In today’s reading in our Burning Hearts bible reading plan, we meet a John the Baptist who is, well, fiery. He’s paving the way for Jesus the Messiah to come, saying that when he comes, things will be transformed.  That’s what fire does: transforms.  It warms, it illuminates, and it destroys as it paves the way for what is new. John is fiery, but be even more on the look out for Jesus because, as he says, Jesus will baptize people in fire

A post by Rebecca DeLucia, Next Generation Pastor Since January Central Kids has been memorizing Psalm 23 and on Sunday we got to see the fruit of that labor. What struck me this week as I watched the video over again (it is just so sweet!) was the deep connection Psalm 23 has to Easter.        Psalm 23 is often used for quiet, heavy moments; hospital rooms, funerals, seasons of grief. But it was never meant to live only there because it speaks just

In today’s bible reading (Numbers 21), we come across one of the strangest stories in all of scripture, but one that – because of Jesus – holds enormous importance. It’s the story of the venomous snakes in the wilderness. In the words of Indiana Jones, "Why'd it have to be snakes?"  To make a long story short, God liberated Israel from its slavery in Egypt, Israel distrusted God and detested his provisions for them, and so they were made to wander for a long,

If you’re reading our 2026 bible reading plan right now, you know that we are currently in a bit of a tough section. In this plan, we’re not reading every chapter – but rather, selected chapters that get at important themes for understanding the bible as a whole, and more particularly, Jesus. So you might be wondering, if that’s the focus, Why Leviticus, why?!? If you’ve ever tried to read the bible all the way though, starting with Genesis, it’s usually around Leviticus that