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...

  Two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes. Perfect! All is good in the maternity ward. Or so it seemed… When will the crying end? Why do the ‘terrible twos’ last more than a year? Why won’t they listen to me? How did they become friends with ________? Teenagers! Sometimes they grow up, but too many of them just get older. (Sigh) We’re not really cute, little bundles of joy underneath those chubby cheeks. That’s what the Apostle Paul would tell us: As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way o...

  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 see colors when light refracts. That’s God’s design. He also designed each of us differently. Do we appreciate the colors when we look at each other? Jesus chose a Samaritan as the good neighbor in Luke 10, and He spoke to a Samaritan woman at a well in John 4. Jesus was a Jew and Jews didn’t like Samaritans, yet when He healed 10 lepers in Luke 17, only a Samaritan cared enough to thank Him. The other 9 were Jews. It’s easy to develop biases and prejudices as we walk through life. Jesus and the Samaritan leper reached beyond the trending prejudice in favor of healing, honor, and gratitude. And the Good Samaritan offered neighborly love instead of prejudice. What biases do we have? What do we tend to believe about… Men. Women. Children. Persons with Special Needs. Parents. Grandparents. In-Laws. School Teachers. Daycare Teachers. Children’s Ministry Workers. Veterans. Incarcerated Persons. Residents of Assisted Living Facilities. Government Workers. Po...