Why Trees Matter Across the Religious Spectrum

Last updated on: April 19, 2025 at 5:56 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

Did you know that trees hold spiritual relevance across religious lines? Throughout the world, trees are important symbols of religious faith, inspiration, and spiritual devotion. With the upcoming observance known as Arbor Day, people worldwide stop and pause to consider the value and necessity of planting trees. Dating back to Spain in 1594, Arbor Day reminds us all that trees are an important of our ecological system. In a spiritual sense, trees teach several different values to people of various... Read more

Parables Outside of the New Testament

Last updated on: January 29, 2025 at 7:13 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

Last week, we explored the world of New Testament parables. The parables of Jesus are among the most famous stories in the Bible. Short, sweet, to-the-point, and relatively easy to understand (at least most of the time), parables are great stories that illustrate important points of faith. As an unexpected surprise, however, there are parables outside of the New Testament! the tradition pre-dates New Testament times. Likewise, there are various examples of parables – or stories like them – both... Read more

An Exciting Introduction into New Testament Parables

Last updated on: January 29, 2025 at 9:16 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

New Testament parables are among the most popular teachings of Jesus. Young and old alike laud them for their practical insights, simple language, and short, wise faith building teachings. In this column, we’re going to look at the New Testament parables: where they are from, why they’re important, and what the essential New Testament parables have to tell us about our spiritual lives. What are parables? Parables are stories, given through prose or verse, that have a few specific characteristics:... Read more

Five Facts to Help you in New Testament Bible Study

Last updated on: January 27, 2025 at 6:26 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

In our last column, we explored five facts to help in Old Testament Bible Study. Contrary to what we often think, it’s not impossible to understand the Bible. It takes some effort, but it’s not impossible. Just as we explore topics in-depth when we find them interesting, so we should dive into Bible study in the same manner. Remembering that the Bible isn’t a novel, studying Bible text in context of history and culture, and drawing on word studies (hint:... Read more

Five Facts To Help You in Old Testament Bible Study

Last updated on: January 26, 2025 at 10:04 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

Many think understanding the Bible is impossible. It’s not impossible, but it does take some effort. The Bible is not a novel, something we read cover-to-cover in a few sittings. It’s a Scriptural record, consisting of a collection of different types of writing spanning thousands of years. It wasn’t written in modern times, and in many ways, doesn’t suit modern sensibilities. Studying it – with the goal of faith and life application – doesn’t happen if we approach it improperly.... Read more

Five Bible Terms That Don’t Mean What You Think They Mean

Last updated on: January 24, 2025 at 7:21 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

Understanding the Bible is not a fly-by-night task. For one, whenever we set to read the Bible, we are reading a translation. Anyone who’s involved with language translation knows words don’t always cross cultures. It’s even more challenging when we consider the Bible was written thousands of years ago, in a language far different than our own. Bible translation is a huge task, and Bible words don’t always translate according to plan. This means Bible word studies are not just... Read more

The Antichrist: Myth, Reality, and Interpretation

Last updated on: January 22, 2025 at 6:36 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

Every generation or so, rumors and accusations alike that some major figure is the Antichrist start to circulate. Books and blogs are written, sermons are preached, theories are devised, and as quickly as these ideas surface, they fall dormant…until they rise again. Given current events in the United States, many have revived discussion on the antichrist again. As much as we speak about the antichrist, who (or what) is it? What do we know about this mysterious figure, and what... Read more

Exploring Biblical Narratives of Women Without Children

Last updated on: March 5, 2025 at 10:23 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

There’s a temptation to assume that Christian women should both be – and want to be – mothers. Our churches tend to celebrate women and motherhood at the same time. For example, sermons around women are usually reserved for Mother’s Day, Christmastime (involving Mary), and special days devoted to motherhood among a congregation. We don’t hear sermons of the powerful Deborah or Jael, we skip over the Prophetess Huldah, and stick to images of women that are culturally comfortable. Bible... Read more

Trusting God in the Meantime: Faith in the Waiting

Last updated on: February 27, 2025 at 11:43 am By Lee Ann B. Marino

Living in the “in the Meantime” I talk often to several people who are in a place classified as “in the meantime.” The majority of us spend an overwhelming amount of our spiritual walk in this place. We wait for leaders to call us back, for events to come forth, for the Lord to speak through us, for His elevation, revelation, and the fullness of manifestation. When we are in “in the meantime,” we see part of what God has... Read more

Find Comfort in Beliefs About Animals in Heaven

Last updated on: December 20, 2024 at 8:21 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

Many years ago, I remember reading a catalog book summary written by a Seventh-Day Adventist who did some research on the topic after the loss of a beloved pet. His conclusion, based on the book summary, surprised him greatly. It implied that, through some extensive Biblical study, he discovered proof that there would be animals in heaven. I never read the book (I don’t even remember the author’s name now) and I can’t say I ever did his specific research,... Read more