Bible Study

Lessons from an Irish Shepherd

Ireland is full of sheep. As we drove through the rural areas we saw sheep everywhere. One of the first things you notice about the sheep is that they are all marked with a splash of color: red, pink, green, blue. Of course, we wanted to know why, and the answer was...

Lessons from an Irish Wall

Anyone who has visited Ireland cannot help but be struck by the patchwork of stone walls that cover rural areas, especially in the south and west of the country. These walls are an iconic part of the Irish landscape. The first night we spent on our Irish tour was in a...

The Threshing Floor

Today I read about the consequences of David's numbering the people in 1 Chronicles 21:1-17. When the prophet Gad confronts David with his sin, he offers David three choices of punishment: famine, attack by his enemies, or the Angel of the Lord bringing a plague of...

A hand upon the throne of the Lord

Encouragement for Intercessors: new depth in a familiar story Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my...

Is God’s Love Reckless?

I have to admit I'm new to this phrase, having experienced it recently in a song by Bethel, the Reckless Love of God. When I search the phrase online, I found articles as far back as 2011 expressing concern about associating the adjective reckless with God. And I have...

Joseph, an adoptive parent

November is National Adoption Awareness month. As I have seen stories and reference to adoption this month, I have thought often about my own experience. Adoption is a key factor in my own story, which you can read here. As an adopted child I know that families are...

Simplicity of Heart

Today I began a new chronological epoch in my yearly Bible reading as I opened the book of Acts. I always love this point in reading through the Bible: all the wicked kings are buried in their tombs, I survived Ezekiel's apocalyptic visions with only a few more...

Appointed as a Remembrancer

This year I am following the Bible Project reading plan and this morning read 2 Samuel 8 where King David is solidifying his administration and appointing court officials. Most are what you might expect in an ancient kingdom: the general over his army, the men over...

He fell on his face

Today I read through most of the book of Numbers and found myself struck again by the behavior of Moses when he is confronted with problems and conflict. Almost a year ago, I was impressed the same way and wrote this post, which stressed the role of Moses as an...

Breaking through the dividing wall

Yes there really was a dividing wall in the temple that separated the court of the Gentiles from the courts where only Jews could go.  And it had stone pillars with a warning notice engraved in Greek and Latin. One of these pillars was discovered by archaeologists in...

Moses: Leadership through Intercession

Much has been written about Moses, the great leader who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. The Sunday School version of the Exodus story is so dramatic that it is natural to see Moses in a role of power, decisiveness, strength and perseverance. The New...

God’s Measuring Cup

This week I finished a study of the book of Jeremiah. In one of the final chapters, Jeremiah describes the judgment of Babylon. Part of the study also looked at the fate of Babylon in the book of Revelation. As I read, I was struck the repeated use of the word cup in...

Thoughts on Moses and COVID-19

The Power of Intercession and a God who Relents Today, as part of the M'Cheyne reading plan, I read Exodus 32, which describes God’s wrath when the Israelites began worshipping the golden calf while Moses is on the mountain. In response, God tells Moses that he will...

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Thoughts on Habakkuk

Make the Vision Plain, the name of my  website, comes  from a verse in Habakkuk: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2 I’ll have to admit that I chose this theme verse because it was about writing, which seemed a natural...

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Did Elijah have a secret?

Did Elijah have a secret?

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:17-18 Even though James is telling...

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First and Last

First and Last

I have always found great comfort from Revelations 22:13. It reminds us that God existed in the beginning: nothing exits apart from his plan. And it reminds us that he will triumph in the end: all the sorrows we don't understand now will be forgotten. Recently,...

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