Letters From Home

Moses had three lives. One ended at forty. The next ended at eighty. The third was about to start in a wilderness he had stopped expecting anything from.In this letter- The traditional Mosaic authorship of the Torah- Moses the prince of Egypt — the basket in the reeds, Pharaoh's house- The killing of the Egyptian and the flight to Midian- Moses the fugitive — forty years tending Jethro's sheep, married, settled, done- Numbers 12:3 — Moses as anav, the humblest man on earth- Why God called the eighty-year-old, not the forty-year-oldScripture- Exodus 2 (referenced)- Numbers 12:3- Acts 7:23-29 (Stephen's retelling, referenced)Coming tomorrow | The Story. The encounter at the bush, slow.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhomeJoin us at https://hanksbiblestudy.com for more resources to help strengthen your faith.

A fugitive shepherd on the back of the desert. A bush that burns and is not consumed. A voice that says his name twice. The day Moses's real life began.In this letter- Setting the scene — Moses at eighty, tending Jethro's flock in Midian- A slow read of Exodus 3:1-8 (NKJV)- The bush — seneh, the scraggly bramble- Why God put the strange thing in Moses's path and then waited- The doubled name as summons (Abraham, Samuel, Saul)- Here I am — Moses's one-word answer- Sandals off, holy groundScripture- Exodus 3:1-8Coming tomorrow | The Sender. The man with three lives.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhomeJoin us at https://hanksbiblestudy.com for more resources to help strengthen your faith.

The compassion of the father in Luke 15 is not polite. It is gut-level. Visceral. Bowels-deep. One Greek word changes how you read the whole chapter. Today we hear the whole letter.In this letter- The opening claim — Luke 15 is one chapter, three parables, one answer- The party as the point of all three parables- The Greek splanchnizomai (G4697) — gut-level compassion- Where else this word shows up in the Gospels — Jesus and the crowds, the widow of Nain, the good Samaritan- The father runs — and what running meant in the ancient world- The older brother — the second lost son- Why the chapter ends without resolution- A direct word for the prodigal, the older brother, and the one who does not yet know the FatherScripture- Luke 15 (full)- Matthew 9:36, Luke 7:13, Luke 10:33 (other uses of splanchnizomai)Greek word studies- splanchnizomai (σπλαγχνίζομαι, Strong's G4697) — to be moved in the bowels, gut-level compassion- diaskorpizō (διασκορπίζω, G1287) — carried from WednesdayNext week's letter | Exodus 3 — The Bush That Wouldn't Burn Up.> That's this week's letter. We'll see you Monday with another.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

The parable does not end at the party. There is a second son. He stayed. He worked. He kept the rules. And he is also lost. Most of us are him.In this letter- The older brother's complaint, line by line- This son of yours — the language of disowning- The father's three sentences in response — Son, you are always with me. All that I have is yours. He is your brother.- The two ways to be lost — by leaving, and by staying- Why Jesus stops the story mid-conversation- The Pharisees as the older brother- The church person as the older brotherScripture- Luke 15:25-32The question to sit withAre you in the far country, hoping to come home? Or are you in the field, resenting the grace given to people who did not work for it?Coming tomorrow | The Whole Letter. The Greek word that carries the chapter.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

