Recent Posts by jen

Kingdoms at War

What happens when you bring the gospel of a NEW kingdom to a culture that already has a king? Friction, clashes, and confrontations are inevitable – all forcing people to choose sides. That’s what Paul and the early church faced as they began to spread the good news. The Kingdom of God was reclaiming territory,…
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Dust of Forbidden Speech

Dishing out negative information, even if true, is forbidden in the Jewish law of Lashon Hora. God wants us to love our neighbor and to treat everyone with dignity, even when – and especially when - it’s difficult. So we hold our tongue. But our fallen human nature tends to find a way. We become…
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Lashon Hora: Forbidden Speech

Words can hurt. They have the power to damage not just feelings and relationships but also reputations and even livelihoods. We know that slander and deceit are wrong, but what if the information is true? Lashon Hora, or forbidden speech, is that which may be true but is derogatory or negative. Rabbinic law set boundaries…
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Toviel: The Goodness of God follows me

Years ago when I picked up my pup from the pound, I pondered a variety of names for her. I considered aspirational names – what I wanted her to become, cute names, even just fun names to say. I knew I would be repeating it dozens of times each day. I finally landed on Toviel.…
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