The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength
Life is not easy. Sometimes it doesn’t really make sense. Sometimes it feels like everything is just too much. For some it is the loss …
Pastoral Passages
Reflecting on Easter
John 12:21 “Some Greeks…. Paid a visit to Philip… They said, sir we want tomeet Jesus.” On Easter Monday this week I felt curiously flat. …
Faith Pleases God
Last week I read 1 Kings 18, Elijah and the contest with the false prophets on Mount Carmel. In the chapter Elijah met Ahab, king of …
Self-Indulgence vs Self-Denial: Mardi Gras and Lent
I was surprised to learn recently that Mardi Gras is in fact connected to the Christian tradition of Lent. My impression had been that Mardi …
From Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the day in the church calendar that marks the beginning of the Lenten season. In church traditions which follow the liturgical …
Living in the Shelter of the Most High
In a recent morning reading I was both blessed and challenged by this prayer: “Thank You, Holy Spirit, for brooding over the chaos of my …
“Take heart, I have overcome the world!”
Looking back over all the years, I’m grateful to God for his patience, grace, love and mercy with me. The times I draw close to …
God Uses Ordinary People
I sometimes wonder if God can use ordinary folks like us. Let us look at the life of Peter who was praised by Jesus as …
You are not alone
After spending last week immersed in Psalm 88 and dwelling on depression and aloneness, I received an email from YouVersion on Sunday afternoon entitled “You …
Scribes for the Kingdom
There is a curious little parable at the end of the ‘parables of the kingdom’ in Matthew 13. Unlike the rest of the parables in …