A son who effectively wished his father dead. A father who ran through the village to embrace him. A homecoming you've heard a hundred times — slowed down so you can see what the original hearers saw.In this letter- Why asking for the inheritance early was unthinkable in the ancient Near East- The Greek diaskorpizō (G1287) — to scatter, squander- The pigs and what they meant to a Jewish hearer- Coming to himself — the turning point in the pig pen- The rehearsed speech- The father watching, seeing, having compassion, running, kissing- Splanchnizomai (G4697) — the gut-level compassion- Why dignified men did not run, and why the father ran anyway- The robe, the ring, the sandals, the fatted calf — what each one meant culturallyScripture- Luke 15:11-24Greek word studies- diaskorpizō (διασκορπίζω, Strong's G1287) — to scatter, squander, throw in every direction. What a farmer does with seed, what the prodigal does with his inheritance.- splanchnizomai (σπλαγχνίζομαι, Strong's G4697) — to be moved in the bowels. Gut-level, body-deep compassion. The deepest physical word for compassion in the New Testament.Coming tomorrow | The Address. The other son. The brother who stayed.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Luke was a doctor. A Greek. The only Gentile writer in the New Testament, and the only Gospel writer who gives us the full trilogy of lost-and-found parables.In this letter- Luke the man — physician, Gentile, companion of Paul (Col 4:14, 2 Tim 4:11, Phlm 24)- The literary care of Luke's Gospel — preface, eyewitnesses, an orderly account- Theophilus and Luke's intended audience- Luke's particular concerns — outsiders, the poor, women, Samaritans, tax collectors- Why all three parables only exist together in Luke- The setting of Luke 15 — Jesus at the table with tax collectors and sinnersScripture- Colossians 4:14- 2 Timothy 4:11- Philemon 24- Luke 1:1-4- Luke 15:1-3Coming tomorrow | The Story. The third parable, slow.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

The most famous chapter Jesus ever told in story form. But not one parable — three. The lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. Told together, escalating, in answer to one accusation.In this letter- The setup — Luke 15:1-2 and the Pharisees' complaint- Why sharing a table meant family in the ancient world- A slow read of all three parables (lost sheep, lost coin, opening of the lost son)- The shared shape — lost, sought, found, celebrated- The escalation in math — 1 of 100, 1 of 10, 1 of 2- Why Jesus answered an accusation with stories instead of argumentsScripture- Luke 15:1-13Coming tomorrow | The Sender. Luke the Gentile physician, the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

One Hebrew verb at the end of Psalm 23 changes everything. Goodness and lovingkindness do not follow you. They pursue you. Today we hear the whole letter.In this letter- The opening claim — Psalm 23 is about life, not death- The three movements of the psalm — pastoral, valley, banquet- Nephesh (the deep word for soul) and what restoration means- Tsalmaveth and walking through the valley, not around it- The banquet imagery in verses 5 and 6 — a guest at the table while the enemies watch- The Hebrew word chesed — the covenant lovingkindness of God- The verb radaph — and why goodness and mercy follow you is mistranslated as too gentle- The shepherd who leads from the front and pursues from behind- A direct word for the pursued, the third-person prayer-er, and the one who does not yet know the voiceScripture- Psalm 23 (full)- John 10:11 (referenced)Hebrew word studies- chesed (חֶסֶד, Strong's H2617) — steadfast lovingkindness, covenant love, loyal kindness. The word that runs through the whole Old Testament for God's relationship to His people.- radaph (רָדַף, Strong's H7291) — to pursue, to chase, to hunt down. What an army does to a retreating enemy. What a hunter does to game. The verb mistranslated as follow.- nephesh (נֶפֶשׁ, Strong's H5315) — soul, life, self, the whole inner person. What the shepherd restores.- tsalmaveth (צַלְמָוֶת, H6757) — the valley of deep darkness (carried from Thursday).- ra'ah (רָעָה, H7462) — to shepherd (carried from Tuesday).Next week's letter | Luke 15 — The Long Way Home (the prodigal son).> That's this week's letter. We'll see you Monday with another.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Most of us do not want to be sheep. But the psalm calls us one anyway. And the valley is where the language has to change.In this letter- Why our culture does not bless dependence — and why Psalm 23 cuts against that- The structural hinge of the psalm in verse 4- The Hebrew tsalmaveth — the valley of deep darkness, the place where you cannot see- Why the third person becomes the second person in the valley- The honest question — where are you still talking about God when you should be talking to Him?- A pastoral word for the diagnosis, the phone call, the grief, the marriage that is breakingScripture- Psalm 23:1-4Hebrew word studies- tsalmaveth (צַלְמָוֶת, Strong's H6757) — shadow of death, deep darkness. The compound of tsel (shadow) and mavet (death). The place where you cannot see, where the road may not continue.The question to sit withWhere in your life are you still in the third person? Where are you talking about God when you should be talking to Him?Coming tomorrow | The Whole Letter. The Hebrew verb that changes how you read all six verses.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

