Java Beansoup

There’s a pattern in Scripture that has always been there, but I am just now seeing it with fresh eyes. A patter that reveals who God is—and who we are. We are the sheep. And we are always going astray. God is the shepherd always calling us back. Sometimes our straying as big as chasing […]

What exactly is “a double portion of your spirit”? The heart of the story in 2 Kings 2:1-14 Two Prophets, One Legacy 2 Kings 2:1–14 tells a vivid story full of symbolism, emotion, and divine mystery. We meet two prophets—Elijah and Elisha—on the day when Elijah will be taken up into heaven by a whirlwind.

What a strange story. Elijah, one of the most powerful prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures, meets Elisha, a plow-driving farmer—and rather than giving him a pep talk or a vision or even a heads-up, Elijah walks by and throws his cloak over him. That’s it. That’s the whole call. Elisha’s response? Burn the plows, slaughter

Isaiah 40:1–11 and the Compassionate Wake-Up Call of God “Comfort, O comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”— Isaiah 40:1–2 If you grew up

Are We Really Being Transformed by Christ? Psalm 112:1 opens with a declaration: “Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments.” That verse hit me hard. After all these years of following Christ—seeking truth, praying, trying to walk in His ways—why am I not happy? Why do I not delight

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile Psalm 42 | A Maskil of the sons of Korah As the deer pants for streams of water,so my soul pants for you, my God.My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.When can I go and meet with God? Wrestling Between Longing and Faith What I love

So one of the lectionary readings this week is 1 Kings 19. It is chopped up and ended short but basically parts of the whole chapter are used. Chapter 19 tells the story of Elijah fleeing for his life after Jezebel sends him a death threat. But I got distracted and went on a little

Wisdom Is Not Hiding Rather She Calls Out. Are Your Listening? Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31 “Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out:‘To you, O

John 16:12–15 (NRSV) “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that