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"...But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." Genesis 32:26b My brothers and I are the youngest of our cousins. When we were still elementary school aged, the cousins were teenagers, and depending on their moods and the level of parental supervision we were either doted on or picked on at family gatherings. A favorite activity was wrestling, or "wras...
Keep ReadingThen he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." (Genesis 32:28). How is it possible that an old man was able to hold his own in a wrestling match against God himself? Is God acting like a father who plays down to the level of a young child? Or is there something about Jacob and his stub...
Keep ReadingGenesis 32:22-32 Welcome into a new season (summer!), and to the start of a new series, Signature Moments! A "signature moment" is one in which a person reveals something of their true nature and character. During this series, we will look at the ways God encounters people throughout Scripture and "writes his name" on that person or set of circumstances. We begin with o...
Keep ReadingWhat gain has the worker from his toil? (Ecclesiastes 3:9) A popular question that has found itself linked to success and achievement is, "How much of a planner are you?" The prevailing sentiment is that sticking to a solid plan will lead to a successful outcome. Yet there can be great variation in how we approach planning. Are you someone who needs to know what to expec...
Keep ReadingI know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothingtaken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him (Ecclesiastes 3:14). A few years ago, a man named Juan and his wife had a thriving small business in Chicago. It was highly rated on social media and all was going great - they were "living the dream." Then sudde...
Keep ReadingI know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do goodwhile they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfactionin all their toilthis is the gift of God (Ecclesiastes 3:12,13). The kids and I run down the daily schedule in the van every day on the way to school. "Dad will pick you up after practice, I'll get you from the car rider ...
Keep ReadingThere is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavensa time to plant and a time to uproota time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracinga time to be silent and a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Have you ever been at a crossroads but weren't sure which direction to go? The Bible says that there is an appointed time for everything, but...
Keep ReadingThere is a time for everything, and a season for every purpose under heaven:a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:1-14). This week we'll finish up our Way of Wisdom series and lay some groundwork for the next series (but no spoiler alerts from us!). Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 (for those of a certain age, cue The Byrds' "Turn, Turn, Turn") will be our focus text th...
Keep ReadingThe rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and itfell with a great crash (Matthew 7:27). College was understandably a time of academic intensity. I felt like what I was doing wastoo demanding and worthwhile to not give it all I had. I didn't get straight A's, but I was proud of my efforts. I felt like I really knew how to be a so...
Keep Reading"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on ...
Keep ReadingTherefore, whoever hears these words of Mine and acts on them,may be compared to a wise man who built his house on a rock (Matthew 7:24). You may have read this verse and thought, "Whoever hears what words?" Glad you asked! Beginning in chapter five and continuing through chapter seven, Matthew records Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, which is chock-full of wisdom on ho...
Keep Reading"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house;yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."Matthew 7:25 What is it about sand? Is it the soft, squishy texture between your toes on the beach? The mesmerizing effect of watching it sift through an hourglass? Maybe it's the intricacy of sand art, whether it's a vase i...
Keep ReadingRain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hitbut nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. Matthew 7:25 MSG I grew up in the Midwest, and storms capable of producing funnel clouds were common. We experienced tornado watches and warnings so often that they didn't induce much action on our partsometimes only to take our glass of iced tea out to the porch to w...
Keep ReadingBlessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. (Proverbs 3:13-16 ESV) As we've learned over the past couple of ...
Keep ReadingBlessed are those who find wisdom She is a tree of life to those whotake hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed (Proverbs 3:13,18). Who are the wisest people you know? What makes those people wise? How do they stand out as different from others? The more I read from Proverbs, the more I am reminded of a wise woman, we called Miss Patty, who was like a second...
Keep ReadingLeave your simple ways and you will live: walk in the way of insight (Proverbs 9:6). Years ago, I set up a meeting with my stepdaughter several months after her wedding. Weddings are wonderful but also terribly stressful even in the best of situations. Blended families are challenging to navigate, and sometimes big family events, like a wedding, can topple an already deli...
Keep Reading"Are you confused about life, don't know what's going on?Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!" (Proverbs 9:4,5 MSG) I will be the first to admit it: I am the absolute worst when I'm hungry. There's a point of no return on my gotta-eat-o-meter that I'm always aware of. If I get too far past it my brain gets foggy, my mood takes all kinds of sharp turns, and my over...
Keep Reading"Blessed is the man who finds wisdomHer ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace."(Proverbs 3:13, 17b) Checkmark the one below which fits you (or someone you know!): The dad on Christmas Eve, assembling the tricycle, who tells his wife (who's seen this behavior before), "thanks, honey, but I don't need the manual; I can figure this out." The sister, struggl...
Keep ReadingA generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed (11:25) Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needyhonors God (14:31) Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will themselves cry outand not be answered (21:13). We have noted how Proverbs often personifies wisdom as a woman. One of the ...
Keep ReadingThere is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,but a foolish man swallows it up (Proverbs 21:20). Back in the 1960's, a Stanford psychologist set out to measure self-control among a group of preschoolers. He was interested to observe the effects of self-restraint and delayed gratification as markers of success in life. He gathered the children in a room an...
Keep ReadingProverbs We can't spend any time in Proverbs without running smack into the fool. There's hardly a chapter that doesn't reference this kind of person, this way of life that falls under the heading of "folly," "foolishness." Folly has nothing to do with our IQ, education, bank account or social status. It's possible to be a rich fool, a fool with a PhD, a famous fool. A h...
Keep Reading"To be counted among the wise, you must learn to accept helpful criticism" (Proverbs 15:31, ERV). I've been a fool and I've been wise. I don't think we always are one or the other. We all probably struggle between the two. There are two uncomfortable occasions in my life that helped me learn the key to wisdom, but the lessons were learned the hard way. To begin with, I r...
Keep ReadingAssorted Proverbs What's the entrance ramp to The Way of Wisdom? If someone wanted to get started on this Way, what would be some of the first steps? One of our main texts for this current series is the Book of Proverbs. It's mainly a collection of short, pithy and insightful observations about life, about what works and what doesn't, about wisdom and folly. Proverbs co...
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