Intertwined - faith • community • ecology

Why didn't Moses enter the Promised Land? What crossing over won't we see? Should faith be a verb? "A crossing over we won't see" is based on Deuteronomy 34. Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,...

Did John the Baptist ever express doubt? Do you ever struggle with doubt? Does the desire for comfort ever keep you from taking a more fulfilling path? "Soft robes aren't always good" is based on Matthew 11:7-19 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What, then, did you go out...

What change does God make in our hearts? What does it mean to hear the voice of Jesus? What helps us hear his voice better? "That time you hoped God was using a metaphor" is based on Deuteronomy 10:12-22 and John 10:1-10 “So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all...

What were the instructions Jesus gave his disciples when he sent them to share the news of the kingdom of heaven? What did he warn them about? Are his instructions to us the same? "Why the disciples never checked their bags" is based on Matthew 10:5-25 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town,...

In which Bible story does an animal talk? How do you maintain your principles in the face of powerful influence? When should a people be cursed? "How do you decide who to curse?" is based on Numbers 23:1-12 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” Balak did as Balaam had said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Then B...

When did Jesus cast out demons? Do demons make us do bad things? Why would you want demons to be real? "I want demons to be real" is based on Matthew 8:28-34  When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two men possessed by demons came out of the tombs and met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, “What have you to do with us...

What happened when Moses sent spies into Canaan? What might our promised land look like? What keeps us from reaching it? "This is why we can't have nice things" is based on Numbers 14:13-24 But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for in your might you brought up this people from among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard tha...

Who did Jesus heal? How do we decide who to help? When do we need to reach out? "Save the whales or save the seeds?" is based on Matthew 8:1-17 When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him, and there was a man with a skin disease who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched...

What does it mean to be humbled? What's good about being humble? Why is humility sometimes elusive? "Being humbled or being humble?" is based on Numbers 12 While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed married a Cushite woman), and they said, “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Has he not sp...

Did Jesus sometimes talk like a comedian? What happens when we judge? What is the "Golden Rule?" "Did Jesus sound like Jerry Seinfeld?" is based on Matthew 7:1-14 Works Referenced Atkin, Emily. "Air pollution denial is now EPA policy." Heated . January 13, 2026. https://heated.world/p/air-pollution-denial-is-now-epa-policy Boring, M. Eugene. “The Gospel of Matthew.” I...

Is our society fair? What would make it fair? What is a jubilee year?  "Will 2026 offer you a reset?" is based on Leviticus 25:1-12 The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land shall observe a Sabbath for the LORD. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vine...

Why talk about the teachings of Jesus at Christmastime? How do his teachings create stories? What stories are Jesus-followers writing in our community? "No manger? No problem." is based on Matthew 6:14-24 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. “And wheneve...

Is everything in the Bible equally relevant? Should we want to be holy? What does that mean? "O Holy..." is based on Leviticus 19:1-19 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to all the congregation of the Israelites and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. You shall each revere your mother and father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. Do...

What makes you trust someone? How should you react to someone abusing their authority? Is nonviolence more powerful than violence? "That time Jesus said not to swear" is based on Matthew 5:1-16   Works Referenced Beelman, Maud. “U.S. contractors reap the windfalls of post-war reconstruction.” International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. May 7, 2012. https://www.icij.org/investi...

What makes something sacred? What is a worship space for? How do you encounter the divine? "Creating a sacred space together" is based on Exodus 35:30-36:7 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; he has filled him with a divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge, and with every kind of skill...

What was the Sermon on the Mount? Are the Beatitudes commandments? Who was Jesus speaking to when he shared them? "Jesus climbed a mountain, and you won't believe what happened next" is based on Matthew 5:1-16 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in s...

How many commandments are there in the Bible? Are the Ten Commandments more important than the others? What did Jesus say about the Ten Commandments? "More than ten commandments" is based on Exodus 20:3-11. You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in...

What did John the Baptist mean when he called people to repent? What is the rapture? What is the chaff that will be burned in "unquenchable fire?" Should we repent? If so, how? "What does repentance look like?" is based on Matthew 3:1-12 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is th...

How did the Israelites escape slavery in Egypt? What can we learn from violent scripture passages? When is it time to walk away from a harmful system? "Taking a step toward dry ground" is based on Exodus 14:19-31 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came...

Why was there a riot in Ephesus when Paul was there? What systems does the gospel threaten? Why is it hard to break out of societal and personal patterns? "Imagining something else" - based on Acts 19:21-41 Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia and then to go on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have gone there, I must...

What is the sabbath for? What does it look like when we recover the posture we were created to occupy? What breaches are we called to repair? "Repairing and preparing" is based on Luke 13:10-17 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to...

Did Aaron's staff turn into a serpent or a sea monster? Why did God turn the Nile River to blood? What happens when powerful people claim God's creation as a resource to be exploited? "Sages, sorcerers, and sea monsters" is based on Exodus 7:8-25 Works Referenced Brueggemann, Walter. “Exodus.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume I. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015. The Carbon Alm...

Why did Paul cast a spirit from a fortune teller? Why were he and Silas thrown in prison? What is the connection between the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit and the flooding in Texas? When is it time to speak up? "Now is the exact right time to talk about this" is based on Acts 16:16-40 Works Referenced Atkin, Emily. “He helped Microsoft build AI to help the climate. Then Micro...

Why did God choose Moses to lead the Israelites from slavery? Was Moses a solid choice? What religion was Moses before the burning bush? By what name did the LORD choose to be called? "An unlikely choice" is based on Exodus 3:1-15 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of...

How was James the disciple killed? Why was Peter arrested by Herod? How should we decide where we place our loyalty? "Be wary of who you serve" is based on Acts 12:1-19 About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This...