehemiah had to do something. First, he prayed and posted numerous guards in strategic places. Then, he armed his workers. “Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked” (Neh. 4:17-18).

    We who are building God’s kingdom need to arm ourselves against the…