Category:
Scholarly-ish
A Red Pencil Trail
My arsenal was my Bible and a red pencil. I didn’t think about how long it would take or the rationality of my approach. I wanted to know: what does it mean to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength? If this is the greatest commandment, which it is clearly stated to…
Who Invented Dental Floss
I heard the comment once that conversations never end in ”I don’t know” anymore. Inevitably someone will whip out their cell phone and ask Siri, and the answer magically will appear. This was certainly the case for me the other night when I was – you guessed it – flossing my teeth. Perhaps you’ve never…
Questions from God and the Devil, Part 1
Are there questions God asks us that we should spend time thinking about, and questions from the devil, or our own wandering mind, that we should avoid?
Hope from the Father
I’ve heard it said that you can live several weeks without food, several days without water, and several minutes without oxygen; but you can’t live one second without hope. If this is true, I want to know what it means to have hope. I once had a friend describe to me a difficult time she…
Mercy. A Story of Unrequited Love
This post was first shared at www.inspireafire.com, and I wanted to also share with you! I’m conducting a little Bible study. You’re welcome to come along if you’d like. It starts with the second greatest commandment – to love our neighbor. In Luke 10, the expert in the law wanted to know how to define…
Waiting Patiently – A New Understanding of Rest
I originally shared this post at https://www.inspireafire.com/waiting-patiently-a-new-understanding-of-rest/. I hope you enjoy! Fall always seems like the busiest time of year. School is back in session. Work emails quadruple. Outside it’s the season of harvest – that narrow window where all the accumulation from the summer sun must be bundled in before the winter. And just the…
Pentecostal Listening
On one very special Pentecost a little over 2000 years ago, the gathering Jews witnessed a never-before-seen event.
On the Road to Success
We were on the road to Success. Literally, I mean. We were driving along route 62 East across Arkansas when we crossed a junction with a township sign pointing to Success. This prompted the conjecture you might expect: How many people do you suppose live in Success? How long does it take to get there,…
The Great Cheese Inquisition
Every once in a while when I am studying something in my Bible, I get distracted and go off on an interesting tangent. (Actually, this happens frequently.) The other day as I was looking up references to the Ten Commandments (more on that later, maybe), I came across 1 Samuel 17:18, which in the English…
Whipping up Conflict
Below is an excerpt from my latest Inspire a Fire post: “If anyone ever asks you, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Remind them that flipping over tables and chasing people with a whip is within the realm of possibilities.” I stumbled across this quote online, along with a picture of Jesus driving vendors from the temple.…
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Meet Janet!
Janet Beagle, PhD is the founder of The Mustard Patch. She divides her time between the Midwest and New England, and if she’s not writing, she’s probably out hiking with her 2-and 4-footed friends.