That sinking feeling

ChristianityLeave a comment

What puts fear in you?

For me, it is things or situations that I am not in control of. Computers? Not a problem, I can strip them down, repair them or rebuild them. Cars? Ooohh, fear, doom, calamity – all because I am not in control of the mechanics, because I don’t know how to fix them.

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Who you?

ChristianityLeave a comment

I don’t have a very good memory. That can be useful or helpful at times, but it can also be anything but useful or helpful! I would love to give you some examples of both sets of circumstances, but I just can’t think of any at the moment!
My not-very-good-memory means that I find it almost impossible to remember passages of the Bible. I know some people can remember whole chapters and others whole books. Many people have a whole bank of verses which they can draw from at a moment’s notice. I salute them all!
I, on the other hand, can draw on very little, and even then I can only recall part of the verse.

Coming up next

ChristianityLeave a comment

Maybe I am a real softie, but I really cannot imagine that I am any different to the next guy. As I watch each of the Chilean miners being rescued, I get a huge lump in my throat, and it is really hard not to let the tears fall! It is wonderful viewing. It is a very rare kind of news – it is GOOD NEWS! Normally, the only type of news which gets such huge coverage is of disasters, but this story has captured the world. Many words have been used in the story, but today I heard many references to “coming out of hell”.
I love good news, and as I watch this story and see the joy on the faces of the relatives as they see their loved ones coming to the surface, I cannot do anything but draw a comparison to the real Good News – the Gospel.

Stop, search

ChristianityLeave a comment

Are you looking for something? Maybe it’s something you lost. Maybe it’s something you have never had. Maybe it’s tangible. Maybe it’s a reason, maybe it’s just a word. Whatever it is, I am sure that you are looking for something.

In the UK, somebody has just won £113 million in the Eurolottery. It is a lot of money in anyone’s terms, and is beyond everyone’s wildest dream.

Time for a chainge?

ChristianityLeave a comment

This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. (Rom 1:1, NLT)
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — (Rom 1:1, NIV)
I have put these two translations of the same text together for a reason. It is a reason which is very important, especially to the way we think today. It is all about just one word, the Greek word doulos. I don’t want to get into an argument about which is the best translation, but there is an important point to be made here.

A marked man

ChristianityLeave a comment

I was reflecting more on my previous post Mirror, mirror – I’m sorry, I can’t resist puns! I was thinking about how our images change as we grow and age. We tend to adopt fashions which are the fashion of our generation. Though that fashion might change as years pass, there is a continuing theme through our lives, and quite often we can guess a person’s age by the style of clothes or hair.

Why does he do that?

ChristianityLeave a comment

Libby and I have a cat, a wonderful cat who goes by the name of Keziah.
But Keziah is like all cats. She is demanding and self-centred, greedy and sometimes destructive. She is always after something. We get up in the morning and she is immediately asking for food. After she has eaten, she wants to be on my knee and for me to start petting her. Then she wants out. Then she wants in. Then she wants fed. Then she wants petted. Then she wants out. And so it goes on. She has even learned to beg like a dog for food. She is always after something, and if we ignore her she might resort to picking the carpet to bits with her claws.
Why do we do it?

How does he do that again?

ChristianityLeave a comment

Sometimes he does it in the form of an amazing miracle, such as sending manna and quail to feed the Israelites in the desert. Sometimes he does it through the voice of Jesus, who told Lazarus to come out of the tomb. Sometimes he does it through Peter’s shadow, healing the sick at the side of the road, and sometimes he does it through the great evangelists of today. Sometimes it is spontaneous, mostly it is through prayer, always it is because of love.

Receiving loud and clear

ChristianityLeave a comment

Can anyone out there remember the days when there were less than three TV stations in the UK? Or only three radio stations (excluding Radio Luxembourg)? I can! Daytime viewing was a test card. Not only that, but TV programmes were black and white. In fact, I think most of my childhood memories are black and white, so perhaps the whole world was slightly lacking in hue!

If you’re happy and you know it

ChristianityLeave a comment

Are you happy? Do you know it? Do you show it?
It has always amazed me how much a smile can change a face and make it more attractive, better looking – male or female. Those smiles which are just on the cusp of bursting into laughter are by far the most attractive, and they are infectious. When a smile becomes laughter, things start to happen.

You need hands

ChristianityLeave a comment

What would we do without hands? For most of us, very little. From our earliest moments, even before we are born, we use them.
Even in the womb, a baby will start sucking its thumb. The baby is perhaps learning the skills that it will need to feed once it is born. Once the baby is born, it will continue to suck its thumb, but will soon discover that those funny looking things at the ends of its arms are not just good to put in its mouth.