Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

Choosing to Participate

When we hear about tithes and offerings, do we think of money, or do we think of other ways we can give to God's Kingdom work? Do we think about how our gifts will be used? How does that affect how we give, or if we give at all?
Exodus 35:1–38:20; 1 Kings 7:40-50; Ezekiel 36:16-38; Luke 21:1-4
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Choosing to Participate
Photo: Widow's Mite - Ancient Roman Bronze Coins. Photo by Royce Bair, December 4, 2009, via Flickr.
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.

Kingdom Initiative

In the Army we learned to take initiative and be decisive. Is that the way we're supposed to be in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Exodus 30:11-34:35; 1 Kings 18:1-39; 1 Samuel 15:1-35; 2 Samuel 5:17-25; Esther 2:21-23, 4:13-17; Revelation 2:18-28, 3:7-13
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Kingdom Initiative
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo: Washington Army National Guard officer candidates in training, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, July 20, 2022. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Adeline Witherspoon, via Flickr.)

National Goals in Context

We know that our Creator makes each of us uniquely, with special gifts and abilities for His purposes. What exactly are His purposes, though? And how  are we connected to His purposes as they have unfolded through the ages?
Exodus 27:20-30:10; Ezekiel 43:10-27; Proverbs 29:18; Hosea 4:6; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: National Goals in Context
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo: My Uncle Charles Wood at a ceremony honoring him and his supervisor for their work on the Space Program at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, c.1965. Left to right: Astronaut Scott Carpenter, Supervisor (name unknown), Charles Wood, Dr. Wernher von Braun. Photo used by permission of Richard Wood.

A Matter of Principles

God told us how He expects us to live, so it should be easy to figure out and obey, right? Well, it's not that easy. The Bible is full of hard things to understand. That's why we should study it and talk about it so we can learn from one another and together gain a better understanding of God's intent and how to live it.
Exodus 21:1-24:18; Jeremiah 31:31-34, 33:25-26, 34:8-22; Romans 11:28-29; 1 Corinthians 13:9-10
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Matter of Principles
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo by Ben Terret, February 14, 2013, via Flickr. 

A Dictionary for Honor

If truth is relative, then we cannot have a universal code of conduct other than the law of the jungle. If there is objective truth, then there is a standard of conduct that not only shapes our civilization, but links us to our ancestors from the beginning of time.
Exodus 18:1-20:26; Isaiah 6:1-7:5, 9:6-7; 2 Samuel 11:1-26; Matthew 6:17-37; Romans 7:7-8; Hebrews 11:40
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Dictionary for Honor
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo of dictionaries by Hiroaki Maeda, Tokyo, March 13, 2008, via Flickr. 

A Kingdom RSVP

What's the point of God calling many people when few are chosen? Is it that He's too selective, or does the choosing depend on how we respond?
Exodus 13:17-17:16; Judges 4:4-5:31; Hosea 11:1; Matthew 22:1-14
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Kingdom RSVP
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo by Julie Jordan Scott, June 19, 2014, via Flickr. 

Plowing with Vision

Yeshua told us not to look back after we have put our hands to the plow. Of course that means to be completely committed to living a godly life, but where does this godly life take us? It might be smart to have some idea where we are going so that our plowing flows in the right direction.
Exodus 10:1-13:16; Jeremiah 46:13-28; 1 Kings 20:1-43; Luke 9:57-62; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Hebrews 11:13-17
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Plowing with Vision
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo by Pat Henson, March 21, 2009, via Flickr. 

A Window for the Sparrows

All life is precious, but is some life more precious than others? Maybe it's best we leave that question up to the Creator. In the meantime, let's do our best to value the life we have from Him, and the lives He brings around us.
Exodus 1:1-6:1; Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23; Psalm 44:20-22; Matthew 10:29-31
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Window for the Sparrows
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo: Little Rosie and the Sparrow, by Hash Milhan, April 26, 2011, via Flickr.