Most of Jeremiah 46 is directed, not at the Jews, but at the Egyptians. In this chapter, God promises to punish Egypt at the hand of Babylon, reminding us that God is the...
While I was the pastor of Covenant Baptist Church, I had other jobs on the side. I designed websites, did internet consulting, and was a freelance writer. I left pastoring because I no...
Learning to work well is great, but working well is not sufficient to create a balanced life; we must also learn how to stop working. That's called rest. The Hebrews called it taking...
A couple of years ago the kids and I were looking through the purses and bags at Goodwill, and my son announced that he, too, wanted a purse.
Jeremiah 45 contains a word of the Lord for Baruch, an assistant to Jeremiah. In chapter 36, for example, Baruch wrote down Jeremiah’s prophecies on a scroll and then read what he had written to...
"Where's your church?" Someone asked me that question on a Monday morning. As I started to tell them the name of my church and its street location, I noticed that it was 10:3...
One cannot read Jeremiah 44 without feeling a deep sadness. The Judeans who fled from Judah to seek refuge in Egypt boldly and openly disobeyed the Word of the Lord through Jeremiah. Whereas God...
Most prominent Bible characters were not professional religious leaders. They had jobs in what many call the "secular workplace." For example, Abraham and Jacob were ranchers. Joseph, Daniel, and...
A few years ago, I picked up the book My Dear Mother: Stormy, Boastful and Tender Letters by Distinguished Sons—from Dostoevsky to Elvis while browsing in the bookstore. It was close to Christmas...
After Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, a small, impoverished remnant of Jews was left in Judah. Feeling vulnerable to the power of Babylon, this remnant decided to leave Judah for Egypt, where...
At the end of Jeremiah 41, the remnant of the Jewish people left by the Babylonians in Judah “prepared to leave for Egypt” (41:17). They were understandably fearful of the Babylonians, especially...
A couple of weeks ago a colleague and I had to explain the importance of engaging contemporary culture to the students we...
"A mother of three discovers her unexpected purpose." That's the one-sentence summary of Dawn, a powerful film by Dave Mahanes and Brent...
We need to be intentional about each moment, each decision, and each interaction.
The same scene is played out again and again on the evening news. A murder happens in some quiet suburban neighborhood. Local news teams rush to the scene, filming from a distance the...
The opening verses of Jeremiah can be unsettling if you have been reading this book in order. In chapter 39, King Nebuchadnezzar...
“I don’t think I want to do this anymore, Dad.” ...
Do you remember how you landed your last job? ...
My muse is not happy with me.
After decades of faithful ministry as God’s prophet, Jeremiah’s life wasn’t turning out as he might have hoped.
