Biblical Studies, History, Religion
John Beeson
The Pillaging of Hezekiah

The aged prophet Isaiah showed up at the bedside of the middle-aged king. Hezekiah was only about 39 years old and terminally ill. But the prophet was not bringing good news, “Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover” (Is. 38:1).

The weak king cried out to God, “’ Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight’. And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” (Is. 38:3).

The Pillaging of Hezekiah
Church, Culture, Book Reviews
John Beeson
The Long Journey of Self-Knowledge in a Culture ...

“We are currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in US history. It is greater than the First and Second Great Awakening and every revival in our country combined...but in the opposite direction.” This is the conclusion of the largest and most comprehensive study of dechurching in America by sociologists Ryan Burge and Paul Djupe. In The Great DeChurching, pastors Jim Davis and Michael Graham unpack why and how over the past twenty-five years, forty million of those who formerly attended church no longer do so.

The Long Journey of Self-Knowledge in a Culture of Confusion
Christian Living, Prayer
John Beeson
The Air Raid Siren

Jerusalem, Israel

3:15 am, April 13

 

I sat up in bed to a wailing sound I had never heard before, but knew immediately: an air raid siren. Our building rattled to the booms of interceptors from Israel’s missile defense system hitting their inbound targets. I pulled back the curtains and watched as sprays of light streaked the sky.

 Iran launched 170 drones, 20 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s purported attack on an Iranian embassy in Syria.

The Air Raid Siren
Christian Living, Nature
John Beeson
The Ground Where Saguaros Thrive

Nothing is more iconic to the Tucson landscape than the saguaro. The emblematic cactus is to the Sonoran Desert what the palm tree is to Miami: hard to imagine without it. Saguaros typically live between one hundred and fifty to one hundred and seventy-five years, not sprouting its trademark arms until around thirty to seventy years of its life and growing to around fifty feet tall.

For those Sonoran Desert natives, we intuitively know where saguaros thrive. They love the rocky (both granite and volcanic) soil at the foothills of the five beautiful mountain ranges that surround Tucson.

The Ground Where Saguaros Thrive
Leadership, Wisdom, Vocation
John Beeson
Anger, Retaliation, and My Scion xB

I drove a little manual 2005 Scion xB for about eight years. It finally gave out after 230,000 miles. I loved that little car. It was fuel-efficient and required minimal maintenance. But it is undeniably close to the least powerful car on the road. I’m pretty sure that on its specs, next to 0-60mph, it says, “Eventually!”

Unless I was lined up against someone from a nearby retirement community, I was the last car to reach the speed limit coming off a stoplight. Unsurprisingly, more aggressive drivers with more powerful vehicles tended to treat my little Scion like a safety cone on the road, more like an obstacle than a fellow traveler.

Anger, Retaliation, and My Scion xB

Greg Lavine

,

Are Your Resolutions Slipping?

,
Are Your Resolutions Slipping?

Did you set any New Year’s resolutions for yourself this year? Perhaps you committed to a diet, to a workout plan, or to regular devotional times.

 

Are you as devoted as much now to your resolution as you were four weeks ago?

 

Perhaps you’ve dropped the ball and become frustrated with yourself. Or you decided not to even make resolutions this year because you have failed to keep them in past years. So why not just give up on making resolutions forever? Because a good and wholesome character is the outcome of consistently and healthfully formed habits. Author James Clear encourages us, “Every action you take is a vote for the kind of person you wish to become.” Educational expert Sean Covey doubles down, “We become what we repeatedly do.”

, , ,

The Best of the Bee Hive in 2023

, , ,
The Best of the Bee Hive in 2023

Writing is part of the ministry God has entrusted me with. I blog first to pastor my dear congregation New Life Bible Fellowship through the ministry of words. My hope is that the three additional touchpoints during the week allow those God has entrusted to me as an under-shepherd to grow in their love for God, their wisdom, and to foster unity. I’m grateful for the many who read who aren’t part of New Life. I pray that my writing encourages and strengthens you in your walk and in your heart for your local church.

,

The Power of Encouragement

,
The Power of Encouragement

We are called to be those marked by encouragement. So, why is encouragement so hard for us? Why do we withhold praise? For some of us, we withhold encouragement because we just get busy. I like to write encouragement notes to volunteers and co-workers at New Life, but it’s surprising how quickly the weeks (and sometimes months!) go by between when I write them.

Some of us withhold encouragement because we are too focused on ourselves. It requires a humble heart focused on others and not ourselves to offer encouragement. To the extent that we are self-focused, we will never be able to be strong encouragers.

A Living Miracle

A Living Miracle

A week and a half ago, Pastosr Greg (my Co-Lead Pastor at New Life Bible Fellowship) and his family went through a harrowing 72 hours with their eldest son, Levi. What follows is Greg’s testament to our miracle-working God. I pray it speaks hope and fills your soul with gratitude for the kind God we serve.

-John

I have experienced many of what I call “small miracles” in my life. Each was a gift from God, so I do not use the term “small” to diminish the glory of God in any way. They were extraordinary “coincidences” that could only be arranged by an all-knowing God. They were healings that followed prayer so particularly that it made all who knew smile. Funds have arrived out of nowhere just as a bill had to be paid. Jesus has calmed storms of oppression so clearly I could almost hear him say, “Peace be still.” But my soul is still awed from a miracle we witnessed last Friday.

I will back up. Levi, our firstborn, is in large measure a miracle child. He has a genetic anomaly and we almost lost him in two surgeries before he was eighteen months old. He is autistic, fights mental health battles against depression and being bipolar, and lives in a group home. Last Wednesday his staff found him around noon unconscious and unresponsive on his bedroom floor.

"Thanks for talking with me."

"Thanks for talking with me."

There is an older lady I see at the gym that has become a friendly acquaintance. She used to come in with her husband. He was in worse health than she was and nearly blind. She would walk him in, take him to the treadmill, get him situated, and go do her workout while he walked slowly on the treadmill.

She’d go back to check in on him in-between every exercise. It was a gift to watch her love him. I first spoke with them a few years ago when I introduced myself, told them how beautiful it was to watch them together, and asked how long they had been married. In total, 75 years they told me. They both celebrated 50 years with their spouses before they were widowed. Then they married and now they were coming up on 25 years themselves. Amazing!

He passed away a couple of years ago. She comes to the gym alone now. This past week a friend and I saw her doing reverse sit-ups and decided to say hello. We told her that she was making the rest of us look bad because she was so incredible. We visited for a minute or two wishing each other a wonderful Thanksgiving. As we parted, she turned to us and said, “Thanks for talking with me.”

Sign up to get The Bee Hive delivered to your inbox and receive a free 50 Books That Changed My Life (and Might Change Yours, Too) download!