One of the more common tropes found in game shows is the “choice.” The contestant has to make a choice: will she keep what she has or risk it for what could be better? Will she choose door 1 or door 2? Will she keep playing or walk away? The reason why the “choice” is so common is because...

Hope is powerful. Actually, it is much more than that. Hope is essential. I have read or seen so many stories where hope was the one thing that separated life and death. Stories where those with hope lived another day while those without it perished. Stories of sailors stranded in shark infested waters for days on end. Stories of...

When I was a kid, I loved to watch war movies. But one part of those movies that I didn’t enjoy was what I considered to be the painfully slow build-up to the action. As a kid, I didn’t care about the context; I just wanted the action. Now, I see why the context is so important. This week’s...

One of the big take-aways from this week’s session is that even as a child, Jesus wanted to honor the Father. Jesus was drawn to the temple—His Father’s house—and He apparently delighted in engaging with the religious leaders in talking about God. As a quick note, Jesus was not being disobedient in this encounter. That would have been a...

One important truth about the Messiah, a truth that many in Israel missed, was that He would be provided for all humanity. Jesus did not come to be the Savior just for Israel, or just for the religious, or just for males, or just for the wealthy. He came to be the Savior of all who call on Him...

The universe J.R.R. Tolkien created for The Lord of the Rings is amazing, full of mighty and majestic humans, elves, dwarves, and other creatures. Consider who is part of the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandolf, a powerful wizard.Aragorn, the king of the menBoromir, a fierce warriorGimli, a brave dwarfLegolas, a skilled elf And then there are the four hobbits:...