The future king of Israel killed lions with a stick. The story David told Saul before fighting Goliath is the back-story of Psalm 23, and the New Testament picks the same metaphor up in the mouth of Jesus.In this letter- 1 Samuel 17:32-37 — David's conversation with Saul before fighting Goliath- The story of the lion and the bear, told plainly- Why the shepherd metaphor in the Hebrew Bible is bloody, not sentimental- A boy with a stick, running after a lion that has a lamb in its mouth- John 10:11 — Jesus picks up the same metaphor and adds the cost- What it means that the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep- The sheep's job, and why we resist itScripture- 1 Samuel 17:32-37- Psalm 23:1- John 10:11-18- Ezekiel 34 (referenced)Coming tomorrow | The Address. The valley where the language has to change.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

David spent his youth in the hills of Bethlehem with sheep. He knew what shepherds did. By the time he wrote Psalm 23, he had been both ends of the metaphor.In this letter- The Psalter and how it works — Tehillim, the book of praises- 1 Samuel 16 — Samuel comes to Jesse's house and the youngest is keeping the sheep- David the shepherd before David the king- Why kings did not write like this in the ancient world- The Hebrew verb ra'ah and what shepherding actually meant as a jobScripture- 1 Samuel 16:1-13- Psalm 23:1- Psalm 100:3 (referenced)Hebrew word studies- ra'ah (רָעָה, Strong's H7462) — to pasture, tend, feed, lead, keep watch over. The verb behind the noun shepherd. The word from David's own working life.Coming tomorrow | The Story. The story David told Saul before he fought a giant.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

The most quoted psalm in the Bible. Most of us only know it from funerals. Today we put Psalm 23 on the table and read it slow. The shock is in who is doing all the work.In this letter- A slow read of Psalm 23 (NKJV)- Why this is not a psalm about death — it's a psalm about life- The verbs of the psalm and who is doing all the work- The structural hinge in verse 4 where the third person becomes the second person- The frame for Week 4Scripture- Psalm 23Coming tomorrow | The Sender. A shepherd boy who became a king, and never stopped seeing himself as a sheep.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Lekh lekha appears only twice in the entire Hebrew Bible. Both times God speaks it to Abraham. The first time He asks him to leave his father. The second time He asks him to give up his son. Today we hear the whole letter.In this letter- The opening claim — God's first covenantal imperative is go- Lekh lekha and what the doubled Hebrew phrase actually means- The man before the call — the pagan in Haran- The triple separation and the five I wills- The universal scope — Paul's reading in Galatians 3 as the gospel preached to Abraham in advance- The going — Abram at seventy-five, the altars, the journey south- The Friday reveal — Genesis 22:2, the second lekh lekha, and the same hidden-destination pattern- Lekh lekha as the phrase reserved for the moments God asks everything- The Terah path, and the call to refuse it- A direct word for the stalled, the afraid, and the one who does not yet know the voiceScripture- Genesis 12:1-9- Genesis 22:2 (the second lekh lekha)- Galatians 3:6-9 (referenced)- Genesis 11:31 (Terah)Hebrew word studies- lekh lekha (לֶךְ-לְךָ, Strong's H3212) — go for yourself. The doubled imperative God uses only twice in the Hebrew Bible, both times to Abraham, both times asking for total surrender. The phrase reserved for the moments He asks everything.- barak (בָּרַךְ, H1288) — to bless (carried from Wednesday)- mishpachot (מִשְׁפָּחֹת, H4940) — families, clans (carried from Wednesday)Next week's letter | Psalm 23 — The Shepherd.> That's this week's letter. We'll see you Monday with another.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

