Bible Study
Articles mainly about studying, memorizing or explaining a specific Bible passage, book or biblical character in depth.
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Solved by Walking
I found my dad’s journal where he is wrestling with what procedures to choose for cancer.
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Love recognizes love
Monet is called the father of Impressionism. The term was coined from the name of his painting “Impression, sunrise”.
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Reward
I have been thinking about rewards, specifically how are they different from awards and how they are viewed in scripture. Perhaps they are on my mind as I clean out the awards for my mom and dad.
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Love Abundant
God is always surprising us. He is full of compassion and deepest love. How easy it is to ascribe harshness to God. Why is this?
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Sea of Love
I like to break down verses word for word. “Cast all your cares.” What an image that is, one especially given to us from St. Peter who would know all about the skill of casting.
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Contemplating Compassion
Two passages of scripture have been resonating in my mind. The first is Jesus healing the widow’s only son and not only healing but raising him from the dead.
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God-Breathed
My dad and I memorized 2 Timothy 3:16-17. They are verses I have held with me for most of my life. I memorized them in Birmingham, Alabama when I was seven.
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Forgiven and Forgiving
Look at this beautiful interaction Jesus has with both a Pharisee and a woman in the Book of Luke.
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Amazed
The scripture reading today focused on the word, “amazed.” I consider this word prayerfully. In the Greek it is not a fleeting feeling, but something we feel in our core.
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Dear Friends
Our scripture memory verse this past week was 1 Peter 4:12-13. It begins, “Dear Friends.” The words in Greek translates as “those who are beloved, deeply loved.” Who are these dear friends in your life?
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Moved
I love listening to stories of scripture. I spend time with the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus tells this story in response to a question about how we should be living our life.
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Psalm 34
We are memorizing Psalm 34 as a staff. Some are working on verses 1-4, and some are trying for all 22 verses.
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Difficulty
The NBC office staff and I are memorizing Romans 5:3-5. It is a powerful and counterintuitive passage.
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Jewels or Snakes
I am thinking about Numbers 21:6-9 and the snakes again that bit and killed the thankless people of God.
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Words and Snakes
I read an interesting passage of scripture from the Old Testament. It is the story of the complaining Israelites who are unhappy about being in the desert.
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Immeasurably More
I love Ephesians 3:14-21 and try to pray it every day. I love to go slowly through each verse imagining the person I am praying for. It is such a beautiful prayer.
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Helpless Take Heart
Hope is helpful if you find yourself in a position much like myself, helpless take heart are words that speak loudly. This sun-filled, blue-sky May morning inspired these words gleaned from David in Psalm 33 and 34.
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Heading to Tarshish
Jonah was heading away from the place God asked him to go. He was asked to go to Nineveh and call people to repentance.
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For Goodness Sake
For New Year’s Eve, our family members selected a lovely card to write down our yearly intentions.
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Rpg
I have been signing cards recently with the acronym RPG. It’s my true north right now. When I get confused, anxious, unsure how to spend my time or focus my thoughts, it is my way forward.
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Marian Point of View
I am struck by the obedience and willingness of Mary to become the mother of Jesus. Her song of gratitude to God for this blessing stuns me.
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Love Needs Hope to Exist
St. Paul wrote letters beautifully to his friends, especially after establishing Christian communities.
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Infinite Abundance
The other day I was praying through Colossians 1:9-14. I was praying about myself which is interesting because the passage is about praying for others.
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Sacred Blue Prints When Life is Hard
God has been surprising me lately. I have been meditating on these verses, “Do not be anxious about anything but through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I have a section in my daily…
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The Path of Destruction When We Don’t Listen
I have been reading Proverbs recently. Dad loved this book of the Bible, and we talked about it often. He and I both struggle with listening.
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Are you listening? God is speaking.
We had a staff meditation on Psalm 4 and Philippians 4:4-8. These are some of my favorite memory verses. I am always surprised by the demands of the Psalmist, which is David in this case.
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Strengthened
Sometimes I wrestle with what to pray for others. I have learned that praying for something specific may not be what God wants. Instead, I study scripture. How does Paul pray? One beautiful prayer is in Ephesians.
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Handling Evil
I have heard two sermons now on the devil. They are both wildly confusing and humbling stories. The first is about Job.
