In Genesis 34, we have a bit of a family crisis, and that’s an understatement. Jacob’s daughter Dinah is raped. Her brothers exact brutal, disproportionate revenge for this and kill many men in the process. What must Jacob have felt about this? I don’t know exactly what, but it is likely he was grieving the pain of his daughter as well as the disappointing way … Continue reading Go back to the beginning again
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” Revelation 22:12 As we face a new year, we don’t know what to expect. Worldwide, we see chaos, brutal war, and bloodshed. Many people are being affected, and losing their homes, or lives, or children. Personally, our hopes for 2023 might not … Continue reading Expectation – January 1, 2024
My name is written on His hands Not merely pen and inked Two thousand years and more it stands And hence our fates are linked My name was driven through His hands With nails that brutally marred His palms according to demands From crowds that he once healed He had long planned and thought me worth This excruciating pain Died my death before my birth … Continue reading written on His hands
Right now, I’m reading Leviticus. It’s a difficult book, about sacrifices, being unclean, impure blood flows, and so on. How does that have to do with our modern lives, and with our lives as a Christian? Of course, it goes back to a different time and a different culture. It was before Jesus, who revolutionised the way we could come to God. At the same … Continue reading Holiness and Leviticus
As someone in my twenties, I would often just like to be 100% sure what God wants me to do next, and how it will map out. God does give me some directions, sure, but I wish it would all be clearer sometimes. (And I admit I should follow the directions I do believe He gives me better!) Still, faith isn’t always a clear road … Continue reading Faith and uncertainty: What next?
is a distraction that keeps us from the main thing: praise. Continue reading Stress
When I was twenty I got rheumatoid arthritis, or actually, a variant of it. It is not quite rheumatoid arthritis, but it is similar. Because peripheral spondyloarthritis is not a term everyone uses, I refer to it as rheumatoid arthritis. The disease is basically similar: joints get infected because of what doctors believe is a faulty immune response. The body attacks itself. My knee started … Continue reading A different (or greater) miracle
The best prayer, I think, is “Show me your glory.” It was Moses’ great desire. It changes us irrevocably. Getting to know God and seeing His majesty and splendour, even if it’s through meditating on the Bible and imagining it more than actually seeing it, is addicting. As we pray, we experience God spiritually, and this fills and satisfies the soul with joy. It is … Continue reading The best prayer
There may be more to do but I won’t keep running on like a train on tracks that never end, puffing, puffing on. There may be more to do but for now I quit, will watch some series that I like and rest up for a bit. There may be more to do. There’s always more you see and if I never stop … Continue reading rest
For a short while now, I’ve been taking driving lessons. Those who know me may understand that this was a scary step for me to take. I have long wondered and worried about whether I should start, because the idea of driving a car was scary to me. However, I am blessed with a very good instructor. Yesterday I read the contract for the lessons, … Continue reading Trusting with your life
Deeper 