
One String
By Brian Onken

One StringNov 12, 2022

Persistence in prayer
In teaching His disciples to pray, Jesus told a parable about persistence. But what is that persistence really all about?

Does he know God's will? (Genesis 13)
Abram walked with God. But how much did he know of God's will? Can his journey help us think well about knowing God's will?

Not a Barter System (Luke 11:4)
Turning again to the "Lord's Prayer," we read His challenging words about asking for forgiveness "for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us." Does this mean we're supposed to strike a bargain with God for forgiveness? Of course not! But what does it mean?

Did You Hear the One About . . . . the Samaritan?
Sometimes our familiarity with Jesus' teaching makes it challenging to really listen to what He is saying. Let's dip into a well-known parable and practice listening well.

More Than Thank You. (Luke 11:3)
Sometimes, because of what we think we know, we might misread a passage . . . even misread Jesus' instructions on prayer.

Maybe We Don't Know Better (Genesis 12)
When we read the "story" of someone's life in the pages of Scripture, sometimes we think we know better how they should have lived, what they should have done. But maybe that's not the best way to read a narrative.

What Are You Asking? (Luke 11:2)
Although we have learned to ask "Your Kingdom Come," could we be confusing our thoughts about the coming of the kingdom with what Jesus was teaching in this prayer?

Don't Just Say (Luke 11:1-2)
You've probably heard "The Lord's Prayer" before; maybe even repeated the words when you have prayed. But there might be more to what Jesus said than we realize!

Reading Something Familiar (Genesis 12)
We explore the challenge of reading a familiar text–the call of Abraham–with attentiveness.