Oh, how a little bit of bad press can be a terrible thing. The first time we meet Martha in the scriptures she is distracted, worried and upset because while she’s working hard to take care of things for Jesus, she feels her sister isn’t pulling her weight. Jesus gently tells her that she needs to realign her priorities, and make time to simply listen.
Read More life, learning, discipleship, resurrectionThe sugarbush beckoned every February in Quebec where I lived. About forty people dropped everything to tap 1,300 trees and hang sap buckets on the spiles. The clear, sweet water filled the sap buckets, drip by drip.
All day, we lugged pails of sap from the trees to the gathering tank behind the tractor.
Read More life, joined to Jesus, sharing
All gravestones have two things in common: names and dates. There’s something else they have in common, something most people overlook – the dash between the dates. Names and dates are important, but without the dash they’re meaningless. That’s because the dash is more than a simple horizontal line, more than punctuation.
Read More life, numbering our days
When the risen Christ confronted Saul/Paul on the Damascus road, Paul’s whole life was radically changed. He turned from flushing out Christians in Damascus to kill them, to joining with them in worshipping their God whom he now knew. He turned from hate and rage to love and peace.
Read More life, commitment, transformation, righteousness
News of the fall of Jerusalem has just arrived. The people blurt out, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone” (v 11 NIV). The Lord responds by giving Ezekiel a graphic vision – the third recorded in his book (see also chs 1-3; 8-11).
Up to chapter 33, Ezekiel’s oracles were heavy with warnings of judgment.
Read More life, judgment, prayer, hope, prophecyThere’s nothing like the rush of adrenaline when experiencing something firsthand, for the first time. So many emotions emerge! Ones like excitement, awe, ecstasy, and joy. I love going to live sporting events, especially associated with American football. I will never forget the first time I saw …
Read More life, experience, Jesus is realI like to read obituaries. It may seem morbid, but it’s a rather fascinating glimpse into lives so recently vibrant, now gone silent. Just a few hundred words to sum up lifetimes of love and loss and heartache and hope.
“We humans are only a breath,” the psalmist intones, “none of us are truly great.
Read More life, safety, peace, meaningIn Genesis 1-2 paradise is revealed. In Revelation 21-22 paradise is restored. The “tree of life” is once again accessible. And because sin has been defeated, Jesus is once again at the centre. In dramatic fashion the whole story has been leading up to this climax when the Creator’s original intention for his creation is finally realized.
Read More life, worship, service, curse, paradise, tree of life