Stephen De La Vega

  Some countries have already celebrated Thanksgiving this year. My country will celebrate next week. It’s a time of looking back with family or friends to acknowledge our blessings (or harvest, historically). But it’s not always a positive reflection. Sometimes there’s baggage. Maybe often. Sometimes it’s our baggage or our shortcomings. We might even feel like walking away from God. Or maybe we already have. If we carry this into Thanksgiving week, or just in life, this Resolution 11 is for us.   We began our “ Journey to Resolve ” in July 2024. (Sorry it’s taking so long to cover all 15 resolutions!) The articles in this series have been New Year’s resolutions throughout the year, not just at the beginning. So far, we’ve enjoyed some very brief book surveys and stories that highlight important parts of Israel’s history. And our last two resolutions were drawn from two books of poetry and wisdom: Job and Proverbs. We circle back now to a sweeping look at Israel’s history...

  I’m a faith blogger. I develop and lead Bible studies. I published 2 small group study guides and I’m working on a Christian non-fiction inspirational book. I spend a fair amount of time studying the Bible. God wants me to teach. I know this without doubt. But I’m also more tempered today than I was 20 years ago with the words I pen and the studies I facilitate as I consider: Am I leading people in the right direction? Am I honoring God’s Word and His character within my circle of influence? Do I represent biblical truth in ways that move people toward the true God, or do I leave them to piece together ill-conceived notions about Him? The fact is: my understanding is not perfect. It’s not even close. It's impossible to fully understand God and His truth ( Romans 11:33-36 and Isaiah55:8-9 ). We cannot compare to God. He transcends us in every way ( Isaiah40:12-26 ). And as I study and reflect, I realize there is always more to learn.   This post offers a deeper look ...

  Gone are the days when I was regularly seen with an infant in my arms. I remember before my firstborn turned 1, my church invited all the dads to the stage on Father’s Day. We were asked to share what we like most about being a dad.   I wasn’t very sappy back then, so when I got the mic, I declared, “What I like most…is not having to give birth!” Before my son was born, many asked, “Are you ready to be a father?” Ready to be a father?   Everybody say it with me:   “No!” We’re probably never ready. We can read parenting books, articles and new discoveries on child development; and we can memorize pertinent Bible verses. But I say ‘never’ because fatherhood is much more than we might expect.   Even with profound fatherly role models, I think we naturally overlook some things, even key things, as we gear up for fatherhood. You see, at some point we realize: A father may be Superman to his young kids, but Superman exists only as long as his c...

We may not think of Jesus’ tomb as a tomb of honor, but it was. It was prepared with honor, it was sacrificed with honor, and Jesus was buried in it with honor. But it was not honor that led Him there. The death of Jesus was a death of mockery, deceit, divisiveness, lies, misunderstanding, and, especially, hatred, retaliation, and pain. But this was all part of God’s gracious plan to restore us into His fellowship. Amazing grace led Jesus to the cross. It’s a story known across the globe and through the ages. We can be saved because of God’s amazing grace. Grace ushered Jesus to the cross and to His earthly grave. By grace we are saved through faith, by grace we enjoy a personal relationship with Christ, and by grace we serve a resurrected Lord. How could someone spread His arms so open with love, and leave them extended to take the blows of torture, of humiliation, of rejection ...even rejection from His Father? How can someone’s love be so perfect? ...