Posts

Showing posts from May, 2022

Bible Character Spotlight: Daniel

Image
                               There are some stories in the Bible that stand out beyond others and are known by virtually every believer and even many nonbelievers. The stories of Noah and the flood, Moses and the exodus, and David and Goliath are premiere examples. The story of Daniel in the lion’s den is probably one of those stories too. Because of that story, most Christians know about Daniel, but his story goes deeper than just that one event. Daniel’s experience was very similar to another well-known character, Joseph (See Bible Character Spotlight:  Joseph). Like Joseph, Daniel was blessed by God with the ability to interpret dreams, and also like Joseph, Daniel was able to use that gift to raise his status in the service of the head of a great nation. In Joseph’s case, his service was to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Daniel, on the other hand, started out under Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. What’s interesting is that God used Jacob’s service to Egypt as a way of taking ca

To Be Or Not To Be...a Mother

Image
                   This weekend we have an interesting confluence of events. On one hand, Sunday is Mother’s Day, the day set aside to celebrate and honor all the mothers in the nation. On the other hand, we’re right in the middle of the fallout coming from a controversial Supreme Court decision that puts women’s abortion rights in jeopardy in many places across the nation. As with most of the issues that have arisen in today’s world, this one is messy. So-called pro-choice advocates believe that a woman should have full control over her own body to include ending a developing life inside that body if that is her choice. So-called pro-life advocates believe that fetuses are human life and that we should err on the side of protecting that life over the convenience of the woman carrying it. Opinions on this issue aren’t completely binary. Many people’s stances on this issue don’t exactly fall completely on one side or the other. For example, some that generally discourage abortion