So yesterday i took a bit of a look at the idea of doubt from the perspective of being someone who is a follower of Jesus. Is it okay to doubt? Is doubt helpful? Should we be overly worried if there is a lot of doubt in our lives? Sadly, i was not able to arrive at a simple tick-the-box solution. This area seems to be a bit of a complex one. Which is okay. [...]
A while back someone asked me to write a blog post or series about Doubt and i already had this post's heading sitting in my draft box waiting to be written. So today i try to write it... ...and was doing really well... ...at least until i Uncle Googled what the bible had to say about doubt which totally threw my argument on its head. But let me share it anyway - maybe you're smarter than [...]
This feels like a psalm for old people [like me]. So if you're not even partly old, maybe bookmark this and come back and read it in ten years or so... And seriously go and read the whole psalm - i am not going to go through all of it here, but it really is a good one to read all the way through: 1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be [...]
Psalm number 70 is not the Lords of the Rings of the Psalming community. And because it is so short, i thought it would be helpful to actually just meditate on the whole thing together: 1 Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, Lord, to help me. 2 May those who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 3 May those who say [...]
So hey, remember that King David guy and the 'man after God's own heart' moniker? Well, here is that guy going on a little enemy rant... 22 May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. 23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. 24 Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. 25 May their place be deserted; let there [...]
So i think i have a different understanding and idea of church than a number of people i know. And my picture of what church is feels a lot bigger, rather than smaller, than some other peoples. i am not saying that the Sunday church local congregation vibe is not church, but i am suggesting that maybe it is more than that. One example for me has always been so-called 'para-church' organisations like Scripture Union and [...]
"I'm not sure what God's will is for my life!" i hear this a lot, or some other version of it. And i have spoken about/written on this before, but feels like a good time to bring it up. YES, YOU NAILED IT, GOD WANTED THAT BABY TO GET SICK AND DIE possibly the worst scenario this plays out in is when someone gets an incurably disease or a person dies and somebody who is chatting [...]
And s we witness the death of Jesus... which has a profound effect on the world around Him... not only on the Roman centurion who was stationed nearby... but even on the physical aspects of the temple as the curtain is ripped from top to bottom. Join me as i look at Mark 15 from verse 33 to 47 and share some thoughts on these things: [For links to the whole [...]
Today's Mark passage is a little bit different to what we are used to and i would encourage you to wait until you have decent reflection time before watching it - don't rush through this one - rather make a time to simply reflect and listen and feel and respond. Join me as i look at Mark 15 from verse 16 to 32: [For the next passage and a look at [...]
Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate and doesn't seem to be particularly interested in defending his case [we could learn a LOT there, right?] and perhaps gives us a glimpse of the idea that following Him may often entail swimming against the current we find ourselves in. Join me as I continue on with Mark 15 from verse 1 to 15: [For the next passage in Mark and a reflection on Jesus' [...]