Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

I'm spending some time at the Virtual Book Fair today. Lots of authors with virtual book booths, all offering to let you read samples of our books. You can find the booths on Facebook and enjoy lots of different reading samples. Or you can just stay here and read a chapter from Genesis People. While you're here, don't forget to mark your calendars for tomorrow. Genesis People is free on kindle from April 28th to May 2nd--get bedtime stories for over a month, all free, then come back for Psalm Stories May 5th to May 9th. Find out more about the Five Minute Bible Story Series (TM) at Cape Arago Press If you'd like to hear me read the first story in Genesis People, just click on this video. Otherwise, read on and meet a littlest boy, middle boy, biggest boy called Judah as he tries to find his place in the world. It's story #36 from Genesis People. ~ 36 ~ JUDAH (Genesis 29:31-35, 35:23-26, 34:25-31, 37:12-36, 44:1-45:15) There was on...

Continuing a journey through childhood events that might have inspired Jesus' parables... 1.        Special occasions: Weddings, parties, strangers passing through, Jesus would have seen them all growing up. What events might have inspired the stories he told? a.        Surprise finds: Read Matthew 13:44 There was a water source in Nazareth, not a big one, but a consistent one. So people had probably lived there, and travelled through there, for a long period. People often buried things to keep them safe--during war, conquest, etc. It’s not impossible that a laborer might find some ancient artifact in a field as he worked there. Would he go home and gather up his resources to buy the field from his neighbor? It would certainly have caused a stir if he did. Would the land have gone back to its original owner at Jubilee? But who would own the treasure then? Jesus told the rich young man to “sell all that you ha...

Continuing on from last week's study, a child grows through knowing his father as well as his mother. What might the child Jesus have experienced as he followed Joseph around, and how might those events have inspired Jesus' parables? 1.        What fathers do: Jesus would have watched Joseph, not just at work in a carpenter’s workshop, but also in his interactions with other people of the village. a.        A father provides: Read Matthew 7:9-10, Luke 11:11-12 A father provides for his children and Jesus must surely have asked his father for many things, including bread, fish and eggs. We can probably assume Joseph didn’t give him stones, snakes and scorpions in return. What if Jesus asked for fish and his father gave him bread instead? What if we ask God for one thing and receive another. Do we complain, or lose faith, or do we trust that our father will care for us? b.       B...