In my English class, I teach my students Greek and Latin roots. My theory has always been that if students learn the roots of words, they can usually figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words on their own. Instead of memorizing hundreds of vocabulary words, they learn the building blocks of language, and suddenly their vocabulary grows with much less effort. One of those building blocks is the prefix re -. It’s a prefix that means “again” or “back.” When you know that meaning, a whole group of words suddenly becomes clear: renew, revive, refresh, rejoice, restore. The Bible is full of re- words. This small prefix appears again and again in Scripture, and the message behind it is deeply encouraging—that God is a God of restoration. He does not simply create once and then abandon what has been broken. He restores. He renews. He revives. Over and over again. Rejoice The command to rejoice appears throughout Scripture. In Philippians 4:4, Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord alwa...
In March, executive orders from governors across the country forced us to stay home, to close schools and churches and to shut down private businesses. Businesses were classified as either "essential" or "non-essential." All businesses deemed "non-essential" were forced to close. This included markets, clothing stores, boutiques, dine-in restaurants, and beauty salons. State parks, city parks, beaches, walking trails, lakes, and other wide open spaces were closed as well. Many people feel that the "social distancing," as it has come to be known, and stay at home executive orders violate their constitutional rights, such as our First Amendment right to freely exercise our religion, our right to peaceably assemble, and that we shall not be deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some of the people who feel their rights have been violated have decided to exercise their First Amendment right to protest. Some have even chosen...