There are numerous stories in the Bible of people calling on God, praying not only to God the Creator and Sustainer of Life, but to many different gods. It’s human nature to cry out when we’re hurting, we need help or are desperate.  God knows this. He also knows that when everything’s going well, it is our tendency to ignore him. He warned against it in Deut 8:11: “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the   Lord your God and disobey his commands,...

There are many cities listed in the Bible.  Jonah 4:11 cites population of more than 120,000 in Nineveh. City of Babylon reached a population of 200,000.  Philippi:10,000-15,000.  Thessalonica: around 200,000. Ephesus: 200,000-300,000. Rome: approximately 1 million.   It’s easy to think of small villages when we read of Jesus and the disciples. However, historians report a Jerusalem population of 25,000-50,000 residents when the early church was born.     “The whole city celebrates when the...

Have you ever thought about stewarding your neighborhood? There is a man mows the grass along the roadside each year.  It’s not his job, it’s what he likes to do, to see the areas along the road cared for. If you walk the streets in our neighborhood, what some might call a country subdivision, we have about 2.5 miles of road. It’s not a gated community, where there are rules about front yards. Some houses are far off the street. The area along the streets can sometimes be the place where...