The story of Ezra and Nehemiah plays out against a backdrop of ruins. There’s a ruined city, a ruined house of worship, ruined homes—and a ruined life with God. As is often the case in our own lives, the wreckage in this story largely the Israelites’ own fault. The returning Israelites and their ancestors acted foolishly, unfaithfully, and godlessly. Their path to rebuilding, at its core, was a...
“JJ’s making fun of my face!” “Averi’s laughing at my drawing, and it’s not supposed to be funny!” “MOM! Tell Gracen to stop teasing me!” Sound familiar? Teasing can manifest in many ways between children: mocking (imitating someone for the purpose of making them appear and feel stupid, silly, or ridiculous) or insulting (verbally ridiculing or belittling someone for the purpose of...
The beginning of Isaiah is like the whole book in miniature. On its surface, the book is a tale of one city, Jerusalem. The first half is about Jerusalem in her rebellious stage, and the second half is about Jerusalem in her redeemed stage. But the people of Jerusalem are a picture of all God’s people. And what transforms the city is the gospel—the good news of how God saves his people, through...
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 In Genesis 1:26, after the creation of the world and all that is in it, God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” That’s a very big deal, and the implications of our being created in the image of God (Imago Dei) are many and profound. It’s the reason every...
Are you feeling displaced? That’s often what it feels like to be a Christian in an increasingly post-Christian world. You speak the language and understand the culture, yet don’t quite feel at home. How do you live as a Christian in a world that doesn’t share your convictions? Can you still hold firmly to biblical truth even as you love others? This moment in our culture might seem new to us, but...