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The Radiant Exchange
One of the questions we have been meditating on in the office is, “What do you believe God wants to help you remove or release in your life that would allow you to more freely experience His abiding…
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Handling Enemies
I read a wild verse that I hadn’t noticed before. It says, “Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad [in self-righteousness] when he stumbles, Or the LORD will…
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Good News
Dad and I loved the story of Joseph. It is such a fascinating consideration for me. Joseph, annoying, openly, and shamelessly favored.
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The Power of Weakness
Dad loved scripture. Memorization was a big part of our lives together. We would drive and pray scripture aloud. For example, we memorized 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
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Self Control
I love thinking about the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God seems full of joy, life, and abundance.
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Overturning
Does anger change us? Jesus opens his ministry after the wedding miracle with anger. I identify with this. Wanting to move the church with righteous indignation and sweep out all the offending people and practices.
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Sifted
I have been meditating on a few lines I heard in my devotional about Peter and the devil. Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
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Eyes of Cain
I have been thinking about unity and violence. How does the turn happen? For Cain it is losing his joy for being in union with his brother.
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Remember Me
I read an evocative post about the thief hanging on the cross. He did not get baptized. He didn’t do anything most churches classify as salvation.
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At All Times
I have been meditating on the first part of Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” I consider the words, “at all times.” This is a topic Dad and I discussed often.
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The Lord
I continue my meditation of the first verse in Psalm 34. The beginning of the verse says, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” I consider the word “the” and how important this small word is in…
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I Will Bless
One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 34. What a psalm of solace! Dad and I would pray each word, meditating on it.
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Provocation
My husband Shann has been researching angels for a novel he is working on. He recently texted me a few verses from Exodus 23.
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No Grumbling
This is a strange time to be alive. There is a zeitgeist moving that is full of portent like a mighty storm brewing. I believe the Lord is near though I am not sure what that means.
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Together
A passage of scripture blew my mind this week. The writer of Hebrews is describing so many beautiful men and women of the faith; some who changed the trajectory of nations, some who won miraculous victories, some who…
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Running the Race
I recently listened to the Pray as You Go app, and the scripture passage was from Hebrews.
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The Kingdom of God is Now
I was praying about what to write in Words of Hope and I kept feeling asked to write the Kingdom of God is now.
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Ambition
I have been wrestling with the word ambition. The definition of it makes it more complex. In some definitions it says ambition means “aspiration, intention, goal and aim.” These are worthy words.
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Fiery Furnace
My youngest child Bella and I only have a few months left together before she launches off to college and a brand-new life. We do a devotional together each day.
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Banquet Table
My dad deeply loved Psalm 23. He meditated on it often. As I read C.S. Lewis’s Reflections on the Psalms , he brings attention to something I haven’t considered.
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What Goes Around Comes Around
In C.S. Lewis’s Reflections on the Psalms he addresses a topic I have struggled with. What do we do with the Psalms that pray down wrath on enemies?
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Accused and Accuser
Jesus always touches me. I am reading about His interaction with the Pharisees and the woman caught in adultery. He takes a woman who had done wrong. She was morally guilty, and He showed her forgiveness.
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Never Outwitted
I have been mulling over a scripture verse for the last two weeks. It says, “I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us.
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Bitterness Considered
I was rereading Dad’s Words of Hope on anxiety he wrote on April 21, 2021. He discusses lessons learned from nurse Laurie who served with Hospice for many years.
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The Wisdom of Sorrow
I recently went to a memorial, and one of the main verses was Ecclesiastes 7:2. I took time to look at this verse in various translations.
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Acquainted with Grief
We are approaching the one-year anniversary of my Dad’s death. I can feel the sorrow rising in me. I am quick to tears; my bones feel heavy, and my sleep is more troubled.
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Stiff Necks
Dad and I liked to take a sermon or scripture and understand it as well as we could.
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Condemning the Guiltless
I love listening to the Pray as You Go app. The other day one of the scriptures asked us to ponder the story of Jesus talking with the Pharisees.
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Clothe Yourselves
One of my dad’s favorite scriptures was Colossians 3:12-17. It starts, “Therefore as God’s chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion… Dad loved imagining clothing himself with these intangible qualities.
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Revelation
I read a statement, “Zealous judgment closes us off from revelation.” This statement would have immediately caused me to pick up the phone and call my Dad.
