Communion Meditation: Matthew 26:30

June 20, 2024

A communion meditation based on Matthew 26:30. Jesus and his disciples sang the Egyptian Hallel (Psalm 113-118) or some portion of it.


Lesson 22: You Have Come to Mount Zion, the Heavenly Jerusalem

June 19, 2024

Hebrews 12:18-29 You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, […]


Communion Meditation: Matthew 26:26-29

June 15, 2024

This is a communion meditation based on Matthew 26:26-29 that emphasizes the reality of Jesus eating with us at the table in the Father’s kingdom.


Psalm 45 — Derek: Meditating on the Way

June 15, 2024

Abby Kaplan joins Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks to talk about Psalm 45. This royal wedding song has both an original significance in Israel and a messianic meaning. The Psalm, sung by Israel, desires a king of justice, humility, and truth, and celebrates the inclusion of a woman from outside of Israel. Ultimately, the […]


Lesson 21: Run with Perseverance

June 12, 2024

Hebrews 12:1-17 Lesson 21: Run the Race with Perseverance Hebrews 12:1-17 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer […]


Communion Meditation: Psalm 116

June 11, 2024

This is a communion meditation based on Psalm 116. The Psalmist was once entangled in the cords of death, but God delivered the supplicant. How will the Psalmist repay God? The Psalmist lifts up a voice of praise, a cup of thanksgiving, and promises to keep covenantal vows.


A Communion Meditation: Luke 24:30-35

June 8, 2024


Psalm 110 — Derek: Meditating on the Way

June 7, 2024

This is the newest installment of “Derek: Meditating on the Way” with Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks. In this episode we discuss the meaning and significance of Psalm 110 in both its context in the Psalter and its relevance to messianic hopes, particularly as revealed in Jesus the Messiah.


Lesson 20:  Heroes of Faith in the Exodus and Beyond

June 5, 2024

Hebrews 11:23-40 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment […]


Transforming Encounters: Baptism, Assembly, and the Lord’s Supper

June 5, 2024

This book, accessible here, was published in September, 2023. In May, 2024, I was asked to summarize it for a combined adult Bible class at the Homewood Church of Christ. That lesson is available below.