The book of Joshua opens with a double emphasis on the fact that Moses has just died. The very first words are “After the death of Moses” and then in verse 2, Joshua is again reminded by God that “Moses my servant is dead.” Why are we told this twice?

Our reading for today in Colossians 3 has one of those dual lists of negative works of the flesh followed by positive works of the spirit. It’s easy to read through these sorts of lists, think “that’s an interesting list of qualities” and move on without thinking about them much.

Death by crucifixion, aside from being immensely painful, was a humiliating experience.It was a punishment reserved for criminals. They were tied or nailed to the cross naked, and the cross placed in a location for passers by to see.

One of the intriguing things about living in America is witnessing the stark political divide between liberals and conservatives. I’ve noticed it even more lately flipping between CNN and Fox News’ coverage of the pandemic.

Don’t you sometimes wish you could do something dramatic to convince the world about God? When you see the immorality and atheism in the world, for instance, and could shake the world up?

Don’t you sometimes wish you could do something dramatic to convince the world about God? When you see the immorality and atheism in the world, for instance, and could shake the world up?

What did Jesus mean when he said the following words to Saul on the road to Damascus? “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (Acts 26:14).

In our reading today from Acts 23 we see Paul in the middle of a journey towards Jerusalem he began in chapter 21. But by the time we come to chapter 23 it is a journey over which he has no control.

The way that Ananias addressed Saul, recorded in Acts 22:13 – “Brother Saul”, is almost unique in Scripture. In fact, the only other occurrence where someone is called “Brother” or “Sister” before their name in Scripture is in Acts 9:17, which is also referring to Paul in Acts 22.

Our reading today from Acts 20 is a sad one. The apostle Paul journeyed to Jerusalem where he would be arrested, tried, imprisoned and ultimately put to death. On his way he called for the elders of the ecclesia in Ephesus to give them a final farewell telling them among other things...

They were exactly a half-mile long. The soybean rows were long and straight, verdant green against the clay loam and blue sky. There was only one problem — the weeds grew alongside the soybeans. So, our family would set out at one end, hoes in hand, and wage war on the weeds. The battles were all exactly a half-mile long. My parents were smart. They put the water and lemonade at the other end — an incentive to get there. But along the way, the sun beating down, you would inevitably encounter a nasty thistle patch that really slowed you down.

In our reading from Acts 18-19 we find Paul deep in Gentile territory, having crossed over from Asia Minor to Europe. Here was the land of pagan idolatry...