I’ve been so focused on school work lately that I haven’t thought too much about the Christmas season yet nor been in the mood to start playing Christmas carols but this morning it hit. Shopping and Isaiah 52 triggered excitement for the Christmas season.

Examining a painting requires two perspectives. The first is the perspective one gets standing back from the painting to take in and appreciate the whole.

As a student/teacher September always marks a season of new beginnings for me. It’s the start of a new semester, new courses, new teachers, new students, and this year, a new city, new home and new roommates. New beginnings are exciting but also filled with the uncertain and uncomfortable.

If you’ve ever gone through the process of renting or buying a house you are familiar with the harrowing process of waiting as the deadline for moving out fast approaches even as prospects for moving in dry up. Will we find something or won’t we? In the waiting, a psalm of remembrance can help.

Flowers are not perfect. They have flaws and if they are cut flowers they are on their way to being dead. Cut flowers reveal the sobering reality that we are all broken and flawed.

A floral designer creates with intention. They carefully plan a design choosing the appropriate shape, colour and flowers to use so that the arrangement fulfills the purpose for which it is made. Likewise, God designed you with care and intention.

What do a flower shop and a seminary classroom have in common? More than you might think. Explore with me the lessons from the flower shop that highlight the glory of God and his unending love for you and me.

My earlier foray into ministry included volunteering to be “a listener” for AWANA. Each week the church basement would become a hive of kids eager to be with friends, listen to stories, play games and demonstrate their achievement during the course of the previous week in memorizing as many verses as possible

“What is truth?” This question uttered by Pilate when he questioned Jesus has always intrigued me because it reveals the troubled heart of Pilate searching for truth while blind to the truth that stood before him in Jesus.

I’ve been on the prowl for helpful resources that can a Bible studier understand relevant historical background. When we read and study the Bible we travel back in time to an unfamiliar location and culture which makes it difficult to understand.

Have you ever listened to someone talking on a phone?  You can only hear one side of a conversation but if you listen closely you might be able to figure out the other side of the conversation.

One of my favorite traditions at Christmas is making Holiday Cookies. But what does that have to do with studying the Bible? Let me explain.

I remember the days of black and white television.  I used to sit in front of a small black and white TV connected to two rabbit ear antennae to watch after school cartoons. 

Okay, so you are ready to take a closer look at what you are reading in the Bible.  But what exactly are you supposed to look for?  I’m so glad you asked.

Okay, I have to admit that “The Power of Summary” is a pretty boring title. It brings back memories of high school English class and I’m not particularly fond of those memories.

Have you ever seen a leaf? “Of course,” you say, “there’s a tree in my front yard covered in leaves so I see them every day!” I’m not asking if you’ve glanced at a leaf or seen one in your peripheral vision. I’m asking if you’ve really seen a leaf?

Don’t Forget!  I’m always a little worried when I hear this.  The likelihood of me forgetting is fairly high, especially if I’m busy.

Have you ever tried to drive a car without gas? It’s impossible! The only way you could possibly move that car would be to either have it towed or put it in neutral and get out and push it.

So you want to do Inductive Bible study, eh? Well, the good news is that there are only three primary steps to Inductive Bible study.

Inductive Bible study is a method of reading and studying the Bible that takes the time to examine what the Biblical authors said and what it meant when it was originally written before considering how it relates to our own contemporary lives.