Resources

With the crescendo of neighborhood lawn-mowers, the smell of lighter fluid in the air, and a rising dread at the prospect of finding a new bathing suit, one thing is sure — summer is nearly upon us.

The most curious thing about the book of Esther is that God is never mentioned. Not even once! Isn’t the Bible supposed to be a book about God? So, what’s up with this?

The Bible has many difficult passages for modern readers, but few are more challenging than the moment when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac in Genesis 22 Genesis 22...

A biblical theology of a fruitful icon...

Humanity as priests in God's cosmic temple...

How a mysterious royal priest points to Jesus...

Meekness is a grace whereby we are enabled by the Spirit of God, to moderate our angry passions. Meekness has a divine beauty and sweetness in it. This meekness consists in three things: the bearing of injuries, the forgiving of injuries, the recompensing good for evil...

A common objection to belief in God goes something like this: If God really exists, why doesn’t he care about all the evil and suffering in the world? Why doesn’t he do something about war, starvation, and child abuse? As a Christian, maybe you feel hamstrung as to how to respond to these kinds of attacks. But I think the apostle Paul would say this: God has done something. He raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:31).

Lord Jesus, your family and followers probably slept very little the night of Good Friday. We can only imagine the depth of sadness that seized their hearts. But others were relieved, that you, “the deceiver,” could no longer threaten the religious status quo or the political agenda of Rome.

Lord Jesus, we feel conflicted about calling the day of your crucifixion, “good.” That there had to be a day when you would take the judgment for our sin is not good at all. But that you would freely, fully, and gladly give yourself for us on the cross, is never-to-be-surpassed goodness. It is quintessential, unparalleled “good.”

Our church has been engaged in Adoption and Foster Care for more than ten years now. We believe our calling as God’s people is to care for vulnerable children, giving them hope and a future. Throughout our journey over the past ten years of pressing into this calling, we have seen many families at Mosaic jump into adopting and fostering. Along the way, we have discovered that although this work can be messy, we are invited to partner with Jesus in redeeming the unredeemed spaces of our city and world. One of the spaces that are often overlooked or forgotten when it comes to caring for vulnerable children is the space of foster group homes.

A report from 2019 highlights the cities and states within the United States in which human trafficking is most reported.

You’ve made your way into the letters of Paul—welcome to the wonderful world of biblical poetry! “Wait,” you say, “I thought I’m reading an apostolic letter.” That’s true, but remember, Paul the apostle grew up steeped in biblical literature, and he was a consummate poet in his own right. He’s filled his letters with metaphors that stack one on top of another, and quite often he’s embedded short poems into his essays and correspondence. Some poems are most likely his own (like the one we’ll explore in this essay), and others were adapted from the hymns and songs sung in the early churches (likely the poem in Philippians 2:6-11, or the short line in Ephesians 5:14).

Our picture of what God is like is one of the most important things we can develop throughout our lives. Where is God in our suffering? What is his disposition when we fail? How does he view us? These questions have a huge impact on how we see ourselves, others, and the world around us—and they all depend on the character of God.

A regular, rhythmic time of rest is right there in the opening story of Scripture. Before humans turned away from God, before God established his partnership with the nation of Israel, a pattern of resting on the seventh day was established by God (Genesis 2:2-3). So what does keeping the Sabbath mean for God’s people today? Are Christians supposed to observe the Sabbath? And if so, how? Why would we observe the commandment to “remember the Sabbath” if we don’t have to live by some of the more curious laws in the Bible (such as those about moldy fabric or which insects to eat)?

God's love is described in the Bible using a Hebrew word that has no English equivalent. What can we learn about God's love by looking more closely at this important word khesed?

Church planters tend to eat, sleep, and breathe ministry strategy. We attend conferences, go to lunches, and read books on building vibrant, healthy, and desirable ministries. Pastors can get overwhelmed with the task of forming a ministry people want to follow.