Archive for "July, 2011"
CURRENT EVENT – AUGUST 7, 2011
A new study published in the June issue of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that a style of parenting called “authoritative parenting” (not authoritarian parenting) builds greater levels of respect between parents and children even when children are old enough to live outside the home.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – AUGUST 7, 2011
How many times is Israel going to do evil in the eyes of the Lord? We haven’t even read a majority of the stories in Judges, yet it already feels like a broken record: they do evil again, God let’s them go again, and, well, you know the drill.
REFERENCE SHELF – AUGUST 7, 2011
The stories of Samson’s exploits have been favorite stories for centuries, and undoubtedly also were to the early Israelites. Imbued by God with prodigious strength (14:6, 19; 15:14; 16:28) and possessing a prodigious sexual appetite, Samson lived as a solitary hero engaged in his own selfish and vengeful ventures rather than as a military leader dedicated to freeing Israel from oppression.
DEVOTIONAL – AUGUST 7, 2011
Today’s story is a wonderful picture of contrasting personalities. The woman receives the message that she’s going to have a baby, a very special baby. The woman told her husband a little later, still a bit breathless from the wonder of it all, that she didn’t get the man’s name or where he was from.
CURRENT EVENT – JULY 31, 2011
A member of Emory University’s board of trustees gave $1 million to the school to fund a program to address some of the socio-economic and academic causes of high school dropout rates.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – JULY 31, 2011
Wow. There are a lot of stories about tough love from God in the Old Testament, and this story has to be one of the toughest.
REFERENCE SHELF – JULY 31, 2011
The people cry out to God for help after eighteen years of oppression. God answers them by reminding them of past acts of salvation toward Israel and then stating that he will no longer save them.
DEVOTIONAL – JULY 31, 2011
As Christians, we often want a machine-like God that we can control, that will perform according to our desires as long as we perform the right rituals and play our part according to the script.
CURRENT EVENT – JULY 24, 2011
Anthony Cornell, an employee at Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, recently won the season grand prize of $5,000 from Undercover Boss.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – JULY 24, 2011
At the beginning of our passage, God intends to help Gideon and Israel defeat their oppressors, but not quite yet.
REFERENCE SHELF – JULY 24, 2011
The story of Gideon is the longest narrative concerning a judge who functioned as a military leader.
DEVOTIONAL – JULY 24, 2011
After defeating the Midianites, Gideon deflected attention from himself and pointed to God. He told the people that God, not Gideon or any of his sons, would rule over them.