And then, 400 years later, God spoke again. By this time the Roman government had named Herod, a non-Jew, king of the Jews. He was busy rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, not in anticipation of worhsipping the one true God there, but as a manipulation tactic to increase the Jews’ loyalty to him, a scheme that never really panned out…. Read More

This morning the silence in my house is golden. With two demanding dogs, two chatty teenagers, a husband who plans on doing “plumbing work” today, and multiple electronic gadgets that seem to pop on at a moment’s notice, silence is rare here, especially during the holidays. So I enjoyed it last night when everyone else was out of the house… Read More

I’m one of those people who likes to find out what everyone else at my table is ordering at a restaurant before I decide what to have for myself. I can look over the menu and nothing looks all that great, but as soon as anyone else chooses to order a certain dish, that item suddenly appeals to me. Are… Read More

Today we’ll pick up the pace and move on into the Promised Land, where the Israelites have settled in among the neighboring nations despite God’s warning to completely drive out the inhabitants of the land. Oh they drove out a few, but then I suppose they grew weary of the work and settled in among the rest. Sounds a lot… Read More