Nature versus nurture. A common debate. Scientifically, we can view this debate as genetics vs epigenetics. Genetics is the DNA we are born with, the unalterable part of us, and epigenetics is the expression of the underlying gene code. The field of epigenetics shows how external factors, such as stress, can affect gene expression patterns… Continue reading Nature vs Nurture
There is an extraordinary tumbleweed plant that blows across the desert. Called the resurrection plant, it may have been dead for 100 years until one day, it blows into a puddle of water. Within minutes, it comes to life, unfurling its dead fronds. Then, if rain falls on it, within hours, flowers appear, and seeds… Continue reading 1Co 15v52 – The resurrection plant
While out on a walk, my wife and I came across a plant with the unflattering name of Snot Rose or, more pleasantly called, the poppy-flowered sundew. When touched, long silvery strands attach to your finger and stretch out as you draw your hand away. Its clever technique is to stick to insects and draw… Continue reading Col 1v17 – Divine connections
How are you feeling Today? Stressed, tired, overwhelmed? Too much to do and too little time to do it? Anxious about your finances and the future? Worrying about the state of your country? Or do you start the day with a heart full of joy and peace? A heart at rest. If not, you are… Continue reading Psa 118v24 – Rest in this
There are many animals that people are excited to see in game reserves. However, one that is not usually high up on the to-see list is the warthog. These beauty-challenged pig-like animals with their wart protrusions are often ignored as people seek out lions, leopards, elephants and other greater beasts. However, watching them on a… Continue reading Psa 95v6 – Warthogs
It’s a perfect evening. We are sitting on our camping chairs right at the edge of the massive fish river canyon in Namibia. A glass of wine in hand and the golden African sun slowly sinking below the horizon. There is no one else around, just the sound of the wind and the birds chirping… Continue reading Isa 26v3 – Try His peace
How do we get closer to God? How do we talk to God? How do we hear God? These are questions we’ve all had at some time. Non-believers sometimes ask, “If God spoke to people so often in the Bible, why has he stopped doing so today?” Most Christians would answer that God still speaks… Continue reading Psa 24v1 – Hearing God
It’s soft, beautiful, and life-giving and appears to be able to be contained and controlled by hard materials like concrete and steel…until it isn’t, as we found out. A massive amount of rain had fallen on the nearby mountains, and soon the water was rushing down everywhere to our village below. Channels built to contain… Continue reading Pro 21v30 – Soft vs hard
There is a part of South Africa we love visiting in spring called the Namaqualand. The wildflowers that bloom after good winter rains are awe-inspiring. They remind me of Jesus’ words; “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all… Continue reading Mat 6v28-29 – Better than flowers
Did you know an olive tree can live for 2000 years? The average life of an olive tree is 300 to 600 years, while the average lifespan of a human is only 70 years. Where an olive tree’s life is measured in centuries, our lives are only measured in decades. David contemplates this in the… Continue reading Psa 52v8 – Eternal Olive Trees