I was recently at a shop looking at a book about plants in the area. It struck me how, without thinking of the significance, we have a desire to name and know the names of things. Every human, plant, mammal, bird, insect, street, ocean and even star has a name. If life came from nothing… Continue reading Exo 34v5 – Named
At 103 years old and a survivor of Auschwitz’s horrors, Ella Blumenthal is seated in front of a packed auditorium. She beams her smile as laughter rolls across the audience in response to her sharp sense of humour. The audience is enraptured as Ella shares snippets of her life, from the cutting loss of all… Continue reading Isa 43v18-19 – Looking forward
We recently had the privilege of hiking in the Cederberg area of South Africa. This is a remarkable part of the world with the most incredible, massive rock formations. It struck me how solid these rock sculptures are – unmoving, unchanging, and secure. It made me appreciate why King David often refers to God as… Continue reading Psa 62v7 – The Rock
When you get up in the morning, how do you prepare yourself for the day? Shower, brush your teeth etc. And then, when you are all showered and cleaned – a quick spray of deodorant so you smell fresh and good for others. Like we seek to please others with our fresh aroma, God also… Continue reading Eph 5v2 – Smelling great
Many roads where we live are named after people who I assume were once well-known. However, now few know who they are. The tradition of naming things after people happens all over the world., but after a few generations, most have no idea who the person was. In Psalms 49:11-13 we read about those who… Continue reading Mal 3v16 – Street names
Falling is never something we want to do. Think about riding a bike; you will never tell yourself, “Yeah, I think I’ll just go ahead and fall right over there”. We usually try to avoid such experiences. However, if you have noticed someone who is very good at a sport, you will have also noticed… Continue reading Psa 56v4 – Falling for God
A house typically has many rooms. A room for preparing meals. A room for sleeping in. A room for ablutions. But there is one room every house needs, and while some think they don’t need it, it should be the biggest room of all. It’s the room for improvement. We are the house, and whatever… Continue reading Luk 5v31-32 – No room for improvement
A long time ago, there was a family who lived in the land of Canaan. One of the sons was the dad’s favourite. His brothers envied and hated him for this. They wanted to kill him but instead sold him as a slave to Egypt. Here life was terrible. He was falsely accused of a… Continue reading Gen 50v21 – Unexpected kindness
Life is complex and full of issues and challenges. We struggle to solve our problems. We wrestle with anxiety. We carry heavy burdens. Yet amid all this, young children have total peace and joy. They live in faith and trust. And this trust is abundantly answered. They provide nothing for themselves, and yet everything is… Continue reading Luk 18v17 – The Father’s house
We were recently hiking in the Cederberg, a stunning area of South Africa with incredible rock formations and many Khoi-San paintings in the caves along the paths. This is amazing evidence that these tribes once lived in this area. People came from all over the world to see these paintings. Yet it is a sad… Continue reading Psa 95v6 – The Creators