I have taken time this Christmas season to imagine life from the perspective of a shepherd. Not everyday life...but the amazing gift they were given with the invitation to come to the manger. They were just minding their own business, hanging out in the fields, living...
I could never understand why Esther was held up as a paragon of virtue. If you read her story, Esther unfolds as hesitant, as hiding her faith and her cultural identity for fear of personal backlash, and then as a self-centred coward. Esther pretended not to have a...
Carefully I chose a new set of saucepans and the manufacturers were specific in their instructions. They pointed out that these saucepans were designed for a particular purpose and it could be achieved only if they were used in a certain way. They were to be used only...
‘What on earth,’ I thought, ‘is all this talk about “getting real”? What is the obsession with “getting on your island” of a dubious sub-culture? Why should we leave our out-of-date language, our tested culture, and take on other cultural habits just to prove we...
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." (Psalm 95:7-8, Hebrews 4:7) The snow had been piling up by the sidewalks in town for months. Huge mounds of it as tall as a small child. Topside, it was sooty from the traffic. On the edge, it looked clean...
My sins were painted clearly. The indictment ran for miles, every man and woman in the city radius and every international visitor to the Festival knew the charges. For this was Festival year and the home crowd as well as the international crowd jammed every venue. I...
"And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!" (Est 4:16 NKJV) If you read her story, Esther is presented as hesitant, as hiding her faith and her cultural identity for fear of personal backlash, and then as a self-centred coward....
I remember well the day I came into the New York aiort from a trip overseas. I faced the baggage checkers knowing I had lost the key to my suitcase. Just ahead of me they had allowed some people to pass on through but as I followed them a very stern looking clerk...
We looked through an antique shop and a small writing desk imprinted itself on our wishlist. Dad wanted it for me because the workmanship was superb. But the cost was prohibitive. Instead, he made over a chunky little old table for me, salvaged from a scrap truck on...
In the final part of our series on God's "balance" and "imbalance", let's firstly look at yet another incident in the Master's life, which brings to the fore, His perfect balance: Commending but… Scene one… Jesus is whole-heartedly appreciating the impulsive Simon...