Search results

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 16:6-10, 15-19, 34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.” Leviticus 16:34 When I was 12 years old, I told my father a lie—and I soon found that I had to tell more lies just to keep the...

5 No Good, Very Bad Reasons for Divorce He gets on your nerves. Maybe he’s lazy, works too much or is bad with money. Or you think you might be happier with someone else. Do you find yourself pondering, “Should I get divorced?” I get it. Marriage can be a struggle. People sometimes use...

The Anger of God By Rob Toornstra — Tuesday, November 11, 2025 Scripture Reading — Leviticus 10:1-7 “[God] said: ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; . . . I will be honored.’” Leviticus 10:3 On my first day of work at a McDonald’s restaurant, my cash drawer was short 10 dollars...

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 9:22-24 Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. Leviticus 9:22 Our culture is obsessed with happiness. We seek joy in wealth, in our careers, in sports and leisure, and in a host of other things. Books have been written; research conducted...

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 8:1-9 [Moses] put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. Leviticus 8:7 A middle-school student asked why I was studying for eight years to be “ordained.” I explained that the church ordains ministers for...

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 6:1-7 “When they . . . realize their guilt, they must . . . make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner. . . .” Leviticus 6:4-5 Recently a jeweler in my city was sentenced to 20 years in prison for defrauding customers...

“But I Didn’t Know!” Scripture Reading — Leviticus 4:27-31 “If any member of the community sins unintentionally . . . and they realize their guilt . . . the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.” Leviticus 4:27, 31 Rachel pulled Jon into her office to address his work...

Sitting Down to Dinner By Rob Toornstra — Thursday, November 6, 2025 Scripture Reading — Leviticus 7:11-15 “And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord.” Leviticus 7:14 When my daughter graduated from basic training for the U.S. Army, our family traveled to...

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 3:1-6; Romans 12:1-2 “If your offering is a fellowship offering . . . you are to present . . . an animal without defect.” Leviticus 3:1 When I was growing up, our family would often grill meat for our meals in the summer. My parents enjoyed grilled steak, but it...

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 1:1-9 “You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.” Leviticus 1:4 I’m not proud of this, but I’m a recovering guilt-denier. When confronted with something that I’ve done wrong, my...

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 1:1-2 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him. . . . He said, “Speak to the Israelites and say. . . .” Leviticus 1:1-2 Yesterday we saw how God’s perfect holiness meant that even Moses, whom God had specially chosen, had to be careful about approaching the Lord...

It’s day 32 of the government shutdown, and it’s pretty much a waiting game for the American people. There’s not much we can do to hurry along the negotiation process (beyond bugging contacting our elected officials). The Bible doesn’t provide an instruction manual for believers during...

Scripture Reading — Exodus 40:34-38 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it. . . . Exodus 40:35 I first approached the Grand Canyon while holding the hand of my two-year-old son, Derek. He was energetic and loved exploring the world around him with little...

Self-Ambition Is a Cancer Self-ambition is a cancer. Yes, I can explain. Each of us is a member, a mere cell, in the human body. We’re not designed to stand alone. God has arranged the body with intention, assigning each part a task, a form, and a boundary. No one gets to define their role...

Who Are Your Heroes? [ 1 min read ★ ] Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness—Matthew 4:10 We men like heroes. We like to look upward. We start early, as boys, looking up to men and women who do amazing things on grass and turf and...

Falling in Love Can be Easy but Staying in Love is Real Work Bailey, 36, and Kevin, 40, sat on my couch for their couples counseling session and shared their disappointment about their bickering and falling out of love. Bailey put it like this, “Kevin works long hours and when we do see each...

Newton: The Blade – How Grace enters the Human Heart I hope you have been enjoying our series of Modern English versions of Newton’s timeless pastoral letters. The former slave-trader turned pastor has so much more to offer us than simply the most well loved hymn in the history of the English...

Subjective Experiences with Peace subjective peace is questionable I totally understand the Old Testament concept of peace, transliterated shalom. It is the entire basis for community in the Hebrew Bible. Shalom is a shared peace, not necessarily subjective at all. It is the peace that we have...

Building New Gauges [ 1 min read ★ ] Do not be conformed to this world—Romans 12:2 We men love to measure things. And we have, at our disposal, highly accurate gauges for measuring just about anything, including the progress of our lives. I mean, we never have to wonder which...

Thoughts On Marriage I have been writing a weekly blog for almost eleven years now. Over that time, I’ve written several posts on marriage—but never on what might be the most significant issue in marriage. Let me begin with a humorous story. Back in 2013, the prominent author and journalist...