Center for Creative Ministry

01/08/2026

Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

For use: January 4 – 10, 2026
Texts: Philippians 1:1-18; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Jeremiah 17:9; Colossians 1:1-12; 1 Peter 1:4; Psalms 119:105; Isaiah 30:21

Our number of Sharing Scripture readers has been declining steadily over recent years. Since it was a “free” resource to readers over the past 7 years, supported by sales of other resources, it was easy to think it didn’t cost anything to create it weekly. For the past three years we have asked for support and received precious little. So we’re left with making a stewardship-smart decision.

Today is our last weekly Sharing Scripture, and we are transitioning from a weekly newsletter release to monthly.

Paul Richardson | Executive Director

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The National Institutes of Health, using scientific analyses, assessed the value ofOne of their main topics of interest was the effectiveness of intercessory prayer. Researchers conducted a triple-blind study of infertile women in South Korea who underwent invitro fertilization treatments. These women—and their health providers—didn’t know that prayer groups in the United States, Canada and Australia prayed for some of them. Researchers discovered that the subjects who received prayer support experienced “nearly twice as high a pregnancy rate as those who had not been prayed for.” prayer, especially as it relates to health and well-being.

Curiously, though, another group of researchers found that intercessory prayer did not benefit patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery. In fact, some who knew they were subjects of prayer experienced worse post-surgery complications. These researchers concluded that intercessory prayer offers no benefits.

People of faith can look at these results and conclude that there is another element to the effectiveness of intercessory prayer that science cannot evaluate: the will of God. Prayer is neither a magic incantation, nor a scientific formula to achieve desired results. It’s a natural communication between the divine, all-powerful Creator and the created beings that God loves supremely.

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture and to access its thought-provoking reflection prompts, please visit:

Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer For use: January 4 – 10, 2026 Texts: Philippians 1:1-18; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Jeremiah 17:9; Colossians 1:1-12; 1 Peter 1:4; Psalms 119:105; Isaiah 30:21 The disciplines of faith and science rarely intersect, but one area that intersects both is the power and e...

12/31/2025

Persecuted but Not Forsaken

For use: December 28, 2025 – January 3, 2026
Texts: Ephesians 3:1; 2 Corinthians 4:7–12; Acts 9:16; Philemon 15, 16; Colossians 1:1, 2; Colossians 4:9; Philippians 1:1–3

173 years ago this week, American teenager Emma Snodgrass–media-dubbed “eccentric female” and “wanderer in man’s apparel”–found herself detained in Boston for the crime of appropriating men’s clothing: a frock coat, cap and pair of trousers.

80 years later in 1938, Helen Hulick appeared in court to testify against two men who burglarized her home, but the slacks she wore in trial disturbed the judge who then decided to hold Hulick in contempt of court–even though in 1923 the U.S. Attorney General granted women permission for public pant-wearing.

No matter the personal beliefs each one of us has regarding pant-clad women, we can admire the spirit of those who relentlessly pushed for equal opportunities and fair treatment. Despite threats of violence and imprisonment, women’s rights activists continued advocating for a better, fairer future.

In a similar way, Paul and the apostles faced hostility for refusing to conform to others' expectations. They were repeatedly arrested, threatened, beaten, and driven out of cities simply because they preached Christ, Whose gospel message challenged the power structures and belief systems of their day.

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture and to access its thought-provoking reflection prompts, please visit:

Persecuted but Not Forsaken For use: December 28, 2025 – January 3, 2026 Texts: Ephesians 3:1; 2 Corinthians 4:7–12; Acts 9:16; Philemon 15, 16; Colossians 1:1, 2; Colossians 4:9; Philippians 1:1–3 Can you imagine kicking off the start of the new year, not surrounded with family and friends, b...

12/23/2025

Choose This Day!

For use: December 21 – 27, 2025
Texts: Joshua 24; Genesis 12:7; Deuteronomy 17:19; Deuteronomy 5:6; 1 Kings 11:2, 4, 9; 2 Timothy 4:7-8

After 80 years of relative peace, Germany finds itself confronted with two alarming realities: as the United States pulls out of its NATO commitments to defend Europe, Russia becomes increasingly aggressive. Germany now must rearm and rebuild its military to face this Russian belligerence. The question for Germans is, what will a remilitarized Germany look like?

