What makes you trust someone? How should you react to someone abusing their authority? Is nonviolence more powerful than violence? "That time Jesus said not to swear" is based on Matthew 5:1-16 Works Referenced Beelman, Maud. “U.S. contractors reap the windfalls of post-war reconstruction.” International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. May 7, 2012. https://www.icij.org/investigations/windfalls-war/us-contractors-reap-windfalls-post-war-reconstruction-0/ Case-Winters, Ann...

What makes something sacred? What is a worship space for? How do you encounter the divine? "Creating a sacred space together" is based on Exodus 35:30-36:7 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; he has filled him with a divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge, and with every kind of skill, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in c...

What was the Sermon on the Mount? Are the Beatitudes commandments? Who was Jesus speaking to when he shared them? "Jesus climbed a mountain, and you won't believe what happened next" is based on Matthew 5:1-16 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Ble...

How many commandments are there in the Bible? Are the Ten Commandments more important than the others? What did Jesus say about the Ten Commandments? "More than ten commandments" is based on Exodus 20:3-11. You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a j...

What did John the Baptist mean when he called people to repent? What is the rapture? What is the chaff that will be burned in "unquenchable fire?" Should we repent? If so, how? "What does repentance look like?" is based on Matthew 3:1-12 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the wa...

How did the Israelites escape slavery in Egypt? What can we learn from violent scripture passages? When is it time to walk away from a harmful system? "Taking a step toward dry ground" is based on Exodus 14:19-31 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit...

Why was there a riot in Ephesus when Paul was there? What systems does the gospel threaten? Why is it hard to break out of societal and personal patterns? "Imagining something else" - based on Acts 19:21-41 Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia and then to go on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have gone there, I must also see Rome.” So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed ...

What is the sabbath for? What does it look like when we recover the posture we were created to occupy? What breaches are we called to repair? "Repairing and preparing" is based on Luke 13:10-17 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ai...

Did Aaron's staff turn into a serpent or a sea monster? Why did God turn the Nile River to blood? What happens when powerful people claim God's creation as a resource to be exploited? "Sages, sorcerers, and sea monsters" is based on Exodus 7:8-25 Works Referenced Brueggemann, Walter. “Exodus.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume I. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. The Carbon Almanac. “A Lottery For A Visa Due To Climate Change.” The Daily Difference. July 31, 2025. https://thecarbonalmanac....

Why did Paul cast a spirit from a fortune teller? Why were he and Silas thrown in prison? What is the connection between the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit and the flooding in Texas? When is it time to speak up? "Now is the exact right time to talk about this" is based on Acts 16:16-40 Works Referenced Atkin, Emily. “He helped Microsoft build AI to help the climate. Then Microsoft sold it to Big Oil.” Heated. July 17, 2025. https://heated.world/p/he-helped-microsoft-build-ai-to-he...

Why did God choose Moses to lead the Israelites from slavery? Was Moses a solid choice? What religion was Moses before the burning bush? By what name did the LORD choose to be called? "An unlikely choice" is based on Exodus 3:1-15 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush...

How was James the disciple killed? Why was Peter arrested by Herod? How should we decide where we place our loyalty? "Be wary of who you serve" is based on Acts 12:1-19 About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.) When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed hi...

How did the pharaoh "other" the Israelites? Who stopped the Hebrew babies from being killed? When is it okay to lie? "An exodus from violence" is based on Exodus 1:8-22. Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set tas...

What were the economics of early Christians? Is anyone smited in the New Testament? What does it mean to hold things in common? "Ideal Economics" is based on Acts 4:32-5:11 Works Referenced Armas, Kat. "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others." National Catholic Reporter. February 1, 2025. https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/jd-vance-wrong-jesus-doesnt-ask-us-rank-our-love-others Jenkins, Jack. "Shane Claiborne, Four Other Faith Activists Arrested Whi...

Who was Koheleth? Why did Ecclesiastes almost not make it into the Bible? How does Ecclesiastes address life's big questions? "Koheleth and kairos" is based on Ecclesiastes 3:9-22 What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that ...

When did Jesus make breakfast for his disciples? Does John's gospel have two endings? What was Jesus' last miracle? What is your call? "Called to abundance" is based on John 21:1-14. After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said ...

What is a proverb? Does wisdom change with time? Where does wisdom come from? Is wisdom more important than intelligence? "A case for natural wisdom" is based on Proverbs 1 Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out m...

Who is our Advocate? When should we go outside? What were Jesus' final words to his disciples? Did he ever stay inside? "But sometimes we stay inside" is a reflection on John 14:15-31 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you. “I will ...

Who was Jacob? What happens when two master tricksters face off? Are relationships more important than being right? Where are you unwilling to compromise? "White sticks, speckled sheep, and a pile of rocks" is a reflection based on Genesis 30:25-43. Works Referenced Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis. (Interpretation: a Bible commentary for teaching and preaching). Atlanta, Georgia: John Knox Press, 1982. De La Torre, Miguel A. Genesis. BELIEF: A Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville,...

What did Jesus write on the ground when some men were determined to stone a woman to death? What truth did Jesus want the people to know? What is the Enneagram? How does a Jesus follower stay committed in the face of discouragement? "Why I rearrange the dishwasher (and when I shouldn’t)" is a reflection based on John 8. John 8:31-38 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will mak...