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Justa, the Syrophoenician Woman
8–12 minutesIntroduction: Wit’s Ends Have you ever been in a situation where you thought of what you should have said but only after the fact? In French, that’s called l’esprit de l’escalier or staircase wit. That’s the witty response that only comes to you when you are on your way down the stairs after the conversation has ended. “Ah, I should have said…” This term exists because not all of us are gifted with a quick wit and a crafty tongue. One notable exception was Sir Winston Churchill. One time, as the story goes, Lady Astor chided him saying, “My dear…
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Most Popular Bible Verses of 2023
4–5 minutesAccording to YouVersion’s 2023 stats, here are the most popular Bible passages of 2023: Jos 1:9; Pr 3:5–6; 4:23; 16:3; Is 41:10; 53:5; Je 29:11; Mt 6:33–34; 11:28; Jn 3:16; 10:10; 14:6, 27; Ro 8:28, 31; 12:2; 1 Co 10:13; 13:7; 2 Co 5:17; Eph 2:10; Php 4:6–8, 13, 19; 2 Ti 1:7; Heb 4:12; 11:1; Jas 5:16; 1 Pe 5:7 2023 Verse of the Year The most shared, bookmarked, and highlighted verse worldwide was Isaiah 41:10. “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will…
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Whip-poor-will Song
1–2 minutesOne of the songs I remember hearing my grandmother sing is the “Whippoorwill Song.” It can be found in The Star of Bethlehem: A Collection of Church-Tunes, Anthems, Choruses and Glees, originally compiled by J. H. Hall, J. H. Ruebush, and Aldine S. Kieffer and published by Ruebush, Kieffer & Co. in 1889. The entire book is available at Archive.org. Since then, Star of Bethlehem has been revised and republished by John C. Rhodes and Joseph G. Beery of Dayton, Virginia, first in 1969 with reprints in 1973, 1978, and 1984. Other revisions, republications, and more recent reprints may be out…
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Words for Word Translation
1–2 minutesTranslation is never as simple as matching up word for word. Romans 10:4 appears as follows in the Greek New Testament (Nestle-Aland 28th edition): τέλος γὰρ νόμου Χριστὸς εἰς δικαιοσύνην παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι. In English, the Christian Standard Bible gives us: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, … And the New International Version, slightly longer, reads: Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Then biblical scholar Frederick Dale Bruner translates as follows in his Short Commentary on Romans: But you see, Christ…