Colossians 1.15:23 is Hymn to Christ that predates Paul's usage of it here. This "hymn" was the first Bible passage to truly capture my imagination. And by “imagination” I mean my mind, my heart and my very being. In these words I learned my first Greek word. I bought a Gk-Heb dictionary soon after my... Continue Reading →
‘What’s in a Nain? - Raising the Widow’s Son (Luke 7:11-17) Every detail in the Gospel stories carries various degrees of meaning and clues. What’s in a Nain? Nain is a very small town just about 14/5 miles south of Nazareth. Both towns overlook the notorious Valley of Jezreel. ‘Jezreel’ a combination of two words: ... Continue Reading →
Mark 10:46-52 Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David,... Continue Reading →
A short devotional reading of Mark 6:53-56 They landed in Gennesaret - on the NW side of Sea of Galilee, just south of Capernaum. This is the historic land allocation of the Tribe of Naphtali. In Deuteronomy (33:23), the blessing of Moses to this tribe reads: “And of Naphtali he said, ‘O Naphtali, sated/abounding with... Continue Reading →
Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything under the sun. Birth, death, planting, healing, mourning, dancing, etc. There are times and seasons in our lives, and in the life of our church. There are seasons for this or that. A permanent this or that is never a good idea. For ministry and... Continue Reading →
Does your mind leap from one thing to another? Has your mind made yet another leap since you started reading? Have you often found yourself restless in prayer? Not quite like going cold-turkey from a busy life, but not far off either! Is it a triumph when concentration exceeds 20 seconds? Do the thoughts... Continue Reading →
Below is a wonderful hymn by Kim Fabricius. I can't sing very well, so if you'll join me in praying it I'll be delighted! Lord, behold a wretched sinner (Tune: Quem pastores laudavere) Lord, behold a wretched sinner, from the outer to the inner; at repentance, rank beginner: day and night my conscience cries.... Continue Reading →
If We… If we were on the Air France plane that crashed into the Alps, we would be dead. If we were born just one caste above the pathetic Untouchables of India, we would despise them. If we were carried on Empires wings to far flung places, we would have had black ‘servants’. If we... Continue Reading →
I was walking the dogs recently and came across this lamp-post, an unusual vision that stopped me in my tracks. It is clearly an older light, probably not even working, neglected and almost over-run with, what my kids used to call "nature"! It reminded me of two possibilities for a believer in Christ: First, positively,... Continue Reading →
A short reflection used throughout a candlit carol service at church. Ironies of the Nativity in Matthew 2 2:1 “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea…” Bethlehem. The ancestral birth place of the Great King David, through whose line the promised Messiah would come. So Jesus was born of a royal human line... Continue Reading →
Gralefrit Theology 