Humans have a complicated relationship with the idea of control. Sayings such as, “He’s totally out of control” or admonitions to “Get control of yourself!” give the impression that we are...

I completed my PhD in the middle of the school year, and frequently afterwards I was asked, “Are you going to walk?” This is academia-speak for, “Are you planning to participate...

In this text from Ruth, all that Naomi has hoped for has happened. Naomi’s daughter-in-law Ruth is now the wife of Boaz, and she has given birth to a boy. The...

Scholars note that the book of Ruth is notoriously difficult to translate into English in ways that capture the layers of symbolism and meaning. Not hard to translate, however, is Naomi...

This week of devotions begins with All Saints’ Day, a day of thanksgiving for the lives of those in the family of faith who have come before us, and a celebration...

Jesus teaches that loving God and loving one’s neighbor as oneself are the greatest commandments and that, indeed, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:40,...

The psalmist tells us not to misplace our trust by putting it in human beings whose thoughts and plans end when they die. Instead, the psalmist tells us to put our...

Journeying to the Promised Land, the Jews encounter many challenges. In the wilderness of Shur, they find no water. At Marah, the water is bitter. In the Desert of Sin, they...

Abimeleck, his wife, Naomi, and their two sons go to live in Moab. Actually they are “escaping death” in the form of famine because there is food in Moab while there...

When Naomi decides to return to her homeland of Judah, she insists that her widowed daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, go back to their mothers’ houses. She spells out the reason. Naomi...