In South Africa, news reports recite a litany of stories related to crime, corruption, trade union strikes, political unrest, and other human tragedies. At times the bad news feels so overwhelming...

If the psalmist’s life and words in Psalm 63 illustrate how to approach time in the desert, the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings illustrate how not to. In writing to the Corinthians, Paul...

How easily we take something for granted. Water, for instance. Water is a precious commodity on my continent of Africa. More than 300 million of the 800 million people in sub-Saharan...

Each of us will face seasons in the desert—times of intense hardship and sorrow. You may be in such a place in your life right now. My friend is navigating the...

Our journey in the desert continues as we hear God’s voice calling people to come and drink at the waters. Written almost six hundred years before Christ’s birth, Isaiah’s words point...

Deserts are harsh places. Survival is a daily struggle for plants, animals, and people alike. Deserts figure prominently in the Bible. Cast out of lush Eden, Adam and his descendants lived...

The New Testament refers to the Pharisees almost one hundred times; a vast majority of them are negative. And yet, here in the passage from Luke we find the Pharisees warning...

After Paul has held up examples worthy of imitation, Christ first and then himself, he identifies those whose example the Philippians should not follow. He refers to this group as “enemies...

Paul writes to the Philippians while in prison, not knowing whether he will face release or death. He has every reason in the world to feel sorry for himself. Instead, he...

The psalmist alternates between fear and faith. In the midst of his praise, he makes one request of God: that he may live in the “house of the Lord” forever. We...