Devotionals
From Bloodline to Faith: Jesus’ Better Covenant
John’s powerful rebuke to the crowds gathered at the Jordan River reveals a profound shift in God’s plan for salvation. When John tells the crowd that their claim to Abraham as their forefather isn’t enough to save them (Matthew 3:9), he’s laying the groundwork for a new covenant that Jesus would usher in—a covenant that... Read More →
Unexpected Heroes: The Women Who Shaped Salvation
When we read through the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1, we’re confronted with an unexpected detail: the inclusion of five women. In a time when genealogies typically traced lineage through men, the appearance of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary stands out. But what’s even more striking is why these women, in particular, were chosen. They... Read More →
Fickle Friends
Absalom is dead and his coup with him. David returns to Jerusalem, his victory undercut by the death of his son. God’s promise that David’s sin would lead to his family living (and dying) by the sword is coming to pass. And during his return to Jerusalem several men from all the tribes of Israel... Read More →
The Prayer of Jabez Revisited
If you like genealogies you will LOVE today’s reading. But there is some more interesting tidbits sprinkled in here as well. Like the conclusion to the story of Ruth & Boaz as well as Elkanah’s just… really terrible attempt at consoling his wife. But what struck me most today was the prayer of Jabez. He... Read More →
It Doesn’t Matter What Your Name Is!
Ruth is such a wonderful book. Especially coming off the disaster piece that is the end of Judges. This is a beautiful story and a much-needed palette-cleanser. Choosing what to focus on was challenging because I love so much of this story (ask me about the feet thing sometime). What I’ve settled on is the... Read More →
The Least & The Greatest
Another day chock-full of all manner of things to dig into, it’s hard to choose where to focus. I think I want to take a minute and contrast our man Gideon with the previous judge, Deborah. Now, we don’t know either of these people of antiquity overly well, but what I find interesting is how... Read More →
Sermons
Bold As Love
Greeting and Introduction Good morning, everyone. As Pastor Steve said, my name is Conrad. I am one of the pastors here. Pastor Joel insisted that I tell you you won’t be subjected to me much longer. He promises to be back in the pulpit soon and for a while. He’s sad that he couldn’t be... Read More →
Foreshadow
Intro Scripture 13 So Boaz married Ruth and slept with her. The Lord enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son. The village women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be praised because he has not left you without a guardian today! May he become famous in Israel! He will encourage you... Read More →
Beautiful Mess
Intro [ MYTHBUSTERS – STILL ] [ MYTHBUSTERS – IDIOM HISTORY ] Passage Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my... Read More →
Hurts So Good
The Intro [ Parent Saves Video ] It’s always fun to watch these videos, isn’t it? When I was looking these up, my kids gathered around to watch and we all ooh’d and ahh’d and laughed and gasped and good times were had by all. But that parental instinct is a strong one, isn’t it?... Read More →
What Are You Waiting For?
The Hook I’ve often talked about my love of baseball, and that has rubbed off on my boys. Teddy is just starting competitive baseball – where runs and outs are actually recorded – next spring. But Jonas started this past spring with Spring Ball, then immediately followed it up with Summer Ball. <<< SUMMER BALL... Read More →
Dust in the Wind
The Hook High School english class. Just the thought of it conjures up images of Ben Stein from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or The Wonder Years. But despite my general lack of interest in learning the nuances of the language I spoke every day, I still discovered some works that stick with me even now.... Read More →