You would expect that for someone with increasing popularity, the drive would have been to increase visibility and permeability even further. But with Jesus, we see an opposite response: he retreated to pray. The verse of interest today is this: Luke 5:15-16 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and... Continue Reading →
“AND GOD REMEMBERED”
Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, I met someone I knew from about 8 years ago when I first joined my current parish. She remembered me from an event at church when I offered her the prize I won during a draw. Truth be told, while I... Continue Reading →
SUCH LOVE
1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We are often motivated to live right, pursuinf a life of honour to God that brings pleasure to him. We do so to show our love for Him.... Continue Reading →
MANAGE YOUR COUNTENANCE
Matthew 2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, as was all of Jerusalem. The word 'disturbed' was well and truly beyond superficial concern, instead, it tapped into a deep seated fear and anxiety that came along with the prospect of a king losing his throne. It is no real shock then that the... Continue Reading →
WHAT DO YOU SEEK?
You can spend time discerning the intentions of others, you may get it spot on or miss it entirely. The latter can often come at a steep cost. But we have an example today that appears to skip the whole introspection and goes straight for the jugular with the question "what do you want?" John... Continue Reading →
WHO ARE YOU?
Reference text: John 1:19-23 When you show someone a book, asking the question "what is this", until they respond with 'that is a book' you keep pressing for a response. This is true especially when you are convinced they ought to know the answer. Answers along the lines of 'it is not a chair' simply... Continue Reading →
STARTING THE NEW YEAR
We start each new year with targets and highlights we'd be happy to crown the year with. For many of us, the year gone by has whizzed past, unclear of what has happened. It feels some moments were skipped and some points in time lost. While some felt the year was dragging it's feet, others... Continue Reading →
DIFFERENT STAGES
Reference: 1 John 2:12-17 One of the core features of childhood is predictability because it is at that stage habits begin to form: routines, single facets and dimensions can become the norm. It may sound a harsh truth but we are not all at the same point on our journey through faith even though we... Continue Reading →
MORE THANKFUL OR MORE FEARFUL?
I am sure others have similar stories, but on my train journey this evening a thought came to mind 'do you know you have made this journey over 600 times this year alone? And each time you have made it to and fro?'That prompted a sense of appreciation in a way that I had not... Continue Reading →