The three synoptic gospels each detail the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-22. Both Matthew and Mark record that Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tested in their very next verses (Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12). In the gospel written by Luke, he first gives a genealogy of Jesus right after He was baptised,…

The God of all creation and boundless love has a message for us.  He wants us to know Him, meet with Him, even abide in Him, and choose to love Him back. He gave us information, motivation, encouragement, guidance, and wisdom through normal people who diligently and prayerfully captured His words. Some of these people had special gifts of prophecy, great faith, and divine…

Let’s begin with a story. Sarah has been married to Jake for 55 years. As she observes her children and grandchildren, she wishes they could have the same type of loving marriage she has had. She decides to write a letter addressed to her loved ones in which she lists actions, concepts, and attitudes that she believes are needed for a successful, happy, and…

Have you ever played Telephone? You know, the game in which one person whispers a sentence to someone else, that person whispers what she or he hears to the next person in the circle, and so on? At the end, the first person and the last person reveal their sentences, and everyone laughs at how much the sentence changed between the first and last communicators.…