God's first imperative in the covenant story is go. So why is most of our life shaped by stay? Today we look at the triple separation in modern life, and the father in Genesis 11 who started a journey and stopped halfway.In this letter- The triple separation read internally — country (the values of the culture), family (inherited loyalties), father's house (the deepest stuff our parents handed us)- Three questions lekh lekha keeps asking us today- The Terah problem — Genesis 11:31, the father who started and quit- Why a stalled faith can look like real faith for a long time- The honest question — what is keeping you halfway?- The pastoral note — lekh lekha is invitation, not punishmentScripture- Genesis 12:1- Genesis 11:31 (Terah's unfinished journey)The question to sit withWhat is keeping you halfway between where you started and where God called you?Coming tomorrow | The Whole Letter. The full message, the Hebrew word, and one thing about lekh lekha that changes how you hear the whole call.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Two Hebrew words started everything. Go. For yourself. Go. Today we walk through the call itself — the Hebrew, the structure, the going.In this letter- The Hebrew phrase lekh lekha and what the doubling actually means- The triple separation — country, family, father's house — three concentric circles moving inward- The five I wills and the global scope of the promise- Abram at seventy-five, the obedience, the journey to Shechem- The Canaanites already in the land- The altars at Shechem and Bethel — markers on the roadScripture- Genesis 12:1-9Hebrew word studies- lekh lekha (לֶךְ-לְךָ, Strong's H3212) — go for yourself. The doubled imperative carrying intensity and personal address. The going is for Abram, not against him.- barak (בָּרַךְ, Strong's H1288) — to bless, to kneel. A posture of favor, a downward movement of grace.- mishpachot (מִשְׁפָּחֹת, Strong's H4940) — families, clans. Every people group, every family unit, everywhere.Coming tomorrow | The Address. Where lekh lekha rubs against modern life, and the question Terah keeps asking.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

God's first covenant call wasn't to a religious man. Abram was a pagan from a family of pagans. His father started a journey to Canaan and stopped halfway. Most of us are that father, not Abram.In this letter- Joshua 24:2 — the verse most people have never heard preached, that names Terah as a worshipper of other gods- The cultural context of Ur and Haran — moon-god cult, Mesopotamian paganism- Genesis 11:31 — Terah's unfinished journey to Canaan, the stop in Haran- Acts 7:2-3 — Stephen's retelling and the call that may have started in Ur- The universal scope of the promise — all the families of the earth- Why Abram's obedience was a rescue, not a religious deepeningScripture- Joshua 24:2- Genesis 11:31- Acts 7:2-3- Genesis 12:1-3Coming tomorrow | The Story. The Hebrew phrase that started everything.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

The first time in the Bible God says go. The man is old, settled, and has never heard this voice before. And the voice says go.In this letter- The canonical context — how Genesis 1-11 (universal) sets up Genesis 12 (particular)- A slow read of Genesis 12:1-9 (NKJV)- The structure of God's speech — three commands, five promises, one universal scope- Why the destination is hidden — to a land that I will show you- The pattern: faith begins with go, not with here is where you will end upScripture- Genesis 12:1-9- Genesis 1-11 (referenced as primeval history)Coming tomorrow | The Sender. Who Abram was before the call, and the father who quit halfway.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

One Greek word in Matthew 5 changes the entire passage. Today we put the whole sermon together, find out what blessed actually means, and discover who the kingdom already belongs to.In this letter- Makarios and what it actually means — fully alive, not fortunate- A walk-through of all eight Beatitudes with Greek behind the key ones- The vertical-horizontal structure of the list (posture toward God, then others)- The bookend phrase theirs is the kingdom of heaven that wraps the whole passage- Jesus's shift from blessed are they to blessed are you in verses 11-12- The connection back to Hebrews 11 and the family of faith- A direct word for the empty-handed, the rule-keepers, and the persecutedScripture- Matthew 5:1-12- Matthew 5:11-12 (the personal blessing)- Hebrews 11 (referenced)- Hebrews 12:1 (referenced)Greek word studies- makarios (μακάριος, Strong's G3107) — fully alive, in a state of deep well-being. The Greek word the gods were called.- ptōchós (πτωχός, G4434) — the empty-handed beggar (carried from Wednesday)- praÿs (πραΰς, G4239) — strength under restraint (carried from Thursday)- dikaiosúnē (δικαιοσύνη, G1343) — righteousness, things put back in order- eleḗmōn (ἐλεήμων, G1655) — active mercy-giver- katharós (καθαρός, G2513) — clean, unmixed, single-minded- eirēnopoiós (εἰρηνοποιός, G1518) — active maker of peaceNext week's letter | Genesis 12 — Go. The call of Abram, and the first journey in the Bible.> That's this week's letter. We'll see you Monday with another.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Our culture does not bless a single thing in Jesus's list. Today we sit with the question Matthew 5 keeps asking, and we are honest about the answer.In this letter- The cultural mismatch between Beatitude values and what we actually celebrate- Praÿs — what meekness actually means in Greek (strength under restraint, the trained warhorse)- Mourning as posture of the blessed, not a problem to be solved- The honest question to sit with — which of the eight characterizes your life?- Why the Beatitudes are a door, not a wall- A direct word for anyone who does not find themselves in the listScripture- Matthew 5:3-12Greek word studies- praÿs (πραΰς, Strong's G4239) — meek, gentle. Power under restraint. A trained warhorse, not a weak one.The question to sit withWhich of the eight characterizes your life? Not which one would you like to. Which one does.Coming tomorrow | The Whole Letter. The Greek word that changes everything.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

