I’ve always thought that there are two sorts of people; those who believe in miracles, and those who don’t. But reading 2 Kings 5, I’m starting to think it’s a little more complicated. Maybe there’s those who believe in their kind of miracle; and those who believe in God’s kind of miracle. As the story of Naaman shows us, there’s quite a difference. Naaman is an accomplished professional but suffering the most devastating affliction: leprosy. We get a sense of what a …Read More
I love this post from Glen… The frown, the pout, the head cocked, the bottom lip thrust out… who teaches toddlers how to sulk? It’s not a look we’ve tried to inculcate. It must be some kind of primeval muscle memory. Down the generations, identical whinges have emerged from three year olds, like secret lemon juice messages becoming visible under the iron. Children are marked with the sulking signature. When the heat is on, out it comes. Sometimes, if it’s …Read More
1. He’s the God He always said He was. 2. He’s the Saviour we always hoped He’d be. 3. He’s the Lord that the enemy always feared would triumph. 4. Death is dead. More than dead – it is defeated, humiliated, laid bare. 5. Jesus took our sins to the grave and left them there. 6. Jesus stepped out of the tomb into new life, and that new life is ours. 7. Our old lives are like the grave clothes left …Read More
Imagine a whole nation in slavery. What a terrible situation! Now…imagine that they need to be persuaded to escape. Their rescue is guaranteed by a God who won’t let them down. But still, they waver. There’s a big part of them that doesn’t want freedom. They know their place in Egypt, and there’s comfort in their chains. God says, “Come with me! I’ll set you free!” But they shrink back. Too dangerous. Too risky. So how does the Lord persuade them …Read More
When you’re in pieces know that God is here – with you – and He is holding them. In fact, there’s a good chance he allowed the breaking. It hurts; but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. You’re dying to what you were; and maybe what you want to be. But amidst the chaos, something new is forming. Something beautiful, that nothing can break. There’s a kind of breaking that’s demanded of all of us. A scattering; so that we can …Read More
I can’t change or control the world around me. But through Christ, I have a choice about how I respond when things are hard. I can choose to remind myself who I am in Him; or I can choose to try to manage life myself. I live in a broken world and I am broken. Doing the ‘right thing’ doesn’t make the bad things stop. Ordering things on the outside – my body, my house, my diary, my finances – …Read More
I’m a creature of habit. I find solace in routine; and I’m frightened by change. But like it or not, change is here to stay. And in the Lord’s providence, change is good – especially when it’s scary. Adam and Eve wanted to go back to the trees but no… they’re driven out east of Eden. The wilderness wanderers wanted to go back to Egypt but no… on through the desert to Canaan. The Israelites wanted to cling onto their old ways but no… exiled to …Read More
What do you do with the past? The ways you’ve been broken? The things that you broke? What do you do with the voices? The accusations? The lies? Jesus died. But not for me. Jesus died. But not for this. No. There is no sin that the cross does not cover. There is no pain that Christ cannot heal. Listen to this. A letter that a dear friend has written to her younger self. A letter that shows what it means …Read More
The accuser versus the Comforter; One condemns, the other convicts. One paralyses, the other empowers. One leads to self-hatred, the other to Jesus. One is soft and cruel, the other is gentle but firm. One says look to yourself, the other says look to Him. One says “you can’t make it better – so give up and despair.” The other says “you can’t make it better – and this is your hope.” One says “everything is bad and you cannot escape.” The other …Read More
I can’t do it. That thing. The habit I need to break. The phone call I keep putting off. The book I want to write. The truth I need to face. I can’t clean the oven. I can’t give up the smokes. I can’t take charge of my finances. I can’t care for my elderly parents. I can’t love my difficult child. I can’t get out of bed. I can’t say it’s over. I can’t give it another chance. I can’t do it …Read More
