Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows… Read more
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
When courage is a regular practice, doing the right thing is a reflex. In the book of Esther, there is a small detail that is easy to miss: in Chapter 3, Mordecai refuses to bow down to Haman, a narcissist with all authority from the king. Everyone else is bowing, simply to assuage the ego… Read more
Monday, June 10, 2024
We love to say, “It is no accident you are here” around Hope. While it is welcoming and hospitable, that is not why we do it. We share this good news with people because it is both theologically profound (aka God says it is true!) and powerful. What does it mean that the Creator of… Read more
Friday, June 7, 2024
In his book, The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren proposes the “Nehemiah Principle” for church leaders, which is a perfect way for congregations to become “churches after God’s own heart.” The Israelites had just spent 70 years in exile, and their nation and the city of Jerusalem were utterly destroyed. Now some… Read more