“He was despised and rejected by men, A man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” Isaiah 53:3 NIV The faint sound of an infant’s cries, intermingled with the bleating of sheep, draws you toward the opening where the flickering of lantern light emits. The air, pungent with the lingering scents of animal waste, dampness and … Continue reading Advent – Week 3
Hands clasping the wheel, cars, people and scenery dissolved into the background. My mind replayed the recent Biblical counselling session, where awareness of a particular idol, embedded in my heart for years, had been revealed. Talking to the Lord about it and asking for forgiveness and guidance, a barrage of awareness of my many sins … Continue reading One Battle at a Time
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive To my cry for mercy. If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” Psalm 130: 1-4 With each stumbling … Continue reading Out of the Depths
Obedience is not a four-letter word. For many of us, however, it has the same connotations as those well-known derogatory ones, and submission is right there with it. I was quiet and obedient, as a child, with a rebellious heart. I followed the rules but inside I chafed and grumbled. Mostly inside. As an adult, … Continue reading Four-letter Words
A few weeks ago, I wrote about envisioning and touching a homeless person. Imagine with me, meeting a homeless man or woman. Their hair is matted and filthy. Lice are crawling through it and onto their forehead. Their clothes smell of feces and urine. Sores are evident on their grime-covered skin and you are sure … Continue reading Transference 2
Imagine with me, meeting a homeless man or woman. Matted, filthy hair covers their head. Lice are crawling through it and onto their forehead. The odour of feces and urine emanates from their tattered clothing. Open, oozing sores are evident on their grime-covered skin and you are sure they carry something contagious. Flies crawl across … Continue reading Transference
Have you ever had someone forget your name? A friend of ours, when we first knew each other, was talking to his wife and couldn’t remember my name. Fumbling to remember it, he called me Tatiana. None of us know where it came from, but it stuck, and to this day, that is what they … Continue reading What’s in a Name?
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!” Revelation 4:8b ESV The Lord was, the Lord is, and the Lord is coming again. Do you believe this? Don’t be quick to answer yes. We often respond too quickly to queries that require deep introspection. The LORD was. … Continue reading Was. Is. Coming.
January. It is the renowned month of fresh starts, new resolutions, hopes and dreams. My January started with the making of one birthday cake and two more looming on the horizon, our television seizing up and watching our firstborn drive off to his home, eight hours away. While these things are not terrible, they are … Continue reading Fresh Starts, New Starts
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, But my ears you have pierced; Psalm 40:6a NIV I guide the thin metal to the small hole and it slides smoothly to the opposite opening in the back of my earlobe. Quick and easy, I do it almost mindlessly, but I recall when I first got my … Continue reading Pierced Ears