Along the edges of the vines in the vineyards near where we live are beautiful roses. While many might think the roses are there for aesthetic reasons, the real reason is not so romantic. The roses are there to die! They are planted as many of the diseases and bugs that might attack the vines… Continue reading 1Pet 2v24 – Roses on edge it vines
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
Every day, within minutes of waking up, you will use your greatest power – a power to create or crush, help or harm, delight or depress – with the words that you speak. God set the example at the waking of our universe. “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis… Continue reading Eph 4v29 – Creative power
Someone has just said something offensive or unkind to you. Before you have time to think, you respond angrily. What is it about human nature that it always seeks to justify itself, always chooses the wrong words, and always says hurtful words instead of being silent or saying kind, loving words? Jesus promises to live… Continue reading Jam 1v19 – Slow to speak
Campfire. It’s a word that, for most, will ignite a range of pleasant memories. Stories. Laughter. Friends. Peace. Warmth. Safety. Watching the logs crackle as the orange light dances across the faces of those around the fire brings pure joy. However, sometimes one of the logs starts to smoke, which can ruin the experience. There’s… Continue reading Mat 12v20 – Smoking log
It’s one of the most classic Bible stories known by believers and non-believers alike. It’s the story of Jonah and the whale. Yet, while some may laugh and others marvel, God uses this divine story to share a life-changing message. We may start the story as observers, but we end it rooting for Jonah and… Continue reading Jon 4v11 – The Unlikely Hero
Petrified trees are amazing! They look exactly like a tree but are solid stones. They are created when a tree is buried by sand and water. Over time the organic material is replaced by minerals, cell by cell. Water containing dissolved minerals flows through the buried tree replacing the organic material, preserving the tree’s shape… Continue reading Eze36v26-27 – Stone trees
My dad was a Saw Doctor. It’s what someone who sharpens saws and blades is called. He loved the title as it often had people calling him Doctor, which he was, but just not for the kind of “sores” they thought. Sharpening blades involves holding the blunt blade against a fast-moving grindstone. There are lots… Continue reading Pro 27v17 – Sharp!
A simple Google search of self-help books will come up with various options to improve your life for the right price. Thousands of years before Kindle and Amazon became digital libraries, there was a different best-selling book of its time, the book of Proverbs. Back then, there was one influencer whose teachings brought wisdom to… Continue reading Pro 26v20 – The Self-Help Expert
What characteristics would your friends use to describe you? Would they say you are mindful of your actions and always strive to put everyone else’s feelings before your own? Or would they say you mainly focus on your own wants and needs? In Proverbs 20:11, we read: “Even a child is known by his deeds,… Continue reading Pro 20v11 – The child’s behaviour