This morning we were reading about Jacob and Esau. They’re twins – but not identical. Esau (the eldest) is all man, big and hairy and sweaty and meaty, whilst Jacob likes cooking and his mum. However, beneath Jacob’s frilly exterior lurks a big old conniving brain. He might be the youngest, but he’s determined to get his hands on his brother’s inheritance. So he hatches up a plan to buy it from his brother. An inheritance is no small thing. …Read More
Sometimes the Bible feels like an enormous Rubix Cube, impenetrable and locked-up. You reread the same verses but nope – it may as well be in Hebrew, ( it’s all Greek to me). Or maybe it’s more like one of those fiendish baked-bean jigsaws where every piece looks the same. Rebellion, death. Rebellion, death. Bad king, bad king, bad king, bad king…you’re stuck in a Chronicles loop and there’s no end in sight. But other times, it’s completely different. The …Read More
Funny old day, today. Were it dancing for my entertainment, I’d remark kindly on its sequins, and then slam it with a 3. For starters, it’s a Monday, masquerading as a Tuesday. No-one likes that. Or the wrench as you shift your gears from holiday back to working (or not working) week. Then there was a trip to the hospital. Hospitals are strange places at the best of times. Just think of the hundreds of life-changing conversations and procedures that …Read More
A bucket list, as I’m sure you know, is a list of things you’d like to do before you die (or ‘hit the bucket’). Here’s some of mine; road trip with my hubby take communion with my family perform ‘Goldfinger’ wearing Shirley Bassey wig and all-in-one gold lame go to La Tomatina festival in Spain tell my old Sunday school teacher how imp0rtant he was to me have a baby put my hand print in wet concrete walk on …Read More
I do love a good word. This week’s is sclerotic. (It’s not sexy, even though it’s been thunking through my head to a similar tune by Madonna. ‘Sclerotic, sclerotic, put your hands all over my’..Ahem ). It’s also personally appropriate: ‘tending to rigidity and resistant to change’. I’ve been a bit sick this week and as you can tell, it’s decimated parts of my brain. But a lot rides on how we word things. If for example, I tell you …Read More
‘For to us a child is born and to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders’. (Isaiah 9:6). What does Christmas mean to you? I’m a Christian. Been one now, for many years. I know the right answer to this question. But, confronted by the melee of Christmas, I’m finding myself caught up and carried along – in the wrong direction. There’s so much to do. Groceries and presents to buy – but also …Read More
‘God Doesn’t Want Your Happiness, He wants your Holiness’. Perhaps I’m just being greedy. But there’s something about this statement that doesn’t sit well with me. Why can’t we have both? There’s no question that happiness and holiness are not always the same thing. And there are two lies behind such an assertion, lies which the church is right to correct. The first lie is this – that if we just trust Jesus enough, He will automatically bless us with …Read More
How’s the year ahead looking so far? Is it a great big bear hug of a calendar? Or a freezing cold handshake? Are you feeling optimistic? Unsure? Overwhelmed – even frightened? Perhaps, like me, you’re fighting the urge to throw yourself headlong into the pursuit of (random) self-improvements. You see, I know that the gospel is all about grace. I know I don’t need to do anything to earn God’s love. But whilst I appreciate His support and everything, I …Read More
