In today’s conversation, we’ll see the nation of Israel—the nation over whom God has ruled as a faithful King for centuries—reject God and demand an earthly king, all out of a desire to be like everyone else. We’ll watch the sovereignty of God play out once again, as God orchestrates events, connects people, and gives the nation what they want. We’ll marvel at the potential which awaited King Saul—as God transformed him into the anointed leader of his people—and we’ll ponder the truth that it’s ultimately God’s Spirit which qualifies the unqualified. So, pull up a chair at our table, and let’s dive into the conversation.

In today’s conversation, we’ll be making our way out of the Judges Era of the Bible and into the Kingdom Era with the birth story of a great man of God, Samuel, and his amazing mother, Hannah. We’ll see how the choices we make when we face adversity make or break our character, and we’ll see how a determination toward righteousness is always worth it. We’ll discover a new title for God, depicting the complete sovereignty of our all-knowing, all-seeing God, and we’ll discuss the mystery of his unspoken prompts which move us to action. We’ll marvel at the faithfulness of God to abundantly bless our sacrificial obedience, to meet us where we are to make himself known to us, and to always be working toward his plan of righteous redemption. So, pull up a chair at our table, and let’s dive into the conversation.

In today’s conversation, we’ll close the pages of a difficult chapter in Israel’s history with a deep dive into the refreshing oasis of the book of Ruth—a story which serves as a beautiful bridge between the era of the judges and the era of the kings. We’ll walk with Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, through her journey from bitter wanderings to homecoming to joyful redemption. We’ll watch the bold and loyal Ruth break cultural norms to take her place in the kingdom of God, and we’ll see the awesome response of God to eagerly wrap his arms around her and give her a renowned place in that kingdom—and in his family. And we’ll see the kinsman redeemer, Boaz, provide a beautiful foreshadowing of the ultimate Redeemer—Jesus Christ. We’ll come to greatly appreciate that Ruth’s story is a beacon of hope in a dark moment in biblical history, a glorious tale of love and redemption at the hand of a sovereign, merciful God whose steadfast loving-kindness never fails. So, pull up a chair at our table, and let’s dive into the conversation.

In today’s conversation we’re going to conclude our short walk through the book of Judges with the outlandish story of the final and probably most well-known judge—Samson. For the sake of our conversation, we’re going to break Samson’s story into three parts—his call, his character, and his consequences. We’ll see his life play out as a sort of symbolic embodiment of the cycle the Israelites keep perpetuating—a cycle which goes from strength to disobedience to failure to disaster—and we’ll discover within that cycle yet another story which points to the merciful and redemptive nature of our God. So, pull up a chair at our table, and let’s dive into the conversation.

In today’s conversation we’ll journey further into the Judges era of the Bible, as the people of Israel begin the cycle which they perpetuate throughout the entirety of the Old Testament—disobedience & idolatry, punishment & oppression, crying out to God, and God’s merciful deliverance. We’ll come alongside one of the widely-known judges God called to deliver his people—Gideon—and we’ll continue to discover God’s tendency to use small things and small people in big ways. We’ll observe Gideon’s progression from fear to faith—likening it to our own—and we’ll find comfort in the thread of God’s grace and mercy we see woven all throughout his story. So, pull up a chair at our table, and let’s dive into the conversation.

In today’s conversation we will culminate our study of Joshua and the Conquest era of the Bible as Joshua and the people of Israel divide the land into the boundaries God had set forth for them, and we’ll discuss the necessary—although sometimes frustrating—God-given boundaries in our own lives and why they exist. Then, we’ll go with the Israelites from the era of conquest into the era of the Judges, digging deep into the baffling juxtaposition of the book of Joshua closing with the people committing to serve the Lord and the book of Judges opening with an entire generation who did not know the Lord and who abandoned the Lord to serve other gods. And, once again, we will see the propensity of mankind’s fallen nature to lead us into sin and disobedience, underscoring our undeniable need for the saving and transformative power of Jesus Christ. So, pull up a chair at our table, and let’s dive into the conversation.