Germans, as a nation, wrestle with a choice: Will a newly militarized Germany revert to the evil ways of the past? Or will they remember the lessons of history and avoid a repeat of that pattern?

After all, “Those who cannot remember the past,” stated philosopher George Santayana, “are condemned to repeat it.”

Ellen White expressed a spiritual version of Santayana’s statement: “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us and His teaching in our past history.” (3SM p.162)

Joshua may have had the same sentiment in mind when he gave his final address to the Israelites. “Choose you today,” he challenged the nation, “who you are going to serve.” (Joshua 24:14-15)

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture and to access its thought-provoking reflection prompts, please visit:

Choose This Day! For use: December 21 – 27, 2025 Texts: Joshua 24; Genesis 12:7; Deuteronomy 17:19; Deuteronomy 5:6; 1 Kings 11:2, 4, 9; 2 Timothy 4:7-8 After 80 years of relative peace, Germany finds itself confronted with two alarming realities: as the United States pulls out of its NATO commitm...

12/19/2025

God is Faithful!

For use: December 14 – 20, 2025
Texts: Joshua 21:43–45; Joshua 23; 2 Timothy 2:11–13; Revelation 14:10, 19; Deuteronomy 6:5

“Everyone who’s inside the faith has to go to the world and preach the gospel. I can’t simply convert and stay silent, you know?”

Daddy Yankee, considered one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all-time, recently returned from retirement and charted #1 in the Latin Airplay Chart once again with the Christian single “Sonríele.”

“This isn’t simply making Christian music,” Yankee explained to Billboard’s Leila Cobo. “The challenge is to make the Kingdom part of pop culture."

But in a music scene where his friends rap about worldly and carnal desires, can he remain faithful to his mission, or will the boundaries blur over time?

Joshua was worried that Israel, finally resting in the Promised Land, would fall into complacency and neglect routing out its remaining pagan neighbors–maybe even intermarry with them. With time, such alliances would begin blurring faith ideologies and lead to Israel’s spiritual collapse.

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture and to access its reflection prompts, please visit:

God is Faithful! For use: December 14 – 20, 2025 Texts: Joshua 21:43–45; Joshua 23; 2 Timothy 2:11–13; Revelation 14:10, 19; Deuteronomy 6:5 “Everyone who’s inside the faith has to go to the world and preach the gospel. I can’t simply convert and stay silent, you know?” The “King of ...

12/12/2025

Living in the Land

For use: December 7 – 13, 2025
Texts: Joshua 22; Ephesians 6:7; John 7:24; Numbers 25; Proverbs 15:1; 1 Peter 3:8-9

Could it be that Benjamin Franklin, one of the United States’ Founding Fathers and inventor of the lightning rod, bifocals, glass harmonica and the Franklin stove, also invented the first viral American meme?

In 1754, the 13 colonies were separate entities, divided by geography and culture, with little incentive to band together for a common goal. As the colonists entered the French and Indian War, Franklin felt the need to both unite the disparate colonies in the struggle and send a message to Britain that it was in its best interest to support a central American government. He published that message in his Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper, along with a graphic image of a snake, cut into 13 pieces—representing the 13 colonies—with the caption “Join, or Die.”

While his message didn’t result in a united American government at the time, the graphic illustration went viral, as it excited the imaginations of many illiterate colonists who couldn’t read the editorial for themselves. It resurfaced 20 years later in the run toward independence.

When Joshua led the twelve tribes of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land, they were loosely joined together with the common purpose of subduing the inhabitants and claiming the territory for themselves. That unity quickly threatened to unravel, however, once the tribes began settling into their apportioned colonies.

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture and to access its thought-provoking reflection prompts, please visit:

Living in the Land For use: December 7 – 13, 2025 Texts: Joshua 22; Ephesians 6:7; John 7:24; Numbers 25; Proverbs 15:1; 1 Peter 3:8-9 Could it be that Benjamin Franklin, one of the United States’ Founding Fathers and inventor of the lightning rod, bifocals, glass harmonica and the Franklin stov...

