Part V: Abandoned Children and Attachment Disorders It was an international adoption. The abandoned boy came to the attention of a single parent in a neighboring nation. The paperwork was the easy part. The problems started when the youngster seemed unable to respond to the tenderness of his adopted father. He taught him to walk,[.....]

Part IV: A Forgotten God Remembers God said it. He was talking about the Israel of the eighth century B.C. They lived in Samaria and Bethel and Gilgal. It’s a line so brief, most people likely miss it. Three words that give a glimpse into God’s heart. What did God say? “They forgot me” (Hosea[.....]

Part III: A Terrible Prayer Hosea started to pray, and then stopped. “Give them, O LORD—.” What he wanted to ask was so horrible. His prayer (Hosea 9:14) seemed so unacceptable. How could he ask God to do what he was about to ask? “Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.” There he prayed[.....]

Part II: It’s Got You Written All Over It She hated her name. When she was little, she didn’t understand. But when she learned the whole story, her name became a burden. Some think it has a pretty sound: Lo-Ruhamah, accent on the last syllable. Children often dislike the names their parents give them, but[.....]

Bible Study About Children Hosea—A Book About Hurting Children Part I: Hosea–A Biblical Book for Child Care Workers! Hosea is a seldom-read, fourteen-chapter Minor Prophet that remains a remarkably relevant book. Those who work with hurting children will find the painful images and harsh descriptions all too familiar. Contemporary foster parents, today’s case workers, and[.....]

Sons and Daughters of God Central to our identity as Christians is our claiim to be children of God. He is our Father. We become his daughters. We are reborn as his sons. Yet none of us have a direct bilological link to God. The New Testament makes it clear that our claim to be[.....]

Healing the Wounded Father – The Contemporary Fathering Crisis The Wounded Father In his book Finding Our Fathers, psychologist Samuel Osherson tells about a forty-two-year-old doctor who came to him with a problem. His younger brother’s wedding had brought the entire family, including their divorced parents, together in St. Louis. The physician spent most of[.....]

National Day of Prayer Dear God of the fatherless, the one who hears all cries, who sees all suffering, whose heart fills the entire world. We bow before you. From one end of the land to the other, we come to you in prayer believing in you. We confess that we believe you are the[.....]

God’s Vision for Every City and Town   I  Biblical conflict in Bethel Early version of worship wars People disagreed over fasting on a certain day Sent Sharezer and Regemmelech to Zechariah for solution II. Zechariah – arbitrator of conflict Two answers You fasts are hypocritical and self servin How you treat community is as[.....]

Lesson for a church setting     God’s vision for every city and town Conflict is as old as humanity.  From wars to spousal abuse, from terrorism to sibling rivalry, from debate in Congress to church fights, we humans seem destined for conflict.  The Bible itself tells about serious conflict.   Cain killed Abel.  Lamech abused[.....]