[ Trials and Temptations ] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
James 1:2-3 NIV
Why did God create food lush in flavor and rich in nutrients? How is food infused with sacred meaning? In our age of fast food and fads, what does it mean to experience foods of the Bible?
The church was created by Jesus, who was born Jewish. His early followers were both Jewish and Gentile, and the church’s early culture was rooted in Judaism and a Jewish understanding of God’s relationship to his people. Over time, Christianity became increasingly more Roman than Jewish. How did this transformation affect the church’s identity?
Do you believe God has a purpose for your life, and every action or event that occurs within it has been used to make that purpose a reality? Do you read the story of Esther as a series of coincidences strung together to deliver the Jews from certain death? Or as God having a particular purpose at a particular time?
What happens when life doesn’t turn out the way you expected? What do you do when God’s timing seems questionable, his lack of intervention hurtful, and his promises doubtful?
