CURRENT EVENT – MAY 6, 2012
Bread for the World is a non-profit charity that acts as a collective Christian voice urging America’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – MAY 6, 2012
After the feeding of the 5,000 miracle, you would think that the crowd would be overcome with belief in Jesus’ power and divine origin. But they’re not, and their thickheaded-ness is on display in their follow-up conversation.
REFERENCE SHELF – MAY 6, 2012
When they cannot find Jesus, even though they do not know how he might have left, they get into the boats that have come from Tiberias and go to Capernaum, “seeking Jesus.”
DEVOTIONAL – MAY 6, 2012
A popular comic strip featured a two-frame cartoon of a caveman saying, “Please, God, just give me a sign.” In the next frame, a large billboard fell from heaven. It read, “Sign!”
CURRENT EVENT – APRIL 29, 2012
This is a common misconception: When your beliefs are challenged with facts, you alter your opinions and incorporate the new information into your thinking. The real truth is that when your deepest convictions are challenged by contradictory evidence, your beliefs get stronger.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – APRIL 29, 2012
It was common knowledge back then that if you had a disability of any kind, it was because you were being punished by God for some sin(s) that you or your parents committed. So naturally, when the disciples see a blind man, they want to know if he’s blind because of his parents, or if it’s his own fault.
REFERENCE SHELF – APRIL 29, 2012
John 9:1-41 is a commentary on the claim of Jesus in 8:12 (“I am the light of the world”). In this chapter, the man born blind sees with increasing clarity; the ones who claim sight, however, plunge into progressively deepening darkness. Like all miracle stories, this one has three components expanded by dialogue, especially in the third component, the reaction to the miracle.
DEVOTIONAL – APRIL 29, 2012
When I make one home improvement, such as painting a dingy wall or replacing faded carpet, I inevitably notice other things that need attention as well. One change frequently leads to another.
CURRENT EVENT – APRIL 22, 2012
On a 100-acre ranch in the foothills northeast of Salinas, California, 28 students, many of whom are on probation, are building a house. When it’s finished, it will shelter some of them from the violence in their own neighborhoods.
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR – APRIL 22, 2012
One reason the woman at the well story is interesting is because it shows the step-by-step progression from skepticism to belief. As the story begins, Jesus is tired from walking, so he sits at a well to rest (Jn 4:6).
REFERENCE SHELF – APRIL 22, 2012
The material falls into two parts built around two imperatives (“Give me,” vv. 7b-15; “Go, call, come,” vv. 16-26), each of which contains three exchanges between Jesus and the woman. In the first part Jesus is the giver of God’s gift; in the second he is the revealer of God’s will.
DEVOTIONAL – APRIL 22, 2012
Have you ever just wanted to be invisible or to go unnoticed? I sure have. It sometimes happens to me after I have experienced a significant failure or after I have made a big mistake.