I recently heard someone say, "We don't deserve God's love and so, as Christians, we should be grateful that God loves us." Strange thing was, it didn't fill me with gratitude. It just upset my stomach. Somehow, being told I didn't deserve God's love didn't make me feel overly … [Read more...] about Gratitude, The Non-Crappy Version
Love
Charity
Charity is an old word that typically stood for the word 'love' in modern bible translations. It was not, first and foremost, thought of as a feeling but an act of self-giving for the sake of our neighbour. Charity is the manifestation of God's grace in human kindness, mercy … [Read more...] about Charity
Food and War
There is very little more discomforting than hunger. It has been used for millennia as a tactic of war and we have all seen the consequences of starvation pictured in the media. A look at the poetry from prisoners of war during WWI and WWII shows just how obsessed these men were … [Read more...] about Food and War
Jesus, Lord of all Rest
Jesus' Sabbath healings in John 5 result in persecution. But this does not stop Him doing them when he returns to Galilee in Luke 6. Quite the opposite, He starts doing them all the more. The two incidents in Luke 6 teach us that for God, the Sabbath is more about compassion … [Read more...] about Jesus, Lord of all Rest
When Love Takes Hold
John was a Disciple of Jesus. He was young, reckless and he was the one Apostle who lived to see all of those He loved die. John's self-description throughout his letters is usually, “the disciples whom Jesus loved.” This gives us insight into what it was that made John tick. … [Read more...] about When Love Takes Hold