“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”— Matthew 5:12 (ESV) “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”— James 1:2-3 (ESV) The words of Jesus […]
Read More OTKC 04: Rejoice in Persecution“And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” (Matthew 4:19 ESVUK) When Jesus called Simon Peter and Andrew by the Sea of Galilee, He wasn’t just inviting them into a new career – He was calling them into a life-transforming relationship with Him. His words, “Follow me,” still […]
Read More OTKC 03: Follow MeFrom that time, Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17 ESVUK) There’s a wonderful word to get someone’s attention in the area where I grew up in England. That word is “Oi!” Even typing it makes me chuckle as I recall the times hearing it. It’s not […]
Read More OTKC 02: RepentLaw and order. The two words apparently go together like “bread and butter”, “cats and dogs”, and, of course, “fish and chips”. The thinking is that the law maintains the order, and order is established through the law. This makes sense when we consider the world of games and sports. With the idea being to […]
Read More Observing the King’s Commands (OTKC) 01 – An IntroductionWhat does it mean to truly flourish? For many of us, it might conjure up images of success, happiness, or ticking off life’s goals. But flourishing is so much more than that. It’s about living fully—thriving in every area of life as God intended. It’s not about having a perfect life or avoiding challenges; it’s […]
Read More A Flourishing LifeIt’s what you expect. The way people talk about others says much about their judgement of them. A scandal emerges about an individual, and the buzz is that you’d expect that from that individual. A crime occurs, and an individual is “brought in for questioning”, and the message goes around that you’d expect that from […]
Read More Fruit: It’s What He ExpectsIt’s for decoration. That was the explanation for it. A tall glass cabinet housed dishes with carefully and beautifully designed patterns and pictures. The dishes, I was reliably informed, were there for decoration. It was the sign that this house had class and a dash of affluence. No one would ever use those plates to […]
Read More Function FactorsPlaydough – I think that’s what it’s called – is the substance used back in the day at school to make various shapes. It was all done by hand, tweaking and nudges, then setting so it would look recognisable or, in my case, totally unrecognisable. It was good fun playing with it, and so it […]
Read More Do Not Be Conformed …Life is based on something. What that something is determines virtually everything else about that life. Discovering what that something is opens doors of exploration that answer questions on behaviours, beliefs, and the sense of belonging. As well as answering questions, however, it sparks more questions on how the foundation was set, why it was […]
Read More Jesus, the FoundationJesus is all the world to me. Loner, though I have been in the past, I would not have made progress on the journey without a friend. I have found in Jesus the best friend I could ever have. He is very patient with me. I mess up often, and He doesn’t reject me but […]
Read More JJ24 #61: Next Steps in the Journey
Life With CD 