How can one sentence give a man his life back? That’s what we find happening in the story of Captain Naaman and his wife’s servant girl. She is nameless but not unknown. We meet her as the servant of Mrs. Naaman in 2 Kings 5. Her husband is the commander-in-chief for the king of Aram (present-day Syria). But he has a problem. He has contracted leprosy. Was it really the disfiguring, life-threatening, flesh-eating disease we connect with leprosy? Does it matter if that’s

Abraham was nearing the end of his life. Sarah had already died. Miracle son Isaac was 37 years old at her death and still unmarried. Abraham needed to arrange a marriage for Isaac, but he was unable to travel. He didn’t want Isaac to marry a local Canaanite woman because the marriage must protect the family bloodline. Eliezer was Abraham’s oldest and most trusted servant. The only other background detail we know is that he was from Damascus. (see Genesis 15:2) Many specul

Lydia is the first businesswoman mentioned in the New Testament. Her story never names a husband, so perhaps she was a widow who inherited the business. However it happened, she was a respected woman who sold purple textiles to those who could afford it. Lydia’s purple dye business was probably one of the guilds in Thyatira where she originated. A guild was an organization of artisans, something like a labor union. While her dye business was in Thyatira (in modern-day Tur

Mordecai was the kind of guy you’d like to have for a neighbor. Mordecai was someone you could depend on no matter what happened. He was always available, no matter the job. After his Jewish parents were exiled to Persia (present-day Iran) under King Nebuchadnezzar, Mordecai called Persia home. When his uncle and aunt died, leaving their daughter, Esther, orphaned, Mordecai became her guardian and father figure. Somehow, Mordecai had risen through the ranks to land a governm

2 Kings 4:1-11 She was desperate. Known in her small community as the widow, she was not allowed to hide her loss. The fact that she was also a single mother of two boys only made matters worse. But it was the famine that left her cupboards empty. Her husband had died, leaving her to face the creditors. She knew she couldn’t pay them. That meant the creditors would conscript her two sons as slaves to repay the debt. She is desperate when she sees the prophet, Elisha, on t

She came uninvited to the church leaders’ private dinner with Jesus.

Where has she come from as she enters the Temple? Home duties? Family responsibilities? She is a widow, a woman alone, unsupported. We don’t know if there is a son looking after her, or perhaps she lives with her daughter’s family, as Peter’s mother-in-law did. She walks to the Court of the Gentiles, the only place where women were allowed. Does she even notice Jesus’ teaching? Perhaps not. She has one mission—to bring her offering. She is used to the rich people who

Jesus was in Capernaum, where Peter and Andrew lived. It was the Sabbath, and Jesus went with the brothers to their synagogue in...

She slips into the crowd unseen and pulls at her head covering so that her face is not easily recognized. She wants to be one of the...

When the disciples needed to replace Judas, it was not a playground exercise of choosing by personal preference. This was a critical...

When Moses fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian overseer, he traveled to Midian 700 miles away! There he found safety in the simple life...

John Mark surfaces in the beginning of the early church. The first time we meet him, he is introduced as the son of Mary at whose home...

It was not a social gathering at the house of Mary, mother of John Mark, in Jerusalem. It was a prayer meeting. Their spiritual leader,...

Who writes real letters anymore? We post family pictures and updates on social media. We text or email our celebrations and woes. ...

Throw a piece of iron in water and it will sink faster than a ship with a hole in it. No one expects a hunk of iron to float to the...

Matthew 17:24-27 It was tax day in Capernaum and the tax collectors were making the rounds. Matthew, a former tax collector, tells this...

Ezekiel 2-3:3 Do you have an appetite for God’s Word? I mean, literally? Do you eat it for breakfast, lunch, or supper? Do you digest...

Acts 20:7-12 Who hasn’t fallen asleep during a sermon? Sometimes it has more to do with late nights and stressful days than the quality...

When a donkey brays, people call him stubborn. But what do you call a donkey who speaks for God? That’s what happened to Balaam on his...

She was a woman with a past and few secrets about it. She was that woman, the keep-your-husbands-away-from-her woman. She was trouble....