What happens when the leaders who present themselves to us offer false hope and peace? This past weekend at Eastbrook I delved into that question as we continued our series, "Flawed Heroes" from the book of Judges looking at the life of Abimelek in Judges 9. Abimelek, whose name means 'son of the king', is the illegitimate son of …
Lead with the Left: Ehud
We continued the "Flawed Heroes" series this past weekend at Eastbrook with a message called "Lead with the Left" on Ehud from Judges 3:12-30. This is a gripping story with gritty conflict, a touch of humor, and a sober look at the need for a savior. You can watch the message here, following along with the outline below. …
Incomplete
This past weekend at Eastbrook we began a new series, "Flawed Heroes" based on the book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. With this first message, I introduced the series, looked at chapter one, and then took a bit of time to address the question of what we do with God and violence in the Bible. …
Straying Hearts and Faithful Love
The prophet Ezekiel catches our attention by telling the story of Israel in graphic terms of adultery and prostitution. God's people are like a wife to God. He rescued her from oppressors and lovingly cared for her. Even so, she turns away again and again to other lovers. The story begins with God's gracious care …
Creating Our Own Gods
In my readings for Through the Bible 2011 this week, I came across one of the most memorable stories in the Old Testament: Aaron and the Golden Calf. Every time I read this story, I am dumbfounded by what is happening. Here is Moses, the God-ordained leader of the people, meeting with God on the …
Matthew Erickson 