Not This, but That
Read: 1 Chronicles 11:1-14; Hebrews 2:17 Then all Israel gathered together to David. (1 Chron. 11:1) Psychology Today once did a study of the coaching methods of legendary basketball coach John Wooden. They found that one of Wooden’s teaching methods was so novel they gave it a new name: scold/reinstruction. It consisted of scolding what the coach […]
Preach It Brother!
Read: 1 Chronicles 10:1-14; Mark 13:5 So Saul died for his breach of faith. (1 Chron. 10:13) Early in my time in parish ministry, I was part of a preacher exchange. I was assigned to preach in a primarily African American congregation in Detroit. I wasn’t used to hearing any response from the congregation, and I loved […]
Revisiting the Prayer of Jabez
Read: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10; Mark 11:23 Oh . . . that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain! (1 Chron. 4:10) When our children were young, they often begged for things at the store. As parents we would say, “We don’t have the money!” And they would respond, “Just get the money out […]
Roots
Read: 1 Chronicles 3:1, 10-24; Matthew 13:5-8 The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani, seven. (1 Chron. 3:24) Recently, my wife and I were given a gift that would trace our ancestry using our DNA. The results weren’t too surprising, based on the stories of our families. But both of us also […]
Joined to God’s Story
Read: 1 Chronicles 1:6-28; Romans 15:4 Adam, Seth, Enosh . . . the sons of Abraham . . . (1 Chron. 1:1, 28) The book The Great DeChurching reports that in the United States more than forty million people left their local Christian congregations in the last forty years. In other countries, persecution of believers is rampant. When we look at […]
Finding Christ in Chronicles
Read: 1 Chronicles 1:1-5; Acts 20:27 Adam, Seth, Enosh . . . (1 Chron. 1:1) We all have favorite books and passages of the Bible, but most Christians have parts of the Bible that we avoid. This month, we are going to study two books that many of us neglect. After I retired from active ministry as […]
The End of the Story
Read: Daniel 12:1-10 At that time your people shall be delivered. (v. 1) I love books. I read professionally and recreationally, and I enjoy every kind of literature (including the occasional thriller). Generally, I don’t like to spoil a book’s ending. But periodically, the tension gets to me, and I have to peek at the […]
Seek with All Your Heart
Read: Daniel 9:1-19 Then I turned my face to the Lord God. (v. 3) There are almost no cross-references between the book of Daniel and the other Old Testament accounts of the exile. This gives the impression that Daniel was isolated from, and ignorant of, his fellow captives and their stories. But in chapter 9, […]
The Ancient of Days
Read: Daniel 7:1, 9-18 Thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. (v. 9) Halfway through, the book of Daniel dramatically changes tone. It goes from a straightforward account of Daniel’s adventures in exile to a collection of chaotic visions. Daniel isn’t two different stories. It’s the same story told from two […]