12/05/2025

The True Joshua

For use: November 31 – December 6, 2025
Texts: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13; Matthew 2:15; Joshua 1:1–3; Acts 3:22–26; Hebrews 3:7–4:11; 2 Corinthians 10:3–5

If you were expected to carry on a family legacy, could you?

NCAA fans remain unimpressed by Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. Manning, who during the preseason was expected to walk away with the Heisman Trophy and No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, plummeted to 83rd in the nation in quarterback rating over the span of three weeks.

In fans' estimation, Manning, likely feeling the pressure of carrying on a lineage of quarterbacking excellence, has not been performing like a member of the Manning dynasty.

How different Arch Manning’s situation is from that of 2026 U.S. Olympians Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, both of whom play a similar style to that of their gritty, hard-nosed, high-scoring father Keith Tkachuk. While resembling the five-time All-Star in many respects, the brothers have exceeded expectations and are generally regarded, in comparison to Keith, as possessing more overall skill.

In a sense, their father was the prefiguration of what was to come.

We see a similar scenario in Joshua typology.

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture and to access its reflection prompts, please visit:

The True Joshua For use: November 31 – December 6, 2025 Texts: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13; Matthew 2:15; Joshua 1:1–3; Acts 3:22–26; Hebrews 3:7–4:11; 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 If you were expected to carry on a family legacy, could you? NCAA fans remain unimpressed by Texas Longhorns quarterback ...

12/05/2025

Heirs of Promises, Prisoners of Hope

For use: November 23 – 29, 2025
Texts: Genesis 3:17-24; Deuteronomy 6:3; Joshua 13:1-7; Hebrews 12:28; Leviticus 25:1-5, 8-13; Ezekiel 17:14, 25

“The housing affordability crisis is now hitting families in every metro area, for nearly every occupation,” reports National Housing Conference CEO David. M. Dworkin.

A study put forth by the American Journal of Epidemiology joins the conversation by explaining the effects of housing insecurity on children. The children impacted experienced sleep disturbances as well as “long-term negative impact to their mental health.”

When our children are affected, we are not only talking about the present, but also about the future.

Fortunately, there are some who, through partnership, have worked diligently to make home ownership a reality.

God’s plan for Israel entering and capturing the Promised Land also included partnership.

To read the rest of this Sharing Scripture and to access its thought-provoking reflection prompts, please visit:

This Thanksgiving weekend, we find ourselves looking back over the year with a deep sense of gratitude—for moments of growth, for kindness offered and received, and for the simple, steady gifts we sometimes overlook. Even in a world that feels hurried and uncertain, gratitude has a way of slowing ...

11/21/2025

Giants of Faith: Joshua and Caleb

For use: November 16 – 22, 2025
Texts: Numbers 13:6, 30-32; Joshua 14:6-14; 19:49-51; Luke 18:1-5; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:1-2

As a child, Sophie Scholl, along with thousands of other German children in the 1930s, enrolled in the Hi**er Youth. Over time, though, she felt she could no longer abide the abuses she saw the N**i regime perpetrating, and joined the non-violent White Rose resistance organization.

The Gestapo arrested Sophie and her brother, Hans, on February 18, 1943 for distributing anti-N**i literature at the University of Munich. A N**i court tried and convicted them of treason on February 22, and executed both Scholl siblings by guillotine later that day.

Though then seen as traitors by their country, today the Scholl siblings are recognized as heroes who died defending their beliefs.

It’s rarely easy to stand up for your beliefs, especially in the face of perilous opposition. Just as Hi**er’s regime made Hans and Sophie Scholl pay the ultimate price for standing up against the N**i juggernaut, the Israelites planned to stone Joshua and Caleb for giving their favorable reports (Numbers 14:10).

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture and to access its thought-provoking reflection prompts, please visit:

Season of Gratitude Gratitude doesn’t ignore hardship; it just refuses to let hardship have the final word. Spiritually, it’s an act of trust. Every thank-you becomes a small declaration that God is present, providing, and still writing our story. And when we practice gratitude regularly, our he...

