This week was shorter than usual as we prepared for our trip to Seattle to celebrate our niece’s graduation. The anxiety I felt likely stemmed from a desire to tie up all the loose ends before we left.

From recording Sunday’s devotional video, to checking off final tasks before our Thursday departure, to doing everything I could to prepare Josh for a week of “bachelor life”—it all added up to a feeling of busyness.

At one point, I even considered shifting my Sabbath to later in the week. But in the end, I chose to keep my usual rhythm, trusting God to lead, provide, and bring peace in the midst of the rush.

Everything Fell Into Place.

Despite the short week, everything came together smoothly. I was able to record the devotional in one take, pick up omiyage for our trip, and complete most of the tasks I had hoped to finish before leaving.

As a bonus, we even ran into Colleen Leopoldino—our Story Teller last Sunday—at the airport. It was a gift to briefly connect with her, thank her for sharing, and encourage her before Sunday.

Another Inspiration — Introducing: Context, Issues, Questions (CIQ)

As many of you know, I’ve been “green lettering” the Gospels—highlighting everything Jesus did—and “orange lettering” the Book of Acts—highlighting everything the apostles did. What’s emerged is a realization that much of the New Testament reads like a Q&A dialogue with Jesus, the disciples, Paul, and among the early church. The gospel writers and apostles like Paul, John, and Peter were often responding to specific issues and questions raised by those following Jesus.

This perspective has been transformative for me.

It’s led to a new research project I’m calling CIQ—short for Context, Issues, and Questions (pronounced “seek”). The idea is this: if we can better understand the historical and cultural context in which Paul wrote his letters, along with the specific issues and questions the early church was facing, we can draw meaningful parallels to the challenges facing the modern church. Through this, we can gain deeper insight into how God inspired Paul to guide the Church.  Theologian scholars call this hermeneutics.  I like to think of it as a practitioner’s approach to theology!

Stay tuned—once we wrap up the Green Lettering Project on the Book of Mark, we’ll dive into the CIQ Project starting with 1 Corinthians, Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.