If you have been to the foothills of Horn Peak, part of the Sangre de Cristo range outside of Westcliffe, Colorado, if you have stood in the dark on that mountainside gazing into the sky, you have experienced the truth of Psalm 19:1. “The heavens [...]

Former astronaut Ron Garan presents “7 Keys to a Brighter Future” on his website. Under the heading “Set Aside Fear; Embrace Awe and Wonder,” he writes, “Motivation usually is sparked either by fear or by awe and wonder. Starting from a foundation of fear divides [...]

“They still tower as a majestic monument of faithfulness above the biblical landscape” (Hubbard, 1988, p. 117). This assessment of the words of Ruth 1:16-17 is almost universal. However, Ruth 1:16-17 is “not so much a statement of undying love for a mother-in-law (amazing though [...]

Ruth 1:20, She said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. “In Hebrew, Naomi means ‘pleasant’ and Mara means ‘bitter’” (de Waard & Nida, 1992, p. 19). Duguid (2005) has a negative view: [...]

Given Ruth’s place in Scripture after the Book of Judges, what is the significance of this placement? Ruth acts as an appendix to Judges (Keil & Delitzsch, 1982, p. 468). We may call it an excursus, which according to Webster’s Ninth Collegiate, is “an appendix [...]

“Ruth is an absolutely delightful little book. Mention its name and Bible readers gently smile, warmly praise its beauty, and quietly tell what it means to them personally” (Hubbard, 1988, p. 1). As accurate as this statement may be, knowing God’s purpose in Ruth takes [...]

Well known Christian counselor, Dr. Jay Adams, has lamented the proliferation of wall plaques that quote selected Bible verses. I’ve heard him suggest beginning a contextual wallpaper company. One of the texts frequently taken out of context is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things [...]

“Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23). John baptized Him, and the Holy Spirit anointed Him for ministry (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18). Luke then adds, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led [...]

When the angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus to Joseph, he also interpreted this miraculous birth. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall [...]

David Held was one of the most loving individuals I had ever met. He was pastor of the First Congregational Church in Pasadena, California. The church building is adjacent to Fuller Theological Seminary. I was graduating from Fuller under the auspices of the US Army [...]