Dear Roger, Does the phrase, “Amen”, said at the end of a prayer, relate at all to the Israelite’s captivity in Egypt and the Egyptian god Amen as in the Amenhoteps? Sincerely, Amanda Dear Amanda, My initial response is that, no, the words sound alike by chance and are certainly not related. After all, the Egyptian, Hebrew and Greek languages are from three different language trees-so, no connection. However, upon further review, I believe that there is a connection in the me

I Kings 18:17-40 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?” He said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals. Now then, send orders and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent orders among

Dear Jeff,   How am I supposed to relate to a God I can't fully explain? I feel like my confusion gets in the way of my faith.   Sincerely, Jamie Hi Jamie, That question lingers like a stone in your shoe—the kind you can't ignore, no matter how much you want to, because it gets right to the heart of something we all experience. It takes me back to a morning years ago on the Oregon coast with my kids. I remember the cool, damp air and the sand between my toes as I watched them

I Kings 17:1-16 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” The word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. “It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”

Chasing glimpses of his glory – Matthew 17:1-13 I love that Matthew and the other gospel writers include the Apostle Peter’s imperfections in their writings. Peter’s life, and the scriptural references to his spiritual growth, personality and character give us great hope that God can use us because we find Peter is far from perfect. In the two consecutive passages before today’s verses we read conflicting stories about Peter. In the first one he is praised because he received

WHAT DO YOU KNOW OR REMEMBER ABOUT THE PROPHETS ELIJAH AND ELISHA? WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU ABOUT THEIR LIVES? When looking at the Old Testament prophets, we tend to think of the greatest prophets as Samuel, who anointed Saul and David as kings. Or we think of Isaiah or Jeremiah who not only prophesied for years until multiple kings, but wrote large books that we still read today. But the Jewish people regard Elijah as the greatest prophet, along with Elisha, his successor. Yet