Topic > Christian Beliefs
More Than Just Waiting
Police charged a woman with reckless driving after she drove her car on and off of a sidewalk. She steered off the street and onto the sidewalk because she didn’t want to wait for a school bus dropping off students!
While it’s true that waiting can make us impatient, there are also good things to do and learn in the waiting. Jesus knew this when He told His disciples to “not leave Jerusalem” (Acts 1:4)? They were waiting to “be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (v. 5).
As they gathered, likely in a state of excitement and anticipation, the disciples seemed to…
Reading Scripture With The Right Cultural Lens
In one sense, the Bible was written for everyone. But in another sense, the Bible was written to a specific audience at a specific time. Today on Discover the Word, the group, and dear friend Alice Mathews discuss how to read Scripture with the right cultural lens. Another helpful lesson on “How to Read the Bible,” today on Discover the Word!
Interpreting Scripture In A Way That Is Consistent With The Overall Message
Over the centuries, people have used the Bible to prove and justify a lot of terrible things. So how do we know which interpretations are right, and which are wrong? Today on Discover the Word, the team, and dear friend Alice Mathews discuss how to interpret Scripture in a way that’s consistent with the overall message. […]
Understanding Context Is King
When it comes to reading Scripture, context is king. If you don’t consider the context of a passage you run the risk of completely misunderstanding it. Today on Discover the Word, the team, and dear friend Alice Mathews show how context can help us understand a difficult passage in one of Paul’s New Testament letters. Don’t […]
Does Every Bible Verse Have A Personal Application For Today?
When reading the Bible, it’s important to consider the implication for our lives today. But does every verse have a personal application to the 21st century? Today on Discover the Word, the team and former group member Alice Mathews discuss the difference between “descriptive” and “prescriptive” passages of Scripture. Join us today on Discover the Word!
Reading Scripture Without Losing The Original Meaning
When translating something from one language to another, it’s easy to lose the original meaning. So how can we be confident when reading Scripture, since what we’re reading is a translation from the original? Today on Discover the Word, we welcome a dear friend back to the table. Alice Mathews helps us get back to the basics […]
Enjoying Beauty
The painting caught my eye like a beacon. Displayed along a long hallway in a big city hospital, its deep pastel hues and Navajo Indian figures were so arresting I stopped to marvel and stare. “Look at that,” I said to my husband Dan.
He was walking ahead, trying to find the elevator to a doctor’s office. But I hesitated, bypassing other paintings on the wall to gaze only at that one. “Beautiful,” I whispered.
Many things in life are beautiful, indeed. Master paintings. Scenic vistas. Inspired crafts. But so is a child’s smile. A friend’s hello. A robin’s blue egg. A…
What God Sees
Early in the morning, I pad noiselessly past a family-room window overlooking a wilderness area behind our house. Often, I notice a hawk or owl perched in a tree, keeping watch over the area. One morning I was surprised to find a bald eagle boldly balanced on a high branch, surveying the terrain as if the entire expanse belonged to him. Likely he was watching for “breakfast.” His all-inclusive gaze seemed regal.
In 2 Chronicles 16, Hanani the seer (God’s prophet) informed a king that his actions were under a Royal gaze. He told Asa, king of Judah, “You relied on…
Not Like Yesterday
When our grandson Jay was a child his parents gave him a new T-shirt for his birthday. He put it on right away and proudly wore it all day.
When he appeared the next morning in the shirt, his dad asked him, “Jay, does that shirt make you happy?”
“Not as much as yesterday,” Jay replied.
That’s the problem with material acquisition: Even the good things of life cannot give us the deep, lasting happiness we so ardently desire. Though we may have many possessions, we may still be unhappy.
The world offers happiness through material accumulation: new clothes, a new automobile, an update…
Seeing the Light
On the streets of Los Angeles, a homeless man struggling with addictions stepped into The Midnight Mission and asked for help. Thus began Brian’s long road to recovery.
In the process Brian rediscovered his love for music. Eventually he joined Street Symphony—a group of music professionals with a heart for the homeless. They asked Brian to perform a solo from Handel’s Messiah known as “The People That Walked in Darkness.” In words written by the prophet Isaiah during a dark period of Israel’s history he sang, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the…
Washed Clean
I couldn’t believe it. A black gel pen had hidden itself in the folds of my white towels and survived the washing machine, only to explode in the dryer. Ugly black stains were everywhere. My white towels were ruined. No amount of bleach would be able to remove the dark stains.
As I reluctantly consigned the towels to the rag pile, I was reminded of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah’s lament describing the damaging effects of sin. By rejecting God and turning to idols (Jeremiah 2:13), Jeremiah declared that the people of Israel had caused a permanent stain in their relationship with…
Who Is That?
When a man installed a security camera outside his house, he checked the video feature to ensure that the system was working. He was alarmed to see a broad-shouldered figure in dark clothing wandering around his yard. He watched intently to see what the man would do. Somehow, though, the interloper seemed familiar. Finally he realized he was not watching a stranger roam his property, but a recording of himself in his own back yard!
What might we see if we could step out of our skin and observe ourselves in certain situations? When David’s heart was hardened and he needed…
Jesus Was Laid In The Tomb
On Easter, we celebrate the day when Jesus conquered the grave and rose from the dead. But there would be no Easter Sunday if not for Good Friday. Today on Discover the Word, we imagine the somber scene that took place as Jesus was laid in the tomb. Join us for a special Good Friday edition of Discover […]
The Torn Veil
It was a dark and somber day in the outskirts of Jerusalem. On a hill just outside the city walls, a Man who’d been attracting crowds of eager followers for the past three years hung in disgrace and pain on a rough wooden cross. Mourners wept and wailed in sorrow. The light of the sun no longer brightened the afternoon sky. And the intense suffering of the Man on the cross ended when He cried out in a loud voice, “It is finished!” (Matthew 27:50; John 19:30).
At that very moment, another sound came from the great temple across town—the sound…
Submitting To Death On The Cross
Jesus could literally have done anything He wanted—performed any miracle. Yet He chose to submit to death on a cross and all the pain that went with it. Today on Discover the Word, we consider the terrible suffering that Jesus endured during his final moments on the cross. It’s another conversation in their series “Cross Stations,” today on Discover […]
