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Often, while we are busy shouting at them in the language of science, the early chapters of Genesis patiently whisper to us in the language of worldview and theology.

It was our third cup of tea, and we had yet to converse. Hair awry, a note of hysteria creeping into her carefully modulated voce materno, my young friend was fending off another attack from her preschool-age twins, whom I privately referred to as “Search” and “Destroy.”

Text Examined: Hebrews 5:13-6:1 – “As much as we try to avoid any hint of superiority in matters of faith, the fact remains that we are called, as we mature, to grow in an ever-deepening understanding and experience of our faith. The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that we are to make a clear distinction between what is elemental to our faith and what is food that leads to maturity (5:12–14).”

Text Examined: 1 John 3:1-2 – “While I waited at an X-ray clinic, a man in a business suit shattered the peace and quiet with a loud cellphone call. I grew incensed and planned to crush Mr. Business Suit with a glare of contempt. But I was called in for my X-ray and didn’t get the chance.”

Text Examined: Luke 10:25-37 – “I left the house that morning charged up, feeling clean, optimistic, and pretty spiritual. When I arrived at the clinic, others were there, quietly chatting. As an elderly woman sat down beside me, I did the noble thing: put down my magazine and smiled.”

Text Examined: 1 Kings 10:14-11:13 – “As we come to the end of our study of 1 Kings, we turn again to the book of Deuteronomy. Old Testament interpreters believe that Deuteronomy’s mishpat (justice regulations) can be used to evaluate Israel’s – and, in particular, Solomon’s – actions. In order to conduct this evaluation, we recognize that none of the Deuteronomic laws is more significant than the Law of the King (Deuteronomy 17:14–20).”

Text Examined: 1 Kings 10:1-13 – “1 Kings 8–10 contains three important monologues. First, Solomon prays a long temple dedication to God, appealing to Yahweh to hear Israel’s prayers of repentance (8:22–61).”

Text Examined: 1 Kings 6:11-13 – “Israel was formed as a nation in the crucible of the exodus from Egypt, described in Exodus 12–14 as nothing short of a revolutionary emancipation. Before Israel entered the promised land of Canaan, Moses provided the people with a constitution, the statutes and justice (mishpat) we call Deuteronomy. The constitution of Israel was anti-imperial, Egypt upside-down. In the mishpat of Yahweh, people were not enslaved but set free from slavery.”

Text Examined: 1 Kings 4:21-28 – “The thing that makes a punch line work is the element of surprise. We see things one way, then – surprise! – the story takes a funny twist.”

We know Solomon as the wisest man who ever lived. He acquired more wealth than any other king of Israel, traded weapons, and built the greatest military-industrial complex of the Israelite empire. Solomon also cemented political alliances through his marriages with hundreds of princesses whose love eventually led him to reject Yahweh, God of Israel.

I recently had the privilege of spending four days in one of the largest women’s prisons in the world, Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) in Chowchilla, California. Kairos Prison Ministry International is designed to share the gospel with inmates and plant seeds that can grow into an ongoing community of Christian support within the prison.

Biblical Text Examined: Psalm 29: “Our home has an ongoing seasonal conflict: when do you play the first Christmas CD? I’m a bit more traditional, and try to hold out until the first Sunday of Advent. My wife, however, is more connected to the world around us and will crank that music when the first snowflakes hit the ground. This year, that meant the week before Thanksgiving!”

When Jesus was born, the heavenly host announced, “peace on earth, among those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).

This story of Jesus and the Canaanite woman has a high “squirm factor.” First of all, there is this pushy woman who keeps nattering relentlessly at Jesus. And then there is Jesus, who is somewhat disappointing in his lack of compassion and his harsh words.

I was doing some touch-up painting around the house, when I encountered it: the small cluster of holes in the yellowish paint and drywall. Tucked away behind the mixer and the fishbowl in the kitchen, it is nearly imperceptible to all but the most knowing eyes.