In most Old Testament passages, references to “the spirit” (Hebrew, ruach) describe a force or emanation from God, a powerful yet impersonal presence through which God works in the world.
Formations 04.09.2023: God Isn’t Finished Yet
April 2, 2023 by
We can debate why some in the Corinthian church denied the resurrection of the dead. We can be confident, however, that no one took this stance because they had a scientific worldview.
Noah’s Lawsuit: Is God Trying to Say Something?
January 31, 2023 by
The headline reads like a punchline: “Owners of Noah’s Ark sue over rain damage.” Does God have a sense of humor or what?
Crossroads: What Does God Want from Us?
January 30, 2023 by
I like to know exactly what is expected of me. If someone asks me to do something, I ask questions to make sure I know what I’m supposed to do.
Crossroads: God Hears Us
January 16, 2023 by
I had a tough year when I was in the sixth grade. One of the hardest parts, though, was not having any close friends at school. I prayed and I prayed for God to help me. And God heard my prayers.
Crossroads: Listening to God
December 26, 2022 by
Have you ever felt like God was telling you to do something? There have been times when I felt like God wanted me to call someone on the phone.
God Can See in the Dark
October 18, 2022 by
I can’t see in the dark. It’s a fact of life. I’ve proven it many times, getting up in the night, foolishly believing I can navigate through the house without turning on a light, and then tripping over a sleeping dog.
Connections 10.23.2022: God in the Midst
October 16, 2022 by
The “end times” are big business. When I was in youth group in the 1980s, we had a leader who was really into end-times stuff. At lock-ins we watched ‘70s-era apocalypse movies, and for many years I carried a bookmark in my Bible describing all the possible tribulation timelines.
Crossroads: God Makes Beautiful Things
September 12, 2022 by
I’m very clumsy. And sometimes I break things. There have been times when I have broken dishes as I washed them. Usually, when I break something, I have to throw it away.
Connections 07.24.2022: What God Gives
July 17, 2022 by
They say, “God only gives you what you can handle.” “They” like to say this when people around them are struggling.
Flame: Light of the World Lantern
July 12, 2022 by
Lanterns and lamps appear in many Bible stories and they’re so easy to make, but I’ve always been disappointed that it’s difficult to put a light in a lantern without risking the whole thing going up in flames.
Crossroads: Sing Praises to God
July 11, 2022 by
God has answered many of my prayers over the years. Some of God’s answers have been yes, some no, and some that it wasn’t the time and I needed to wait. But I know that God always hears my prayers.
Assumptions about the Word of God
June 28, 2022 by
At the end of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 film The Ten Commandments, Moses and the future leaders of Israel stand on Mt. Nebo surveying the promised land.
Crossroads: God’s Sheep
May 9, 2022 by
Last week I got to see some sheep up close and personal, and I learned a few things. Sheep will “baa” at you when they think you’ve got something to eat. It doesn’t matter if they have just eaten; they will still complain.
Imagining God
May 4, 2022 by
How do you and I imagine God? I realize that God exceeds our capacities for imagination, but most of us live with some mental image of the Divine. It’s almost necessary. For example, when I pray, I can’t speak with any intimacy to something that is formless, shapeless, and total mystery.
Crossroads: God’s Great Plan for You
January 31, 2022 by
As a child, I never liked to see people unhappy. I always wanted to do what I could to help. When I was about five, we went to a local nursing home to sing for the residents. While we were there, we met a lady in a wheelchair who really wanted to go home.
Connections 01.30.2022: God Is Still Calling Us
January 23, 2022 by
Have you ever heard God speak to you? I have. In forty-four years of life, I’ve felt the nudging of God in many small moments. That voice hasn’t come to me out loud, through fire, or in any other spectacular way.
Formations 01.16.2022: Our God Reigns!
January 9, 2022 by
Just a couple of days into the new year, a friend posted this on social media: “I have no faith left in humans to do anything but serve themselves.”
Crossroads: The Mystery of God
January 3, 2022 by
I love mysteries. And I, like most others, would love to figure out the mysteries of God. I would love to know exactly how God makes decisions, how God knows what’s best, why God chooses not to interfere, and the list goes on.
Connections 01.09.2022: God Is Still Delivering Us
January 2, 2022 by
I volunteer for the Jay’s HOPE Foundation, a nonprofit based in Macon, Georgia, that serves families battling childhood cancer. Through free family events, care packages, gift cards for meals and gas, and much more, Jay’s HOPE offers support to families.
Formations 11.07.2021: God Will Take Care of You
October 31, 2021 by
I remember an old hymn that people rarely sing in church anymore, at least in the churches where I have worshiped. The first verse begins, “Be not dismayed whate’er betide; God will take care of you.”
Crossroads: Where is God?
October 18, 2021 by
When I was a child, bad thunderstorms used to terrify me. The rain was okay, but I was very afraid of the thunder and the lightning. Thunderstorms that happened at night were always the worst. There was no way I could sleep during them.
Crossroads: The Armor of God
August 30, 2021 by
Have you ever seen some of the equipment that comes with playing sports? Football players put on helmets, chin guards, mouth guards, cleats, and shoulder pads in order to protect themselves when they play.
Equipping a Congregation for Digital Literacy
August 4, 2021 by
Many church members are newcomers to the digital world, and they need extra help navigating this new space. There is some irony in that we have had the technology for years now to reach our homebound members with the Sunday message.
