It’s All a Matter of Reputation

Eli! Eli! Lama Sabachthani? When Jesus called out from the Cross, some standing there thought He was calling for Elijah. They misunderstood – He was actually quoting what King David had written a thousand years beforehand. Matthew and Mark both explain that the Lord was actually citing the opening lines of Psalm 22. The fact […]

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Daily Tests

Mrs. Moses’s cookbook surely had a special section on “A Thousand-and-One Ways to Fix Manna.” Unless I miss my guess, she had tried them all . . . many times. What potatoes are to Ireland, apples are to Somerset, cod is to Grimsby, and porridge is to Scotland, manna was to the wandering Hebrews for […]

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Pondering

One part of the Christmas story has recently come to speak to me – and it’s not even central to the story! It could almost be considered as an aside comment from Luke. You will find it in Luke 2:19, where he writes, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her […]

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Taste and See

I don’t know how you plan your shopping, but if you ever do a big shop in a supermarket, you’ll probably come across someone offering samples of this and that. If you time it right you can eat a pretty good lunch just by wandering up and down the aisles looking lost (which happens to […]

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The Father’s Presence

My office sits at the end of my garden. Often, when my children get home from school, that is where I will be. Working on a sermon, or perhaps doing some planning of some sort or another…my head in several books. As they enter the house, their Mum reminds them to not disturb me. “Daddy’s […]

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Sanctity of Life

Just how widespread is the practice of abortion? Are we making much ado about nothing, or do we have a full-scale issue deserving of our immediate attention? To begin with, let’s understand that medical authorities determine a person to be “alive” if there is either a detectable heartbeat or brain-wave activity. With that in mind, […]

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Routine Maintenance

Tyres – check! Seatbelts – check! Mirrors – check! Ignition – click, click, click . . . nothing. There’s an old proverb that says “a stitch in time saves nine.” It’s a proverb about preventive maintenance. It speaks about needlecraft, but the wisdom it contains applies elsewhere. Take care of things while they’re easy to […]

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Let’s Be Thankful for Angels

As I’ve said for years, it’s thanksgiving, not thankskeeping. So, let’s go there. Autumn…harvest…it is the best time of year to give thanks . . . to count our blessings. Have you counted your blessings lately? If not, allow me to prime the pump. Start with broad categories, such as family members, close friends, and […]

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Live Beyond the Daily Grind

It isn’t pretty, but it’s here to stay. It occurs in every life and in every season of the year. I call it the “daily grind.” Homemakers face fourteen-hour days with ever-present children and an endless grind of responsibilities. Students endure the grind of assignments, classes, deadlines, and exams. Salespeople have quotas to meet. Musicians […]

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