Another thing we notice in this highly structured creation account of Genesis 1 is that God does things intentionally here. God chose to create this thing here, and then that thing there.There was a reason for everything. There is a logic, some of which we can make out in Genesis 1, and some that only …
When we read the creation account in Genesis 1, we are struck by a few things that are often repeated. One is the sense of order here. Yes, I know we can wonder about some of the details on certain days. How can there be light prior to the sun, for example? Did the plants …
It is easy to feel kind of hopeless right now. The world is a mess. (It always is, of course; yet the prominent wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the incredible increase in the cost of living amplify this feeling). There is a lot to legitimately complain about. Perhaps you have found yourself …
Genesis 1:2 describes what the earth was like after God’s initial creative work. “Without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep”. That sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? The Hebrew of the first section is very poetic; “without form and void” in Hebrew is “bohu and tohu”. The earth was a dark …
The church is not an event run by professionals who do all the ministry while everyone else receives it. No, the Biblical model of church has everyone involved in service. We see this clearly in Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4:11-16 set up a pattern of how the church is supposed to operate. And it is so …
Have you found yourself constantly complaining about everything? Only seeing the negative, and always being angry? Those of us who know Jesus have so many reasons to see the world in a more positive light! We have so much now, and such hope for the future. My third book is being published this month through …
Christians are people who love and honour Jesus. We think that Jesus is the greatest gift and most important person ever. Jesus taught people to love God and one another; so why then are people so offended by us speaking about Jesus? Galatians 6 can help us understand this. In v12, Paul returns to the …
We live in an era of many opportunities to escape the real world. Different people will do this in different ways. Some will be physically walking through the world but absorbing none of it due to the music playing in their headphones and the mobile phone up against their face. Others will go into social …
I love to read. In theory, I like to read literary fiction, and when I am relaxed and not too tired, I still do. Give me a good Russian novelist or a Booker Prize winner and I am pretty sure I would enjoy it. Yet, if I am honest with myself, I am often not …
It is human nature to notice the things that are wrong rather than the things that are right. We complain about traffic so quickly, but don’t revel in a smooth car trip quite so much. We love to tell others about bad experiences we have had with customer service, but don’t leave positive feedback when …