A rich young ruler came running. He knelt in the dirt. He had done everything right, and he still felt like something was missing. What Jesus said next broke him open.In this letter- The story of the rich young ruler from Matthew 19:16-22- Why he came running, and what he was actually asking- Jesus's two moves — pushing back on good, then exposing what the man could not put down- Why this story is Matthew 5:3 in reverse — a portrait of a man with hands too full to receive the kingdom- The disciples' question and Jesus's answer — with God all things are possible- An invitation for anyone who has ever felt like the rich young rulerScripture- Matthew 19:16-22- Matthew 19:23-26- Matthew 5:3Greek word studies- ptōchós (πτωχός, Strong's G4434) — beggar, crushed by poverty, bent over, empty-handed. The word Jesus uses in Matthew 5:3 for the spiritually empty-handed.Coming tomorrow | The Address. Where Matthew 5 rubs against modern life.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Matthew was a tax collector at Capernaum. The most hated kind of man in his town. Then Jesus walked past his booth one day and said two words. Follow Me. He got up and went.In this letter- Matthew the man — tax collector, called in two verses (Matthew 9:9)- Why Matthew's Gospel exists, and who he was writing to- The five-block teaching structure of Matthew and the Pentateuch echo- Sinai underneath Galilee — Jesus as the new lawgiver- Why Jesus opens His public teaching ministry with blessing, not commandment- The moment in Jesus's ministry when these words are spokenScripture- Matthew 4:23-25- Matthew 5:1-2- Matthew 9:9 (Matthew's call)- Exodus 19-20 (Sinai parallel)- John 1:17Coming tomorrow | The Story. A young man kneels in the dirt and asks Jesus what good thing to do.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

The most famous sermon ever preached. And most of us have never sat with it. Today we put Matthew 5 on the table and read it slow. The shock is in who Jesus calls blessed.In this letter- The setting — Jesus on a mountain, crowds from five regions, the disciples gathered close- Why the mountain matters — Matthew's intentional echo of Moses on Sinai- A slow read of Matthew 5:1-12 (NKJV)- Why the Beatitudes are shocking — Jesus blesses the people the world doesn't bless- The frame for Week 2 connecting back to Hebrews 11Scripture- Matthew 4:23-25 (the crowds gather)- Matthew 5:1-12Coming tomorrow | The Sender. Matthew the tax collector, and the new Moses on a new mountain.> There'll be more mail tomorrow.Join me at hanksbiblestudy.com for more bible studies, devotionals, and resources to help strengthen your faith.Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Letter 005 — The Whole Letter: Hypostasis and the Cloud of Witnesses (Hebrews 11 + 12:1)One word in Hebrews 11:1 changes the entire chapter. Today we put the whole letter together, and find out what faith actually is — and what it isn't.In this letterThe Greek word hypóstasis and what it really means — foundation, not feelingWhy this changes how you read Hebrews 11 and how you walk through whatever you are walking throughThe full roll call of the faithful from Abel to the prophetsHebrews 11:13-16 — the prepared city, and the verb that gives it awayHebrews 11:39-40 — they did not receive the promise, because God was waiting for usHebrews 12:1 — the cloud of witnesses, the race set before youA direct word for the listener carrying something hardScriptureHebrews 11:1Hebrews 11:13-16Hebrews 11:39-40Hebrews 12:1Greek word studieshypóstasis (ὑπόστασις, Strong's G5287) — that which stands under. Foundation. The ground that holds your weight while you walk on it.parepídēmoi (παρεπίδημοι, Strong's G3927) — sojourners, pilgrims, resident aliens. (Carried forward from Wednesday.)Next week's letter | Matthew 5:1-12 — Blessed Are.That's this week's letter. We'll see you Monday with another.Letters from Home is a daily Bible teaching podcast with host Hank Garner.Mail for people still on the road. New letters every weekday.Subscribe wherever you listen.Website: https://hanksbiblestudy.com/Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

