Rick Nier...Woo!

What are the things we treasure? To know what you really cherish, imagine a fire taking everything you own. What would be the things you would miss the most? Likely it is not the things that can be replaced; the TV's, the stereo's, the cars, etc. It would be the small items, the objects that are filled with memories of stories from years long gone. Leigh McLeroy takes this thought and applies it to God. What would God hold on to? Through short chapters and engaging stories, she reveals deep joys and hurts in her own life, while revealing just how relevant are the old stories of God in our world today. Just a quick glance through the chapter titles reveals how very diverse God has been. God has been very creative in the type of people He chooses to work in and through, and His creativity continues in the objects that become memory makers throughout history. God continues His creative usefulness through this great book. Perhaps the question that stirred the most thought in my lif...

You think our economy is bad? You should try paying five shekels for a bowl of field greens. (Pause for dramatic gasp) Wait, you didn't gasp? Perhaps it would help if you knew how much a shekel was worth. Without going into much detail, the shekel was a measurement of weight in gold, so even a conservative comparison would be that one shekel was worth $400. So, do the math, and we find that people were paying the equivalent of $2,000 for a bowl of field greens. (Ok, now pause for dramatic gasp.) These prices were found in 2 Kings 6:25. Apparently there was a bad famine going on. How bad was it? It was so bad that women were eating their children. Now, my wife has threatened to eat our children if they don't start behaving, but it's never been because there was a lack of food. But that's what happened in 2 Kings 6:26-29. How crazy hungry do you have to be that you look at one of your children and think to yourself, 'I bet he'd taste alright.' And how crazy is...

In the last chapter of 1 Kings, we find a story of a wise, yet stupid, king. His name is Jehoshaphat, and he is king of Judah, now separated from the rest of Israel. The king of Israel is Ahab, an evil king that did not do what God wanted...ever. But one day Ahab and Jehoshaphat are sitting around, doing what kings do, playing checkers or, if they were in a good mood, four-square. Ahab asks Jehoshaphat if he'll join him in battle against a common enemy. Jehoshaphat agrees, but asks if they can seek counsel from God. Ahab calls in his puppet prophets, who encourage him to do whatever he wants. Jehoshaphat wisely asks if there is an actual prophet of God around to ask. There is, and this prophet spells out doom for this mission. It is at this point in which I would love to know what Jehoshaphat was thinking. If you read 1 Kings 22, there are several warning signs for Jehoshaphat to back out of this alliance. If none of the other signs made him leery, then hearing a prophet from God a...

So we're told that King Solomon was given a 'wise and discerning heart' in 1 Kings 3. Furthermore, we're told that there will never have been anyone like him in this area, before or since. Then, in typical foreshadowing style, we're instantly whisked away to a story of two moms and two babies. One baby dies and mayhem ensues. Each mom insists that the living baby is theirs and they go back and forth in front of the king. I've always imagined this to be a scene comparable to the Jerry Springer show. But I digress. We're about to see Solomon's wisdom. The king asks for a sword and gives the order to have the baby cut in half so each mom can have a half. Are you kidding me? Is this really the wisdom from the wise King Solomon? Split a pizza? Sure! Go halfsies on the cost of gas for a long trip? You bet! But to suggest splitting a baby seems like threatening not to give your kids ice cream simply because they are misbehaving. Then I saw this wisdom in real l...

I'm an idiot. I think you know that already, but here's the latest proof. I'm at the office where my wife and I work. I had just picked up (not literally) my 3-year old from her pre-school class. I then picked her up (literally) and walked down to my wife's office where she and my 6-year old son were. Seeing that they were ready to go home for lunch, we all began walking out towards our vehicle. Since we both work at a church, we rarely leave without someone stopping to ask one of us a question. (I know, we're so important.) This day was no exception. The question was for my wife, which meant it was my task to keep the kids focused and acting as normal as possible. As she finished, I thought I saw my 3-year old walk into one of the rooms. I followed her in and called her name. She wasn't in there, so I turned to ask my wife where our daughter went. She gave me a look that asked if I was a retard. The answer, of course, is a resounding yes. The daughter in questi...