Harvest & Unity

Harvest: a seven-letter word I grew up understanding. Harvest meant work, long nights, longer days, breakdowns, the smell of corn drying in the pit dryer, big trucks, and playing in the grain wagons while the combine dumped corn on us. I also knew harvest was much more than three months in the fall. Harvest began …

The woman who sat on David’s throne

In my Old Testament class, I studied the story of Athaliah in 2 Kings 8:16-11:6 and 2 Chronicles 21:4-23:15, and I was astounded by her profound brutality and wickedness. She was raised in an environment saturated with violence and idolatry. She was the granddaughter of Omri, who seized the throne violently, and the daughter of the …

Sidon Still lurks in Modern Society

“SWOP might be considered a constructive program by nonviolent scholars and activists, as it attempts to create more imaginative and just communities, reducing harm, improving health care and works to uphold the civil and human rights of workers and their communities.” (https://swopusa.org/ ) Doesn’t SWOP sound like a nice organization? One that you might even …

Lot’s wife

Conflict is something we are all well aware of between families. Conflict also brings out some of our errant behavior and permits us to make excuses for our behavior because of what we have been through. Lot’s wife was tossed in a big bowl of family salad!  Lot and Abram had issues, Genesis calls it, …

It is Well

In 2 Kings 4:8-37 and 8:1-6, we encounter a generous, and obedient woman of faith known as Shunammite, named after her village near the fertile fields of Esdraelon. She was a well-to-do and generous woman, who often hosted the prophet Elisha whenever he came by. Most travel in ancient times was by foot or sometimes …