If we are pilgrims, why doesn't most of our life look like that? Today we let the chapter ask the question it has been building toward, and we sit with the answer.In this letterThe honest tension between pilgrim identity and settled American lifeHebrews 11:35-38 — the family who were tortured, mocked, scourged, sawn in two, who wandered in cavesWhy faith does not promise comfort, and what it promises insteadHebrews 11:15 — the road home is always open, and that is the dangerThe ache as gift, not as enemyScriptureHebrews 11:15Hebrews 11:35-38Hebrews 11:39The question to sit withWhat in your life has become a permanent address, when it should be a tent?Coming tomorrow | The Whole Letter. The full message, distilled.There'll be more mail tomorrow.https://hanksbiblestudy.com/Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Letter 003 — The Story: He Went, Not Knowing Where (Hebrews 11 + Genesis 12)Abram was seventy-five. Settled. Comfortable. The big decisions were behind him. Then God spoke, and the world he had known was over.In this letterAbram's life in Haran — the half-finished road his father startedA close read of Genesis 12:1 — what is in the command, and what is notHebrews 11:8 — he went out, not knowing where he was goingWhy Abraham never really arrived — and why that mattersThe pattern of faith — leaving without a mapScriptureGenesis 12:1-9Hebrews 11:8-10Hebrews 11:131 Peter 2:11Greek word studiesparepídēmos (παρεπίδημος, Strong's G3927) — sojourner, resident alien, pilgrim. The word Hebrews 11:13 uses for the whole family of faith, picked up again by Peter for the scattered church.Coming tomorrow | The Address. Where this letter rubs against modern life.There'll be more mail tomorrow.https://hanksbiblestudy.com/Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Letter 002 — The Sender: Who Wrote Hebrews? (Hebrews 11)The letter has no signature. Two thousand years of careful readers, and we still don't know who held the pen. But we know exactly who held the paper, and what they were about to do.In this letterThe honest case for and against Pauline authorship — the Greek, the structure, and the Hebrews 2:3 problemThe historic candidates (Apollos, Barnabas, Priscilla and Aquila, Luke), and why we may never knowThe original audience — Jewish believers in the late first century, tired and tempted to return to the synagogueThe pastoral situation behind the chapter and why the writer gives his readers a family albumScriptureHebrews 1:1-2Hebrews 2:3Galatians 1:11-12 (Paul's contrast)Coming tomorrow | The Story. A man named Abram, who left home at seventy-five and didn't know where he was going.There'll be more mail tomorrow.https://hanksbiblestudy.com/Support Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome

Episode title | Letter 001 — The Envelope: The Cloud of Witnesses (Hebrews 11)The week opens with a chapter you may think you know, and a question you may not have asked. Today we put Hebrews 11 on the table and read it slow. No commentary. Just the letter.In this letterA slow read of Hebrews 11:1-2, 13-16, and 35-40 (NKJV)The frame for the whole week — Hebrews 11 is not just the faith chapter. It is the chapter that names who we are.Why Letters from Home is starting Season One with this passage.ScriptureHebrews 11:1-2Hebrews 11:13-16Hebrews 11:35-40Coming tomorrow | The Sender. Who wrote Hebrews, and why?There'll be more mail tomorrow.https://hanksbiblestudy.comSupport Letters From Home at https://buymeacoffee.com/lettersfromhome