11/15/2025

Ultimate Loyalty: Worship in a War Zone

For use: November 9 – 15, 2025
Texts: Joshua 5:1–7; 8:30–35; Exodus 12:6; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Deuteronomy 8:11, 14; Hebrews 9:11, 12

Since August 2025, the popular app Enigma has logged over 9,000 unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) sightings within 10 miles of U.S. shorelines and major waterways, reports Marine Technology News.

Not surprisingly, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets held a hearing on September 9, 2025 to discuss government transparency and whistleblower protections in regards to such sightings. Some government officials and U.S. military personnel believe that the UAPs they personally witnessed to be extraterrestrial in nature. Others speculate that UAPs are another form of government-ordered “psyop” (psychological operation) to misdirect foreign governments – and even the U.S. population.

This later theory is supported by the research of Sean M. Kirkpatrick, the director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).

In other words, the U.S. military likely operates in plain sight by misdirecting attention with illusions and by encouraging the spread of misinformation.

Military diversions are not new, but some have been God-ordained.

For example, God instructed Joshua to lure the warriors of Ai into an ambush. God implemented this divine strategy only after Joshua repented for attacking Ai without consulting God and after Israel refocused their attention on God.

Joshua’s negligence and Achan’s sins revealed the spiritual decay of Israel; despite their circumcisions and keeping of the Passover (Joshua 5:1-12), they lost sight of the Lord, distracted by their former military feats and the wealth of Ai (Joshua 7).

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture and to access its reflection prompts, please visit:

Ultimate Loyalty: Worship in a War Zone For use: November 9 – 15, 2025 Texts: Joshua 5:1–7; 8:30–35; Exodus 12:6; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Deuteronomy 8:11, 14; Hebrews 9:11, 12 Since August 2025, the popular app Enigma has logged over 9,000 unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) sightings within....

11/07/2025

It is our joy to provide this weekly newsletter for you 50+ weeks per year. Sharing Scripture is always thought provoking. The research info is fresh and insightful. Recommended resources are timely and relevant.

On December 2, it’s Giving Tuesday. it’s a day to support important causes that are making a difference. We believe the Center for Creative Ministry is worth your support. Will you consider a $79 gift today to tell us you’re with us? Please donate that amount or more by December 2.

You can give via our PayPal account () or by mailing a check to:

Center for Creative Ministry
PO Box 573
Milton-Freewater OR 97862

And thank you in advance for your prayer and financial support.

Paul Richardson | Executive Director

11/07/2025

The Enemy Within

For use: November 2 – 8, 2025
Texts: 1 Peter 1:4; Joshua 7:1-8:29; Psalms 139:1-16; Ezra 10:11; Luke 12:5

In a move that some view as grotesque, Tesla’s board of directors wants to offer Elon Musk a trillion-dollar salary (yes, one trillion is one thousand billion dollars). Columnist Arwa Mahdawi of The Guardian comments that “a potential trillion-dollar pay package in a world where almost 700 million people live on less than $2.15 a day is obscene.”

No matter the justification behind the exorbitant trillion-dollar pay proposal, it appears—on the surface at least—as unbridled greed.

The problem of greed is powerfully illustrated in Joshua 7—the story of Achan and the riches he pilfered in Jericho. Achan’s attempt to hide his crime under his tent was as effective as Adam and Eve adorning themselves with fig leaves to cover their nakedness. And the results of Achan’s greed reverberated throughout the community.

To read the rest of this week's Sharing Scripture, to access its thought-provoking reflection prompts, and to study recent Christian church growth data in the United States, please visit:

The Enemy Within For use: November 2 – 8, 2025 Texts: 1 Peter 1:4; Joshua 7:1-8:29; Psalms 139:1-16; Ezra 10:11; Luke 12:5 In a move that some view as grotesque, Tesla’s board of directors wants to offer Elon Musk a trillion-dollar salary (yes, one trillion is one thousand billion dollars). Colu...

