Connecting the Bible and its Lands to Life
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. Every January, the urge to make new year changes tugs hard. There’s just something about flipping that calendar over that taps us on the shoulder and says: “It’s time for a change.” (Photo courtesy of Unsplash) We long to grow and develop to our full potential. With that as a goal, we love change. In […] The post New Year Changes: 3 Questions…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. God seldom gives us all we need to understand, but He always gives us what we need in order to obey. The story of Jesus in Egypt as a boy offers a great example of how to take comfort when the future seems unclear. (Photo: Giza pyramids. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands) […] The post Cairo: Jesus in Egypt & God’s Unusual…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. Roads are often built for one reason, but God uses them in our lives for another altogether. The Appian Way in Rome proved this so in the life of the Apostle Paul. I walked the road recently. (Photo: Walking the Appian Way) The Roman official Appius Claudius took the initiative to build a road in […] The post How You Walk on the Appian Way…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. Two gardens in the Bible, Eden and Gethsemane, provided the settings for two choices that brought opposite results. The Bible wildly contrasts these choices. In fact, you face them today. (Photo: The Garden of Gethsemane. Notice the city walls in the distance. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands) In the Garden of Eden, […] The…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. The best way to make sure we respond positively to the opportunities God provides us is to prepare ahead of time for them. But how do we anticipate those moments? The Lord has shown us how. (Photo: Scribe copying the Scriptures. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands) At the end of the exile, […] The post Jerusalem’s Water Gate—Where…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. Local schoolchildren ate their lunches across the olive grove from my wife and me. Like the kids, we came on a field trip to explore ancient Shiloh. Although our lunch was hardly a feast, it reminded me of the reasons the young nation of Israel initially came to this site. They came to worship at […] The post Tabernacle at Shiloh in the Bible…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. We come to the line every day. It’s a border. Fear keeps us from stepping over it. What we see feels more compelling than what God has said. Kadesh Barnea was such a place. (Photo: Kadesh Barnea. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands) Two decisions at Kadesh Barnea determined the future. Twice God’s […] The post Kadesh Barnea — How…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. All my life as I’ve studied the Bible and heard it taught, reading the odd list of Canaanite names feels like driving over potholes. I think, Why doesn’t somebody fill in those holes? Who were the Canaanites, and why should I care about them this week? (Photo: Megiddo’s Canaanite temple and sacrificial altar. Courtesy of […] The post Who Were…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. For most Christians, the book of Leviticus is as untraveled as the wilderness in which Moses wrote it. It’s not hard to understand why. I mean, who cares about sacrifices no longer needed or diet codes no longer in effect? Can they teach us anything today? In a word: plenty. (Photo courtesy of the Pictorial […] The post Offerings in…
Wayne Stiles connects the Bible and its lands to life. Christian sites in Rome offer a unique perspective for believers, standing out among the city’s famous landmarks like the Trevi Fountain, the Forum, Piazza Navona, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. I’d like to show you six of these significant Christian sites to visit, including one that isn’t even on the map. (Photo: The Arch of […] The post 6…