The world is a difficult place to live in. It just seems to be full of stress, anxiety, worry, fear, apprehension, conflict and the search for meaning. In such a world, Paul’s opening greeting to...

There’s a tension every traveller knows when your plane is delayed, your train is late, or your ride hasn’t yet arrived. You stand at the curb or in the terminal, watching the minutes tick by,...

There are moments in life that pull us out of the ordinary and fill us with awe. One such moment happened when my son Abel invited me to Joshua Tree National Park in California to witness the Milky...

It seems social media has caused us to be more isolated and less connected, even though the social part of social media might suggest otherwise. Nothing can replace the connections we make when we...

When I think about the Apostle Paul, I see a very powerful and strong Christian man; one to look up to. It is not because he was so perfect, he was thought to have weak eyes because of the...

As Paul writes the words of our header scripture, he is imprisoned in Rome, not only facing death but abandoned by some of his friends (vv.10, 16), and yet his confidence and trust in God doesn’t...

Have you ever been involved in a mistaken identity? Several years back when I was working for Youth for Christ, I was in Denver, Colorado for ministry training. Some younger staff friends and I went...

The opening of Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae begins with a brief introduction which includes a warm greeting from Paul and Timothy (Colossians 1:1-2), some words of thanksgiving for...

Who does God work with to help fulfil his purposes? Humanly we might think it would be those who are strong, or wealthy, or well educated, or have the right social status or connections. After all...

Have you ever worn a crown? I came close once, when I was in the running to be the ‘Honoured Queen’ in Job’s Daughters (a service organisation for young women with ties to the Masons). I...

It was in the middle of an inspection of the washing machine. Replacing a part was not going well. it was old and stubborn and refused to return to its original place. The tension grew with...

Paul’s final words to Timothy came at a time when challenges were mounting both for the early church and its young leader. Timothy was facing opposition, discouragement and uncertainty, and yet Paul...

Do you want to be known as someone who is after God’s own heart? God the Father desires his children to be people after his own heart, the same as David. So what was so unique about David to be...

Have you ever played Consequences?  It goes like this: players take it in turns to write a phrase or a sentence in a story, then fold the paper so no one sees what they have written and pass it...

In courtrooms, judges sometimes dismiss charges. When a trial is over, the judge dismisses the jury. In the military, personnel are dismissed. Classes are dismissed for the day or the term. Other than...

As we learn about the happenings in this world, we mourn the cruelty and the mishaps. We long for a world without hate, crime, and disasters. We pray for those in need, that is the heart of God,...

Paul writes the words of our header scripture from a prison cell, and near the end of his life. In his final instructions to Timothy, his beloved child in the faith, Paul distils the message that has...

A couple of years back my son Gatlin proposed to his long-time sweetheart, Erin in a unique way. Under the guise of taking a family walk after dinner with mom, dad, brothers, sisters-in-law, and...

In the first chapter of the letter to the church at Colossae, Paul takes us to a very important passage (Colossians 1:15-28), where he not only speaks of who Jesus is, as he parades before his readers...

I recently heard a parent say to her child, ‘You are worthless. I asked you to do one little thing and you didn’t do it.’ My heart sank as I know from personal experience the impact those words...

We all like the sound that the Lord will fight for us. Some people love a battle, a challenge, and some of us would rather back out if we could. I personally do not like conflict. I do not even...

Paul begins his second letter to Timothy by looking back at his past, ‘I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did’ (2 Timothy 1:3). Paul was a Jew, and there was genuine continuity, he says,...

Have you ever felt like you were not equal to a task you were given? You try your best, but it seems like you come up short? It is especially tough when you feel inadequate in ministry. Perhaps you...

I had been a Christian for years, but the truth was that I had grown judgmental, self-righteous, and blind to the suffering around me. I remember driving through downtown Los Angeles and seeing the...

As we read the Bible we often come across the word, ‘therefore’. So, you must ask yourself what this word is pointing us to. We are told that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to make us his own...

Over the years there have been many wise words spoken about contentment:  Socrates said, ‘He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.’...

They were known as the Roaring 20s in American history. It was a time of unprecedented prosperity. Unemployment rates were nearly non-existent, loan rates were unbelievably low, and the American...

On the eve of his crucifixion, we overhear Jesus reporting to the Father that those entrusted to him would receive eternal life. But eternal life, according to Jesus, is not just about a distant...

In my last study, I mentioned Jesus is a servant-listener. I became acquainted with this term in a book by Jan Johnson, Invitation to the Jesus Life, Experiments in Christlikeness. We...