There are many ways for Christian groups to gather in a cemetery setting, focusing on reflection, prayer, community, and honoring the hope of resurrection. Graveyards are peaceful, meaningful backdrops that remind us of life’s brevity and eternity. During graveyard fellowships, everyone walks through the rows, stops at graves, reads the inscriptions, and prays for the
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Despite being portrayed as simple, heartwarming stories meant to comfort and guide, the parables of Jesus hold heavy shadows, sharp warnings, and unflinching judgments. There’s something different about these darker parables because they don’t soften spiritual reality, instead they go straight into themes like rejection, violence, exclusion, final separation, and the weight of our choices
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There’s no drama like Korah’s rebellion in Numbers 16. Dathan and Abiram from Reuben, along with On and 250 prominent leaders from the congregation, team up with Korah, a Levite from the Kohath clan. They accuse Moses and Aaron of going too far, of exalting themselves above everyone else. Moses and Aaron argue that the
Korah’s Rebellion: The Bad, The Worse, and The Hungry Earth Read More »
This is Athaliah in 2 Kings 11, and her story is one of the darkest spots in the Bible. She’s so hungry for power she wipes out her own grandkids. In the northern kingdom of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel, the power couple who pushed Baal worship hard and hated God’s prophets, raised Athaliah. Jehoram, son
Athaliah slaughtering her grandchildren to seize the throne – 2 Kings: 11 Read More »
Rizpah guarding her sons’ bodies, preventing birds and beasts from eating their executed sons’ corpses for months, as told in 2 Samuel 21. A mother’s devotion is one of the most intense stories in the entire Bible in 2 Samuel 21. There’s a severe famine in Israel for three long years. King David asks God
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There’s no escaping the brutal reality of war and judgment in the Bible, and one of the darkest examples is cannibalism during sieges, especially when parents eat their own children. It’s both prophecy and actual accounts, tied to God’s warnings about what happens when people turn away from Him and face the consequences. There are
Cannibalism during sieges: Prophecies and accounts of parents eating children in judgmen Read More »
In many parts of the world, black is the color of grief, especially in Western cultures influenced by Christianity. In ancient Rome, people wore dark togas at funerals to show they were sad. It stuck around through the Middle Ages and really took hold in Europe, becoming the standard for mourning clothes. Because of its
Black is the color of mourning, and resurrection hope. Read More »
The idea of mourning with those who mourn comes straight from Romans 12:15 in the Bible, where it says to rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn. There’s something simple about this: sitting in someone’s pain rather than trying to fix it or brush it off. It’s about sharing the
Mourning with Those Who Mourn: Goth Empathy and Biblical Grief Read More »
The question “Do I love God enough?” haunts many believers, especially those drawn to the shadowy corners of faith where doubt lingers like mist in a cathedral at midnight. Self-examination whispers accusations: Does my devotion go deep enough? Does my heart burn sufficiently for the Eternal? Does my love reach the level that such infinite
Do I Love God Enough? Finding Rest in the Shadows of Divine Love Read More »
A Leviathan, a Behemoth, and a Ziz are these epic, massive creatures from Jewish mythology that represent the wild forces of the sea, land, and sky. They’re often described as primordial beasts created by God at the beginning, each ruling its own domain and displaying divine power. The Leviathan is the unstoppable sea serpent, a
Chaos Tamed: Leviathan, Behemoth, and Ziz Await the Final Feast Read More »
