(The first of three Psalms design for my Word series.) The book of Psalms is well known for being poetry of praises from David to God. It's full of flowery language and some beautiful metaphors for God. If it helps, think of it this way: Psalms is what Thomas Kinkade has bastardized through his "art." (Ooooo, Kinkade, you got burned!) Psalms has so much beautiful and poetic imagery, you may be thinking to yourself, "but Jim, how could you possibly choose what to do your Word design on?"
Read MoreWhenever I want to feel better about my life, I ready Job. This guy got totally screwed. It difficult to condense or paraphrase exactly what happened to Job, so I'm gonna try to tackle this a different way.... There is curse work in the english language that starts with an "s" and ends with a "t." This curse word is in a few common phrases like:
Read MoreI had a pretty busy week so Job will have to wait until next week. I realize this is a real let down and that you will now be forced to go and find some other not-nearly-as-awesome thing to try to fill the void in your weekend. Although I don't have Job, I decided to post a second option I had worked up for Genesis. You know how bands will release an album, it's super popular and then they release an EP of a few more of their old reject songs so they can cash in on their new fan base? That's sorta what this is.
Read MoreAre you the sort of person who likes daytime soap operas, but just wishes that they would incorporate more palace intrigue and attempted genocide into the storyline? If you're like me, the answer is an emphatic "yes!" Welcome to Esther. So in Persia, there's a king named Ahasuerus (we'll call him the "Big A") and his queen is named Vashti. As any egocentric powermad crazed leader would do, Big A has a 180 day party to celebrate how awesome he is.
Read MoreThe book of Nehemiah covers the same time period as the book of Ezra. The Israelites just got the get-out-of-jail-free card from their Babylonian captors and head back to Jerusalem to rebuild their life. As we saw in Ezra, they are coming back to Jerusalem tired and battered. While Ezra seemed to emphasize the journey back, Nehemiah focuses rebuilding their city and community.
Read MoreLast we heard of the Israelites in 2 Chronicles, God finally let them do their own thing and they were either gettin' killed or captured. If the Israelites were an alcoholic or addict, this would be their rock bottom. They used to be on top. They used to have the creator of the universe on their side. As the book of Ezra opens, they had gone cold turkey and were starting to make their way back home.
Read MoreLast week, we found out that 1 Chronicles was a rerun of 1 Samuel. Logically, it seems like 2 Chronicles would be a rerun of 2 Samuel, right? Think again. 2 Chronicles actually covers a some of the same material as 1 and 2 Kings. Confused yet? Welcome to the Old Testament. 2 Chronicles starts with the reign of David's son, King Solomon (more on him in a bit) and ends on a bit of a downer – the Babylonian captivity.
Read MoreFrom the first verse of 1 Chronicles, I knew I was in for a really exciting book.... "Adam, Seth, Enosh," – 1 Chronicles 1:1. If any Bible verse personifies the word "action," that has to be it. "Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared," – 1 Chronicles 1:2. No way, Bible! Three more dude's names?! And did you say "Mahalalel?" That guy is crazy! I can't imagine what comes next!
Read MoreYou may remember from last week that Elijah was pretty much the coolest prophet in the world. He did all sorts of miracles and other cool stuff. Well at the beginning of 2 Kings, Elijah is just finishing up his ministry and by chapter two, he's suddenly on a chariot of fire and horses on his way to heaven. That may sound crazy, but you gotta remember, that's pretty much how Elijah rolled.
Read MoreSpoiler Alert! 1 Kings is about a bunch of kings. King David dies. David's son Solomon takes the throne. God is all Beastie Boys with King Solomon and is like "So what, so what, so whatcha want?" Solomon says, "I want to be wise." Solomon is very wise. He builds the temple. God is happy. He has 700 wives and 300 concubines. God? Not so happy.
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