Archive

Life is messy Yes, I’ve been watching Star Trek again. No, I never get tired of it. There’s just something about space travel that excites my imagination. But life in this imaginary...

Men’s looking Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,  and his clothes became...

A song of praise This is the fourth in a series of studies on praise and worship. Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all...

God’s revelation of his love And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove...

A new way of thinking After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John … and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun,...

Shadows This is the first in a series of studies about shadows in scripture …a shadow of the good things that are coming… Hebrews 10:1 (NIV) If we are to live the world of the Apostle Paul, we...

Jesus heals relationships Human beings were created and designed for relationships. God made us not only with the capacity to relate to him and each other but with the need to connect to thrive....

Open the eyes of our heart ‘I thought what a [strange] world it is and how two different people could see the same thing each of them the other way round.’ This observation in Agatha...

What is our motivation for sharing the gospel? For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 1 Corinthians 9:16 (NIVUK) What...

Total commitment “…I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 5:30. (NKJV) There is a little anecdote you may have heard about a pig and a chicken who discussed...

Praise his names This is the third in a series of studies on praise and worship. Glorify the Lord with me: let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3 (NIVUK) God’s names give us tremendous insight...

Focusing on hope Where do you turn when you are feeling hopeless? There have been a number of times in my life when I felt hopeless. The first time I remember was when I was 12 and two of my sisters...

God is my Rock When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. Psalm 94:18 (NIV) It is hard to walk on frozen ground as it is thawing. There is just a thin layer on...

God’s generosity I grew up in apple country. My grandparents and my parents owned apple orchards, and each year we would hire labourers during harvest time to pick and pack apples. We paid a fair...

Lopsided grace It’s been said there are only seven stories in the whole world and the storyline of every book and movie are simply variations. The most common is the battle between good and evil...

Authoritative. Not authoritarian. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Mark 1:22 (NIV) Although Jesus didn’t...

The normalcy of missional living Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he...

Leap for joy and sing with praise This is the second in a series of studies on praise and worship. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for...

We will find strength But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31...

Epiphany: bringing things to light The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 (NIV) I enjoy visiting caverns...

Remembering salvation Have you ever had your memory save you? For example, you find yourself locked out of your house and after hours of trying to find a way in you finally remember that you left a...

Shining light on the dust We don’t get much sun in the northern hemisphere this time of year. I hadn’t seen it in a few weeks until a couple of days ago and was almost surprised when the...

The power of proclamation After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of  God has come near. Repent...

Praise the Lord in prayer This is the first in a series of studies on praise and worship. God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. Psalm 145:3 (The...

Learn from Nathan After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of...

Witnessing transformation How do I see or experience God in the everyday or in the streets? One way I see God in the everyday is when I touch the lives of people who I least expect. In one example,...

Born from above Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” [Margin: The Greek for ‘again’ also means ‘from above’; also in...

Where there is no vision How would your life be different without access to your car? Without the availability of motor vehicles, many of us would not be able to get to work, school, or even church....

A stairway to heaven … ‘Very truly I tell you, you will see “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on” the Son of Man.’ John 1:51 (NIVUK) In Genesis 28, Jacob, the...

The suddenlies A friend used to call unexpected events, especially the negative or sad ones, “the suddenlies.” She shared about the time her son-in-law was killed in a car accident –...

Some reflections about Jesus …‘What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and...

Clothes make the man …for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:27 (NIV) The statement ‘Clothes make the man’ is attributed to Mark...

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, For this bright sunny morning Thank you for the birds that sing. For the tune of praise that they wing Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, For another day to praise you...

Executive function Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.  Romans 13: 8 (NIV) Executive Function. What is...

Yesterday, today, forever Have you heard of the smartphone app Postmates? It lets you order food from almost any restaurant in your city and have it delivered right to your door. It’s amazing! These...

Epiphany – the great revelation After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born...

Dear son… Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11 (NKJV) One of my earliest memories was waking up to find my dad packing his rucksack....

The gift The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of...

Just who’s got this? Language is always changing. All you have to do to prove this is read a book written as few as forty or fifty years ago. Many phrases aren’t used anymore and even the...

Touching Jesus And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.  She came up behind [Jesus]and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her...