We return to the book of Ruth this morning, chapter 4, the first 13 verses. Forms of the root word redeem dominate this portion of the story. Hebrew words that share the root, redeem, occur 14 times in this passage alone. Something similar occurred in the first chapters of Ruth. In Ruth chapter 1, the… Read More »

Deuteronomy 24:17-22 says, “You shall not deprive a foreigner or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore, I command you to do this. When you reap your harvest in your field… Read More »

Ten years ago, I left for Lesotho, a tiny country in southern Africa, with MCC. While there, I worked at an elementary school and helped with various projects at a local mission, a training center for sustainable farming practices. Most rural families in Lesotho grow their own corn, or what they call maize, on their… Read More »

The book of Ruth will lead us into Advent, which is only 7 weeks away. Our last series in the book of James was concerned primarily with teaching and encouragement for church communities throughout the Roman Empire. James had particular ideas about God and the community that he wanted to make clear for these churches.… Read More »

It is good to be back here in Freeman. We enjoyed our time on vacation, seeing family and friends. Contrary to popular opinion, I did not help out much on the farm while in Illinois, though the temptation in particular moments was great. Vivienne and I did spend some time riding in the combine, harvesting… Read More »

The letter of James, our companion for the last 5 weeks, is coming to a close this morning. The core of chapter 5 is community, how we participate together in a group of people who are committed to each other and to the way of Jesus. What does a Christian community look like, feel like,… Read More »

The letter of James, short and concise, yet filled with deep wisdom and hope for followers of Jesus, has been our companion for the last three weeks. In our first week in James, we explored 4 interconnected themes that form the foundation of the rest of the letter. Because our God, the God revealed in… Read More »

Part 1 (Reflections on James and Central Plains Mennonite Conference Annual Assembly): As you heard in the children’s story, Jada and I participated both in the annual assembly with Central Plains Mennonite Conference and the biennial national convention for MCUSA. The annual assembly was June 18-19, while MennoCon21 was July 6-10. Both of us participated… Read More »

We are in our second week, walking through the letter of James. Last week, we explored 4 themes in the first 18 verses of the first chapter: God is generous and gracious, so we can ask God for what we are lacking; as followers of Jesus, we are all on our own journey of becoming… Read More »

Over the next 5 weeks, we will be exploring the letter of James. Located between Hebrews and the letters of 1 and 2 Peter, it sits near the end of the New Testament. I think though that we are in a unique season that calls for this particular letter. First, James gave his audience in… Read More »