Today’s Lectio 365 daily devotional used the text from Matthew 6:25-27 to reflect on God’s goodness and provision. It struck me that Jesus knew our propensity to worry and become absorbed in negative possibilities, which easily cripple our ability to … Continue reading →
As New Zealand heads into another election year, it is worth noting that Jesus was born into a very undemocratic and much more dangerous society than our Western society. 2000 years ago, Israel was ruled by a tyrant (King Herod) … Continue reading →
Our beliefs about the character of God will shape our thinking around the Bible and about God’s relationship with us and the world in which we live, and consequently how we respond to people and issues that affect our lives. … Continue reading →
During the past few weeks I’ve been reading the books of Judges and I & II Kings. It was interesting to be reminded that at no time was a priest crowned king, and conversely, no king ever served as a … Continue reading →
God became human as a baby, hidden from the world but in plain sight, and remained on the fringe of society his whole life, only being accepted by those who were also on the fringe. The mainliners; the socially connected, … Continue reading →
Have you ever checked the Statements of Faith of churches? Chances are that you will have seen that the first line says something about the Bible being the Word of God with descriptors including ‘inerrant’, ‘infallible’ or ‘inspired’. It is … Continue reading →
There is a liminal space between faith and practice. A place with unclear edges and unknown outcomes. A place where God meets life. In “The Ragamuffin Gospel” Brennan Manning puts this challenge to us: Describe the Christ that you have … Continue reading →
For over 10 years of my life I worked for a missions organisation called Youth With A Mission on their medical ship, the M/V Anastasis. Alongside 350 people from over 30 nations, we worked to show people what we called … Continue reading →
In CS Lewis’s “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, Narnia is under a curse from the White Witch, causing it to always be winter and never spring. The citizens of Narnia lament the fact that spring never comes, but … Continue reading →
Have you ever tried to find the right word to describe an amazing sunset, or an experience that left you speechless? The Bible has that problem when it attempts to describe God. El Shaddai, Adonai, Elohim, Jehovah, Yahweh are all … Continue reading →