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Thy Will Be Done
Dad loved Easter and Good Friday. Dad loved the stations of the cross and would meditate at each spot. He especially loved the stations of the cross at the Grotto in Portland.
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Absurd or Obedient
Shann wrote the lyrics for an opera. I love to think about this. He is a poet, a researcher, a novelist, and a librettist (opera writer).
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Magnificat
Dad and I loved to talk about Mary, the mother of Jesus. When we were in the Philippines, Dad was adored everywhere he went. He and Shann were on local television. Dad was like a rock star.
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Pure Joy
The book of James says, “Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter trials of various kinds.” Some translations say to consider trials, “pure” joy.
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The Third Option
Dad loved Jesus’s response to the Pharisees. They often tried to trap Jesus. He frequently faced either/or no-win decisions by them but Jesus offers the third option. Consider, for instance, the woman caught in adultery.
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Great is Thy Faithfulness
Dad and I memorized Lamentations 3:22-23 together, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fails, it is new every morning- great is His faithfulness.” There is a hymn called “Great is…
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The Full Amor of God
One of the passages of Scripture Dad and I memorized is Ephesians 6:10-18. Verse 12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, against powers, against the world forces of darkness, against the…
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Overflowing with Thankfulness
Dad liked to use a jar illustration to help people diagnose the quality of their thoughts and words. Picture a large glass jar in which you can inspect all the contents.
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Never Lose Your Dreams
The four P’s – Psalms, purpose, prayer & power. Dr. Shann Ferch tells the following story. One day my dad took me to Circle, Montana to visit his dad. Grandpa was living in a small shack.
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Came by Night
One of the closest followers of Jesus wrote of a special man who came to Jesus at night. Why would Saint John want to make this part of his writing in John 3?
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Crowellians Chapter 1
Greeting from Fred Crowell! This letter from Fred to all who have a special place in my heart.
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This Is My Story, This Is My Song
“Old things passed away, all things become new.” – Paul Early this morning in my secret garden, I was thinking of my grandson.
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Solution to Poor Character
Do you desire freedom from quick temper, anger, and personal conflicts? The Apostle Paul is truly a remarkable writer. I marvel as I read his many books. Around 57 AD he made a difficult decision.
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Making Wise the Simple
To review, we have looked at WISDOM along with four negativities to avoid, mainly people who sap us of our real meaning of life and joy. This will determine whether we are really wise.
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Words of Wisdom for 2021
Let’s explore what it means to be wise. We know the decisions we make determine our destiny.
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Don’t Dabble with Sin
My reading in James 1:15 (NASB) says: “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” May I personally say it in a more graphic way?
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Hard Lessons to Learn from Former Leaders
In his day, Job was a leader; in fact, a terrific leader. He was one many people sought counsel from until his own world crashed on him.
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Looking for a New Job?
The world’s best organization is looking for good people who are difference makers. Not long ago, in a Words of Hope, I spoke to the idea of kindness being described as useful goodness.
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Thy Kingdom Come
A basketball coaches analysis of the Lord’s Prayer. Based on the prayer instruction of Jesus, how is it possible to have His Kingdom come and His Will be done here on earth?
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You Must Be Born Two Times
How does the title of the word of hope strike you? Is there a word that stands out to you? For me, the standout word is, must .
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One or Two Fisted Living
Solomon has wisdom for those of us willing to listen, learn and do. “Fools fold their hands leading to ruin.” And yet.
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If-then Principle
KEY STATEMENT: Every IF statement is usually followed with a THEN. If you read Daily Words of Hope at a minimum, there will be one then .
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Thanksgiving with the Crowell Family
“I will offer to YOU the sacrifice of thanksgiving & will call on the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:17 Our Special Day dedicated to being extra thankful typically begins in the early morning hours with Susie by…
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Therefore Implies Exact Logic , Part 1
One of my favorite places I find the “therefore” logic is in the Bible. St. Paul carefully uses his vast intellect and exceptional educational training to set forth a logical case in Colossians 3 .
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Holy Hands
“Cling to your faith in Christ & have a clear conscience.” – Timothy Around about 64 A.D, which was 31 years after the crucifixion of Jesus, Paul was imprisoned for the second time.
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Analytical – THE LORD’S PRAYER
KEY STATEMENT: What did the Lord mean when He said, “Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”? Many of us memorized this prayer as children.
