The other side

Well, so that’s what happened. Balaam’s donkey turned out to be wiser and more observant than he was. It has to be a little bit embarrassing to be schooled by your ride… donkeys aren’t even supposed to talk, let alone say important, smart things. And yet. Why do you think Balaam never seems surprised that [...]

OVER HERE! ME! LOOK AT ME!

If you are reading this, you are probably a leader, whether you think of yourself that way or not. How do I know? Because you are taking it upon yourself to read the Bible and think about it, to let God work on you and shape you. That means that you are setting a good [...]

Sanctuary

God, I need your help! They are saying things about me – accusing me of things – but I am innocent. Sound familiar? It sounds to me a lot like something Joseph could have said from his jail cell. The psalms weren’t even around yet back then, but this kind of plea is pretty universal. [...]

Ishmael – YELLOW

Ishmael comes up very little in the Bible, and yet, in what does come up, he’s an amazingly interesting character: -conceived in strange circumstances -abandoned by his father, and nearly by his mother -saved in the wilderness by God -destined to be the father of a great nation -and (not in today’s reading, but) despite [...]

Helping God

From the time we left the garden, God let us in on the work of creation.  God worked through Adam and Eve to care for the earth; he used Noah to build the ark so he could save people and animals from the flood.  And God has promised to bless the whole world through Abraham.  [...]

Welcome, fellow message readers!

Welcome to the “Message a Day” blog! Every day we’ll post a couple of questions to help you think about that day’s reading.  Sometimes we might also post an interesting picture or link or something else that connects to the reading. If you have thoughts or questions of your own, please add them in the [...]