Honestly, I find Jeremiah 49 to be a rather dreary chapter of Scripture. It repeatedly announces God’s judgment upon several Gentile nations: the Ammonites (49:1-6), Edom (49:7-22), Damascus (49:23...
Jeremiah 48 contains God's judgment on the land of Moab, a region to the east of the Dead Sea. In the midst of this denouncement, the Lord says, “Because you have trusted in...
We recently did 360 degree evaluations in my office. In the feedback I received, phrases like "able to take projects to the next level," "gets a lot out of her team," and "accomplishes...
For years, I worked in advertising (my day job) and wrote books about Christian faith. But I didn't despise one kind of work and love the other. Being of a theological turn of...
How does a Christian make choices about work, education, and career? "Six Days thou shalt labor . . . " (Deut. 5). Think of it: in the Fourth Commandment, work consumes six of the seven days of...
Every evening it’s the same. I feel the pull--feet need to walk. Sometimes my boys go with me, sometimes a friend. But sometimes…I go alone.
I want us to read the Nicene Creed:The Nicene Creed(A. D. 325; revised at Constantinople in A. D. 381)I believe in one God, the Father Almighty;Maker of heaven and earth,And of all things...
We moved to Crystal River, Florida, when I turned twelve. We were poor and running but Mom kept her head on straight and gave us room to thrive as best as she could.
In Jeremiah 47, the Lord promised to destroy what is left of the Philistines of Gaza.
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...
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...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
