The House You're Building

        Orient  John 8:12-30 If you’ve been following us each installment of the John series, you might wonder if I missed posting the first 11 verses of chapter 8.  The missing passage, commonly known as the woman caught in adulty, is not found in the earliest manuscripts and thus won’t be included in my walk-through John.  Though it does not contradict Scripture, in my view this section of scripture isn’t considered sacred text according to the process of textual criticism that makes me trust the Bible.  That sets the stage for the setting of the passage we are considering.  If the story of the woman was added later, it is likely assumed that Jesus is still teaching at the Festival of Booths.  What follows is a conflict story with the Pharisees, as they question Jesus.  As you read, themes from chapter 5 will be familiar: witness and judgment.     Introduction Every morning when I get u...

Sisters and Seekers, I logged onto the blog today after a long absence-I am now helping write for a local women's ministry and in this season of life, don't get to my blog as much as I want to.  Saw I had 18 readers from Israel this week!  Welcome and hope we can connect!  As always feel free to comment or send me a message...seeing women from all over the world access this content is such a blessing to me! So why the sudden break from my hiatus?  This teacher/mom/writer/daughter of God is home for day 3 of an unexpected winter storm.  Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, we typically get snow on our mountains and rain in the lowlands.  This winter has been a bit different.  We were getting 1-2 feet of snow over a few days time and the community services that treat our roads are just not ready to handle it.  That, along with freezing temps and meandering hills make the roads treacherous.  God has given me the gift of slowing down and th...

Prepare your heart-Read Psalm 4, paying careful attention to the word righteousness and any other synonyms of the word.   Pray about where your faith is in regard to trusting in the Lord for your righteousness (4:1,5). Good and evil, also called righteousness and wickedness is not a popular concept in American culture.   Our society likes to see shades of gray and justify their actions.   They are afraid of being viewed as intolerant to judge something as “right or wrong.”   Where does your sense of morality lie?   Is it based on the ever changing, fickle, self-seeking and superficial views of others who don’t consider their eternity?   Or on word of truth that is timeless, whose source is the all-knowing, beyond time God who created it all?   Today as you study, how God views the wicked and the righteous in His sight, and take note of the blessings and consequences each role brings.   Proverbs: ·    ...