1 Timothy 3:2: What kind of person can be a bishop?

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An early Christian leader, whose name might have been Timothy, had questions, and some of his questions must have been about bishops, because this is part of the answer he received:

“Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. ” — 1 Timothy 3:2-3

If you’re like me, this inspires the further question: Wait, did churches really need to be told not to elect a bunch of drunk inhospitable quarrelsome bishops? This seems kind of obvious, really. I mean, it’s not like the Council of Nicea had even happened yet.

If you’re like a certain number of translators, though, you might think of a different follow-up question: How can we translate this verse to make sure it only applies to men?

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Romans 16:1: One of these things may or may not be like the others

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So, what do we know about Phoebe? First, we know that she was really great.  Second, we know that she was a deacon.

What does this mean?

In English, diakonos is usually translated with words like servant, helper, minister, and, yes, deacon. Which of these words should be used to refer to Phoebe? We know that she was trustworthy, that she did something for the church in Cenchreae, and that she was really helpful. What word best expresses that?

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Genesis 37:3 - How much did Jacob love his daughters?

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Jacob, aka Israel, is famous for having sons. Like, really famous. So famous that Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote a song about it, although he also wrote a whole musical about cats, so Jacob probably shouldn’t let it go to his head.

The most famous of Jacob’s famous sons is Joseph, and this is how he is introduced: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children…” Genesis 37:3a, NRSVUE.

Just how dysfunctional was this family, anyway?

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Free Verse Art Coloring Page: 1 John 4:20b

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colored verse art: If you don't love your sibling, whom you have seen, how can you love God, whom you have not seen? 1 John 4:20b

Colored with colored pencils, in shades of red, because of course.

Back when I did introduced The Chart with the series about 1 John 4:20, Erin surprised me with verse art.

Now we are sharing it with everyone, because we can. You, too, can color in your very own version of Erin’s very own verse art using my very own translation of this verse!

Download Verse Art (PDF)

This coloring page is free for personal and (non-profit) congregational use, as long as you give us credit.