Meditations on Mark: Family in the Kingdom of God
June 16, 2021 by
Few wounds cut deeper than those inflicted on us by our families. I have known plenty of otherwise strong and accomplished adults who still carry in their spirits the pain of broken relationships with parents, siblings, or children. This is an indication of the family’s importance in God’s plan for humanity.
Connections 05.02.2021: Knowing God Loves Us
April 25, 2021 by
When I attended Mercer University, the Baptist Student Union (now Baptist Collegiate Ministries) had three student-led ministry groups that involved performing arts.
Crossroads: God Is Our Refuge
January 25, 2021 by
I was terrified of thunderstorms as a child. The thunder would get so loud that I just knew something bad would happen to me.
Formations 01.31.2021: A God Who Speaks My Language
January 24, 2021 by
When I teach Old Testament, I ask my students whom they would cast as God in the six-day creation story in Genesis 1. The answers are usually actors with a deep, commanding voice.
Formations 10.04.2020: What Is God Worth?
September 27, 2020 by
Worth has to do with what one is willing to give in exchange for something else. If would be stupid to pay $20 for a soda at the fast food place: It’s only worth a couple of dollars.
Formations 06.21.2020: The Family of God
June 14, 2020 by
The scene with Jesus’ mother and the Beloved Disciple at the cross is unique to the Fourth Gospel. In the Synoptic Gospels, however, there’s another story with a similar them.
Talking to God when God is a Part of the Problem
March 4, 2020 by
I know, I know. Gasp. “Blasphemy!” “I can’t believe you said that.” “And you call yourself a Christian?” Yes, I do. In fact, I am following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Connections 03.08.2020: A Wide-Awake God
March 1, 2020 by
My daughter, who turns thirteen this month, has slept poorly for a few nights in a row. She says she has a hard time getting to sleep, and then she tends to sleep restlessly and wake up sometime after midnight.
Formations 02.16.2020: What God Thinks of Injustice
February 9, 2020 by
Some of us have had our fill of biblical stories in which God uses divine power to punish humans.
Connections 02.16.2020: The Choice God Offers
February 9, 2020 by
In our lesson text, God seems to offer a simple choice. Choose “life and prosperity” or “death and adversity” (v. 15). Doesn’t the best choice seem obvious?
Formations 01.19.2020: The Wisdom of God
January 12, 2020 by
Have you noticed that the message of the cross doesn’t make a lot of sense? At least, it doesn’t easily line up with things that we have heard all our lives. “Look out for Number One.”
Connections 01.05.2020: Heirs of God
December 29, 2019 by
The physical tradition of inheritance seems to be fading in our modern times. Over the centuries, it mattered greatly who was the main heir (usually a couple’s oldest child).
Connections 11.03.2019: A Just and Merciful God
October 27, 2019 by
I’m one of those people who has a hard time reading about the judgment of God. There’s plenty of it in the Old Testament, but I tend to think of the New Testament as being more about mercy.
Formations 10.20.2019: Containing God
October 13, 2019 by
There are some impressive houses of worship in this world. Some are centuries-old survivors of war, fire, and poverty. Their stonework and artwork immortalize great architects and artists across the ages.
Connections 09.22.2019: God’s Grief
September 15, 2019 by
When you go through something that seems terrible and senseless, how do you try to explain it? Many people who face a personal crisis believe that God is punishing or testing them.
Connections 09.01.2019: God’s Astonishment
August 25, 2019 by
As an independent editing contractor, I have a more flexible schedule than my husband and children. While they are (mostly) willing to help when time allows, household management falls largely on my shoulders.
Connections 07.28.2019: God Offers Hope
July 21, 2019 by
Yesterday, my husband and I saw a local community theatre production of the haunting musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Based on the animated Disney movie, it features the same songs and several new ones.
Formations 07.21.2019: God’s Promises
July 14, 2019 by
Like the story of Jericho, Joshua’s speech demands responsibility, creativity, and humility. There are too many layers for anything less. Here, Joshua speaks of God.
Connections 07.14.2019: God and Country
July 7, 2019 by
What were you doing on July 4? Did you celebrate Independence Day, and if so, how? My family and I enjoyed our usual festivities for July 4, spending the day with our friends by their pool, eating burgers and hot dogs.
Formations 06.02.2019: God Made Us for a Purpose
May 26, 2019 by
When my daughter was three or four, she became fascinated with our church’s music minister and his “batond.” She had a little yellow fairy wand that she loved to wave around while she sang.
God’s Grace in Change
March 20, 2019 by
We just finished cleaning out my grandmother’s house. Granny is 82 years old and has moved to my aunt’s house, ten hours away, because she can’t live by herself anymore.
Pray Like God Is Listening
March 13, 2019 by
“I don’t know what to say or where to begin.” This is a frequent response when I ask persons about their prayer life. This seems to settle the matter for them. They figure, “I can’t pray so I won’t.”
Have a Little Talk with Jesus
January 16, 2019 by
Talking to God can seem like a daunting task. Our prayer list can become a mounting to-do list as we try to write down everything we need to say to God. It can become a shopping list as we look around for the right words to make this a good prayer meal.
Connections 10.21.2018: Job Hears the Voice of God
October 14, 2018 by
So far in this unit of lessons, we’ve suffered with Job (Job 1–2) and then listened to him confess both his confidence in God (23:1-7) and his uncertainty about God (23:8-17). If we’ve read between the lesson texts, we have also witnessed his three friends comfort him and condemn him.