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The Christ System: How It Works
There are many brilliant thinkers historically. To name a few, there are Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Einstein, Augustine, Ignatius, Edison, Franklin. Yet, there is an additional man who deserves strong consideration.
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Good and Upright
“The Lord is good and does what is right,” Psalm 25:8. Today my trustworthy friend, Roger Dorway, of many years sent me these inspiring words: “Another great Psalm for your viewing pleasure is Psalm 25.
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Therefore Implies Act Logic, Part 2
At Thanksgiving, we can be grateful for new hearts with new garments to put on. As St.
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Prepare to Be Prepared
Being prepared for momentous sports, business or life events is not enough ! Being prepared to be prepared is the crucial first step to winning.
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The Human Condition Part 2
After two fantastic years as head basketball coach at the University of Alaska, I excepted a doctoral fellowship at the University of New Mexico.
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Tonight’s big win at OCU.
Had an amazing motivation message prior to the game from my close friend Coach Fred Crowell. Fred has a unique gift of helping young men see their destiny!
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Satisfied with Good Things
Join me in a walk through this five star Psalm. I wonder what was happening in King David’s dramatic life when he wrote the 103rd Psalm. From a theological perspective it is brilliant.
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Be Strong, Be Brave
In the wee hours of this morning, it seemed crystal clear the challenge before me is to be strong & brave. I expected Matthew 14 to have a teaching point for me on forgiveness. Not so!
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Existential Self Diagnosis
“The ability to imagine taking your eyes out of your head and looking at yourself with clear vision.” – Fred Crowell Psalms 8 and 139 inspire me!
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Being Made Right
In Romans chapter four, Apostle Paul rhetorically presents a dynamic question. WHAT DID HE (Abraham), discover about being made right with God? This question popped off the pages.
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Hello My Hero!
Four words, Needed this….my struggle! From early morning hours to nearly lunch time no words for Daily Words of Hope with Fred came to my mind. Susie encouraged me to wait and let it happen.
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Lessons from the Prophet Jeremiah
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
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Building Snow People – Building a Better Me
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away all things become new. When my granddaughter built her snowman, I was really impressed with her imagination and her skill.
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Made Right with God
“How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news.” – St. Paul Today in reading Romans 10, I join Paul’s longing in his heart for people to be saved.
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Love People More Than Things
If we love people more than things we will use things to help people If we love things more than people we will use people to get things. Today I shift the focus from Matthew to Paul.
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Stories – Three Principles
The Pain Principle. The David Principle. The Mephibosheth Principle. The Biblical story of two men, David and Mephibosheth, which depicts the pain principle so well; can be found in both Hollywood and life stories.
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Psalm 20 – a Crowell Favorite
“One of luckiest men I know is me.” This morning as I looked out at the Pacific Ocean from the 17th floor, I felt like the luckiest man on the planet.
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Dress for Success
A wise practice each morning is to dress for success. The best way is to dress two times , not once! First, dress for the day to look your best for the jobs at hand.
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Faith Brings Joy Made Right
I marvel studying the world of dogs. Much more than cats, I understand dogs; they are predictable.
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Practice What You Preach
Matthew 23 – Seven Woes. Mathew quotes the Master’s scathing rebuking of those who don’t practice what they preach.
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No More Question Thursday
MATTHEW 17 Jesus clearly is the master of the popular “Socratic Method of teaching.” Using questions to discover knowledge, understanding, and most importantly wisdom.
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WEDDINGS: “Getting married is like swallowing the sun”.
MATTHEW 22 Again Jesus speaks to us about an important life principle in a parable.
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Magic Monday
MATTHEW 21 These past 21 days the book of Matthew has become a strong tower in my life. I have come to have appreciation for Matthew, formerly known as Levi, the tax collector.
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No Expectation Sunday
Today, this 13th day of a Spokane “Indian Summer,” is no expectation Sunday! My firm resolve is to reduce all expectations from others for one entire day. In addition, I will reduce all expectations from me.
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THE ULTIMATE CRUCIAL QUESTION? Who do you say that I am?
Vital lesson from MATTHEW 16. Lesson one: Watch out for unhealthy people who influence you in negative ways. “Guard against the yeast” is the metaphor used by Matthew. Why yeast?
