I find etymology, the study of the origin of words and their meanings, intriguing. One example is found in Proverbs 12:25, which reads: “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up”. The word “worry” comes from the Old English word “wyrgan”, initially meaning “strangle.” If you’ve ever grappled with intense anxiety,… Continue reading Pro 12v25 – Releasing the strangle
War in Ukraine, war in the Middle East. Drug violence, gun violence, robberies, hijackings. We are in a world living in fear, where violence is occurring in every continent of the world. If you are feeling despondent or fearful, God wants you to put your hope in His promised future, which will last forever. “In… Continue reading Mic 4v3 – God’s future
“Riches, honour, and long life” (Proverbs 22:4). Security and protection from harm. (Proverbs 19:23.) Escape from the “snares of death” (Proverbs 14:27). True wisdom. (Psalm 111:10). This is the incredible life our Heavenly Father promises us. But there is one thing he requires first to experience these blessings. If you look up the verses above,… Continue reading Psa 31v19 – Awesome Fear
Do you trust God? Most Christians would answer, “Yes”. Do you trust God at all times? Now, this may be harder to answer. When life is going well, we can quickly begin to trust our bank balance or, our health or our intellect. God isn’t forgotten; it’s just we don’t need him now. But what… Continue reading Psa 62v8 – Trust God always
I’m flying, and the pilot comes on and says we are travelling 10km high up in the sky at 1000 km/ h. Outside, the temperature is -30c. Yet here I sit writing this gospel bite, totally comfortable. It’s crazy. It’s only because I’m encased in this metal flying bird that this is possible. Outside the… Continue reading Psa 91v2 – Amazing Flying
Our bed was our island oasis in a house filled with rising water during a recent flood. We had a floor fan that we were using to monitor the water level. The rain continued unabated, and the water level had already reached 30cm. We were completely at the mercy of God. How often in life… Continue reading Psa 32v6 – Rising waters
On a warm Sunday afternoon in September, while enjoying a barbecue, we noticed thick black smoke coming from our neighbour’s property. Going across, we found a wooden cabin in flames. By the time the flames were extinguished, it was just a shell. Thankfully, the tenant, a young student, was out, but all his belongings were… Continue reading Psa 91v11 – Divine Care
It’s 5:44 am. The waters are still rising around our bed. It’s dark, and the rain continues its torrential downpour. Our entire house is flooded. We had just spent months renovating it and getting it set up to run as an Airbnb. Our first guests had just left and we returned to stay. And now…I… Continue reading Pro 24v3-4 – Flooded House
Our family were travelling in a busy town in Botswana. I was busy typing a message about the time we would be arriving at the border. I was about to type “3pm” and was thinking of putting “God willing” after the time, but then I decided we shouldn’t have delays. Two seconds later, we were… Continue reading Jam 4v15 – God willing
I was walking between our house and my daughter and son-in-law’s house, which is nearby, and I noticed how there is a worn path in the grass marking the route we all seem to take. Typically the reason for a worn path is because this is the shortest and easiest route between two points. As… Continue reading Isa 42v16 – Worn path