BY JESSICA THOMPSON

God’s children spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Imagine the hopelessness. Imagine the frustration. Imagine the seeds of distrust that were blooming into outright trees of anger and pain. “He brought us out of Egypt for this?” Some of us don’t need to imagine this anger, this pain, this sense that maybe God has forgotten or betrayed you.

Paul roots the Christian’s death to the law in baptism and makes a scandalous claim that the law arouses sin in people. What does it mean to be released from the written code of the law and to obey in spirit? How does the law increase sin? What does it mean that sin uses the law to deceive us? Is Romans 7 talking about pre or post conversion? Daniel and Erick discuss all of this.

BY BONNIE PETROSCHUK

I am a time traveler now. It all started this past Christmas. My son gave my husband and me DNA kits, and the instructions suggested that, in preparation, you should begin building your family tree while awaiting the results. So, I did. Now, I am...I don't want to say obsessed, but...okay, let's just call it what it is...I'm obsessed.

BY BRANDON HANSON

Appealing to our religion to push our political and social sensibilities is not what Jesus died for. And when we make it about that, it becomes more exclusive than the very inclusive Gospel. It sets up dividing lines that God never put there; boundaries that He sent His Son to break, walls that were torn down in the death of Christ.

Moses recounts the people’s refusal to trust God when the report comes back from the promised land. A crazy accusation is made against God. Moses reminds the people how God has acted as a Father to them and carried them along. Why do we refuse to trust the promises of God? Why are we so forgetful of His faithfulness? Is it a good thing when God gives people what they want? Chad and Daniel discuss all of this.

BY MATT JOHNSON

Think about it. God’s grace can quickly become theoretical and it plays out in our churchy practices and attitudes all the time. What if a homeless drunk began showing up to church services, but he’s really slow to change? He will need a lot of grace in order to live the sanctified life.