As the story of Simba vividly illustrates, sometimes even those of us who think we know who we are (or who have been told who we are our whole lives by our culture, our family of origin, or God Himself ) wander and need reminding.

The idea of a gospel that is both unchanging and deeply personal, both the same for everyone and completely different for each of us, sounds perplexing, but it’s a solid theological concept.

Prophets use words to remake the world. The world—heaven and earth, men and women, animals and birds—was made in the first place by God’s Words.

When your friend suffers there’s a lot you can do to help, even if you think you don’t know what to say. Life has rough edges that cut deeply. The fabric of human existence is riddled with the dark stain of suffering.

Oddly enough, there is no Hebrew word in the Old Testament text that corresponds exactly to our word, religion. Of course, there are a number of other words and concepts that certainly illustrate what we mean.

The apostle Paul talked about this new journey of faith as life in a new country or kingdom. This word picture helps us see who we are in light of both Christ (the King of the Kingdom) and our fellow travelers.

Deuteronomy is a sermon—actually a series of sermons. It is the longest sermon in the Bible and maybe the longest sermon ever. Deuteronomy presents Moses, standing on the Plains of Moab with all Israel assembled before him, preaching. It is his last sermon.

The Bible isn’t a secret code book, but a treasure-store for everyone of universal truth that never changes. Right research can help you find and correctly understand this valuable truth.

Given the travesties the church has committed in the past and the nonsense it still gets stuck in today, it’s tempting to just chuck the whole notion of religion into the waste bin of failed concepts. Mighty tempting, indeed.

Now let’s get practical. Our biblical stewardship philosophy should inform us how to budget. When D. A. and I began to put together a budget, we created a list of dos and don’ts that would keep both of us accountable.