10/31/2025

God Fights for You

For use: October 26 - November 1, 2025
Texts: Genesis 15:16; Leviticus 18:24–30; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8; Exodus 23:28–30; Deuteronomy 20:10, 15–18; Isaiah 9:6

After 34 years, DNA accomplished what detectives could never do–solve the 1991 Austin, Texas yogurt shop murders.

Thanks to advancements in DNA technology, the South Carolina state lab matched serial killer Robert Eugene Edwards to the scene, as well as to other crimes committed across the country.

One of Texas' most haunting cases can now be put to rest, as well as the cloud of suspicion looming over previous suspects.

This resolution is one of the latest in a lengthy strand (pun intended) of cold cases solved by DNA direct matches and investigative genetic genealogy, which started to regularly make headlines after ancestral DNA identified Joseph DeAngelo as the Golden State Killer.

There's now talk that forensic genetic genealogy could eradicate the mystery behind the infamous JonBenét Ramsey strangulation and possibly even the Jack the Ripper slayings.

As long as the justice system places faith in such forensic technologies, criminals face a new, fearsome justice that they cannot overcome.

Similarly, God fights for justice on the behalf of faithful believers. The Bible provides numerous examples of God intervening against adversaries which ultimately culminates in the greatest battle of all in which Christ defeats death and sin.

Some obvious examples of God stepping in to fight the battles of believers include the 10 Plagues, the trapping of the blinded Arameans (2 Kings 6:8–23) and the Angel of the Lord singlehandedly obliterating 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in response to the prayers of Judah's faithful (2 Kings 18–19, Isaiah 36–37, 2 Chronicles 32).

Throughout the book of Joshua we also see how God helps the Israelites claim victory after victory over their pagan neighbors.

Of course, imagery like this can be troubling. Why would a loving God so violently wipe out entire communities?

Violence was never Plan A. Egypt and its pharaoh had 9 chances to repent before the death of the first born sons. Likewise, the surrounding nations were given the opportunity to witness the devastation of Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, as revealed in Rahab's testimony (Joshua 2:8–13). One by one the kingdoms fell, each fall offering the witnessing neighbors another chance to repent.

But these nations stubbornly hardened their hearts against God and continued practicing abominable morality. This type of pride is clearly witnessed in the story of Sennacherib who directly challenged the God of Israel. Sennacherib claimed that he, too, defeated many kingdoms who claimed that their gods would save them (Isaiah 36:13–20).

What a shock it must have been for the king to wake up to the complete and utter annihilation of his army, knowing that the Israelites would have been incapable of doing so!

In this case, God did not help the Israelites; God fought the battle alone. What a response to Sennacherib's mocking challenge!

God fights for justice (Joshua 5:13–15), so instead of asking God to pick our side when times get hard, we need to turn our thinking around. Do we choose to self-righteously fight our own battles, or hand over the reigns to the Angel of the Lord?

For Reflection

Connecting: Do you think God still participates in literal wars today?

Sharing: Are there ever times when we put too much trust in God to solve our problems?
1. We can never have too much faith
2. True, living faith is demonstrated through action (James 2:14–26)
3. God created us with logic for a reason
4. When we create our own problems we still need to face their consequences
5. I don't know
6. Other

Applying: What role should Christians play in establishing peace in our communities?

Valuing: God does not arbitrarily give protection or annihilate people. In Scripture we see how Israelites lost their status through rebellion, and how Gentiles like Rahab and the Gibeonites came to honor God. Does this knowledge impact how you value your relationship with the Creator? Should it?

~ Stefani Leeper

Did You Know?
According to new Barna data, drawn from The State of Today’s Family study, half of Christians or church attendees (50 percent) tells Barna, “Our pastor is understanding of the experiences of blended families and nontraditional family structures.” But the other half says this is not the case (27 percent) or that they are not sure (23 percent).
Source: barna.com/trends/pastors-and-todays-families/

Additional Resources
What does it take to attract, develop and retain volunteers for church ministries? Several Outlook 100 Fastest-Growing Churches share advice and lessons learned along the way.
Source: https://outreachmagazine.com/features/service-features/84340-outreach-100-churches-on-creating-a-flourishing-volunteer-culture.html