Nov 18
2020 has been a depressing year! It has been a year we would like to forget, but surely will not be able to forget. We could never have predicted–toilet paper shortages, no March Madness, virtual schooling, church cancellations, mask wearing, election nightmares, a pandemic, and even cancelled holiday gatherings. It has been a surprising, difficult, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/can-we-be-thankful-in-2020/
Nov 11
Our Lord was sorrowful and troubled. His heart was awash with emotions and feelings. His mind was confused with different desires. The greatest of conflicts was going on within his mind–would it be God’s will or the Son’s will? A day full of activity had finally come to a close. As the clock approaches midnight, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/presence-and-prayer/
Nov 04
A few years ago, Costco redesigned the shape of its milk containers. The spout was larger and the container taller and skinnier, giving it a more cylindrical shape. They told customers the new shape allowed for easier, more efficient stocking and delivery, and was thus cost-effective. They could sell milk cheaper and with a better …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/does-the-milk-get-in-the-bowl/
Oct 28
Pressure changes outcomes. We watch live sports because it is exciting to see what will happen in the heat of the battle. When the championship is on the line the athletes feel the pressure. Some rise to the occasion and perform in exceptional ways, while others will fold. Both responses are gripping to watch and …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/responding-to-pressure/
Oct 21
Suppose you had come to Corinth, Greece for the famous Isthmian Games of 51 AD and needed a tent. You stubble upon a leather working man who makes, repairs, and sells tents. His name is Paul (Acts 18:3). You hear reports that he is a relatively well-known religious teacher. He is a trained Jewish Rabbi …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/what-type-of-tent-did-paul-make/
Sep 30
Noise! We are used to it every day; our world is chaotic and busy. In the midst of this chaos, Paul gives us an unusual command, “aspire to live quietly” (1 Thes. 4:11). Does Paul want us to quit talking so much? While that is a part of the idea, it seems the concept is …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/a-quiet-life/
Sep 16
It was a delightful spring afternoon, King David was lounging around the palace with nothing to do. Typically, he would have been with his army, because this was the time of the year when kings go out to battle, but David stayed home. His kingdom was blossoming. Everything was going so well, he could take …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/the-danger-of-idle-minds/
Sep 09
Harvest is here. Farmers are in the fields harvesting crops and will be gathering them for the next several months. One of my favorite books of the Old Testament, Ruth, is set in the context of the barley harvest. Ruth and her mother-in-law have returned back to Bethlehem, which is an agricultural area with fertile …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/responsibilities-of-harvest/
Aug 19
2020 has been a rough year, but residents of Olten, Switzerland woke to a pleasant surprise recently–chocolate particles falling from the sky and covering the landscape. While this may sound like a scene out of the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, this really happened. The Lindt chocolate factory had a cooling ventilation defect …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/chocolate-snow-flakes/
Aug 12
The prophet Hosea wrote that Israel was sowing the wind and would reap the whirlwind (Hos. 8:7). The powerful and evocative image convicts Israel of having sown what was worthless and profitless, and thus reaping the same with interest. The harvest to follow would be one of violence and destruction! When I see the current …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/reaping-the-whirlwind/
