Columns

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent The widow may not have a name in this Bible story found in II Kings 4:1-7 but she was known to God and He knew her plight. She was in financial debt which was a desperate situation for women of Bible times. If a debt could not be paid, she...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Naomi, her husband Elimelech and their two sons Mahlon and Kilion lived in Bethlehem. Due to a famine in the land Elimelech moved his family from Israel to the country of Moab for sustenance. This was a poor decision since he was leaving...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Jacob loved his son Joseph because he had been born to him in his old age. To express that love he made Joseph a richly ornate robe in many colors. The older brothers grew jealous over the robe Joseph received. They were resentful they...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent The book of Nehemiah reads like a novella, only thirteen chapters, written in first person describing his personal experiences. In the first words of his pages Nehemiah has a conversation with fellow Jews about the disrepair of Jerusalem’s...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Acts is an interesting book about the continuation of Jesus’ ministry and the birth and growth of the church. This book couldn’t have been written without the promise of the Holy Spirit proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The disciples...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Saul gave his approval to have Stephen, a man of faith, stoned to death. Stephen was the first martyr, the first to give his life for the Gospel. Stephen had the courage to stand up for what he believed and who he believed in-Jesus Christ....

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Waiting is one of the more difficult situations to overcome. We wait impatiently in line at the checkout. We wait for phone calls to be returned. We grow irritable waiting for apologies. We groan in traffic and when doctor appointments run...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Our life begins in pieces similar to a puzzle with some assembly required. Our goal is to create a meaningful life but there is no assurance when fragments become disconnected, a portion missing or a section that doesn’t fit into our plans....

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Is there anyone other than God who has been outside the earth’s atmosphere and has seen our planet as a whole? Ask an astronaut for the answer. At the age of twelve James Irwin (1930-1991) told his mother he had an eager desire to be the...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Jesus and His disciples arrived in Capernaum where Peter lived during the time he followed Jesus. Peter was met by tax collectors. According to the Jewish custom every male Jew twenty years of age and older were required to pay the yearly...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent The third Gospel is the longest book in the New Testament written by Luke, a physician. He was also a companion of Paul on several missionary journeys in Acts which Luke also wrote. Luke may have been Paul’s doctor for his thorn in the...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent The Court of Women was found in the Temple in Jerusalem. In this particular area seven boxes were displayed for worshippers to deposit their temple tax and six boxes for free will offerings. These thirteen boxes had brass shaped trumpet...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Leah knew she wasn’t as attractive as her younger sister Rachel. Genesis 29 describes Leah with weak eyes or delicate eyes meaning they lacked sparkle. Sister Rachel was depicted as “lovely in form and beautiful.” Leah deeply loved the man...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent Record rainfall created flooding this summer in Texas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Illinois, New York and New Jersey. This has been one in a thousand-year rainfall event across the United States in four of these states, Texas, New Mexico,...

Sue Schmidt | Correspondent In the New Testament many Jews believed Jesus to be the Messiah. He said to these followers, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” But there were Jewish...