I love revisiting the Sunday School classics as an adult and discovering how rich they are in meaning and interesting details. The fall of Jericho did not disappoint! Fun Facts: • Yes, “the walls came a-tumblin’ down,” but Jericho was rebuilt many times. Located in the West Bank, it’s a contender for the world’s oldest city (11,000 years)! • Joshua declared a curse on anyone who rebuilds Jericho, which was fulfilled in 1 Kings 16:34 with Hiel of Bethel. • The archaeological s

“Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man, and she swiftly made him a sandwich.” (Genesis 2:22) …This isn't far off from how some people interpret "helper". But was is the real meaning? In Genesis, God calls His creation “good” seven different times before He identifies something that was “not good”… Adam was all alone. So God made “a helper suitable for him”. That one little word has been misinterpreted, misused,

Are we doing Communion right? How did the Lord’s Supper go from this… ...to this? The night before His death, Jesus and His disciples shared a massive multi-course Passover feast. We’re talking wine, flatbread, roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and sides like lentil stew, eggs, fruit, nuts, and olives. After the meal, Jesus gave his disciples bread and wine, declaring them to be His body and blood. He told them to repeat the act in His memory. For a century or two afterward, the e

The biblical story of David killing a lion is only two verses long, but it always captivated me, and stirred up so many questions in my head. What kind of lions lived in ancient Israel? Was it a male lion? How does one kill a lion with their hands? Does it feel good to kill a lion? Why haven’t I killed a lion? These important questions led me to do some light research… I quickly found the conventional talking points of the story… The wilderness was the young shepherd’s traini

Why was God pleased with Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s? Does God like lamb more than veggies? Did God like Abel more than Cain? The answer isn’t obvious. But like all Bible stories, the picture becomes clearer when you look a little deeper. First, look at the text… Abel offered the “fat portions” from the “firstborn of his flock.” Cain offered “some of the fruits of the soil.” Abel gave the best of his best, but it appears that Cain may have just whipped something up. S

What do you do when your kids are being kids at church? Yell at them? Challenge them? Or let them be?

What makes Abraham the undisputed heavyweight champion of faith? Let’s break it down. God spoke to Abram (a pagan) and told him to leave his home, family, and security to travel to an unknown destination. He did this without question. God promised a 75-year-old Abraham that he would be a father of a nation. After 24 years of waiting, God specified that his wife Sarah (who was barren and now 89 years old) would bear a child. Abraham trusted God over the reality of their bodies

You were probably taught that the little boy was a generous and willing participant in the feeding of the five thousand. That’s what is taught in Sunday School, and I think there's a high probably that's what happened... but it’s not in the bible. If you read all four accounts of the story, and consider the historical context, another plausible narrative is that the disciples found him, commandeered his lunch, and then brought it to Jesus. Children had no social status, and i

Growing up in the 90s in my conservative home, there was good music (e.g.,Perry Como) and evil music (everything recorded after 1970)… I was always nervous listening to anything with an electric guitar. When my Vanilla Ice cassette tape was discovered, I thought my life was over. But the bible encourages the creation of new music (Psalm 33:3), and using a variety of instruments (Psalm 150:3-5) in our worship. As with everything, it’s not about appearance or style, but what’s

Only one man had the opportunity to wipe out ticks from the face of the earth.

The ten plagues (not to be confused with plaques) weren’t random acts of destruction. Each one exposed the powerlessness of Egypt’s false gods and showed that the Lord alone rules over creation. The final plague was the death of the firstborn. This lead to the Passover – where the blood of a lamb (foreshadowing Jesus), painted on the Israelites’ doorposts (an act of faith), spared the Israelites from judgement. It‘s a picture of how Christ’s blood saves all who trust in Him!

👀 Two million Israelites crossing through walls of water must have been a sight to behold. When we think there is no way, God makes a way. Exodus 14:13,14 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

No one but God can take my ribs 🍖

I figure John the Baptist must have been the greatest preacher of all time after Jesus. I picture him climbing out of a bush to preach, snacking on locusts dipped in honey, dressed in a camel-hair toga. And yet people came from all over the whole region to hear him preach and be baptized by him. If you saw this man preaching on the sidewalk, would you guard your wallet and avoid eye contact? Or would you stop and listen? Matthew 3: 4-6 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair

Which position do you take on dinosaurs and the Flood?