I recently watched a series on Netflix (Marvel Comic’s Jessica Jones) where the villain had the most terrifying superpower I could imagine: to be able to mind-control people and make them do anything he tells them to.Continue reading
Tag: Christian living
Grace and Jeffery Dahmer
Grace. You might know it as a girl’s name or a prayer at meal times, but that is not the amazing kind of grace I want to talk about here.
Grace is a Biblical concept that basically means getting something we don’t deserve (sometimes paired with the term mercy, which means not getting what we do deserve). For instance, getting a promotion when we deserve to be fired, or getting a prize when we deserve a fine.
Christians talk about the grace of God in terms of us receiving His undeserved, free forgiveness which is not earned by moral living, but accepted as a gift, through faith.Continue reading
Is there an alternative reality?
Do you ever think – “what if?” What if I had married my first love? What if I had pursued my dream to …? What if my parents hadn’t divorced? What if I hadn’t tried drugs/ fallen pregnant/had that car accident?Continue reading
If I were king
Do you sometimes wish you could be in charge of the universe and make all the rules? I think many of us believe we know best how others should live and wish we could tell them!
Continue readingYou’re in the army now
Published in the African Military edition
When one joins the armed forces one is required to wear a uniform, to obey orders unquestioningly, to work in close co-operation with others, to focus on a common goal and to subordinate one’s own identity and desires to those of the organisation.
Each member of an army, navy or air force uses his or her abilities and training, which are often acquired in the military, to promote and serve their country through that corps.Continue reading
Is prayer impotent?
After the recent school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, Senator Ted Cruz tweeted, “Heidi and I are keeping all the students and faculty at Santa Fe High School in our prayers this morning, along with all first responders on the scene.”
This sparked a vicious reaction on Twitter.
Continue readingHarry Potter meets Jesus
If you are someone who generally finds church a bit boring but loves the Harry Potter books and movies, then Leverington Church in Philadelphia has an unusual sermon series that might just pique your interest.
Entitled Harry Potter meets Jesus this set of seven short talks by Pastor Langdon remains true to both the Bible and the novels and brings out some fascinating parallels that are sure to make both more interesting to a generation of readers that have been influenced what is arguably ‘the most popular cultural phenomenon of our time’.Continue reading
Infinite variety and you
References to Australia paper July 2021
One of the wonderful things I love about God is that He is a God of infinite creativity and variety. Look at the world He has made; all the thousands of zebras, giraffe and tigers, and not one of them has the same markings as any other. Think of all the human beings who have ever lived, and not one of us has the same fingerprints. Even every single one of billions and billions of snowflakes is unique! Look at leaves for instance. There are so many varieties of shapes and sizes and variations of colour in them. And yet they are all distinct in their species so that we can know an oak leaf from a fig leaf or a palm leaf anywhere. Did you know that there are 26 different species of flea on a stoat?!
Continue readingGetting Grateful
Christmas 2021
This Christmas, the second Covid Christmas of the world, it would be easy to focus on the negative – foreign holidays we can’t go on, overseas family that we can’t see, online gifts that are delayed or unavailable. There may also be the more serious issues of a loved one passed or sick from Covid (or some other illness or accident), a lost job, less money due to reduced hours or lockdowns, or relationships that have failed due to enforced distance or smothering closeness.
American author Max Lucado says, “The good life begins not when circumstances change but when our attitude toward them does.”Continue reading
The answer to everything
Have you ever seen a bumper sticker that says “Jesus is the answer” or heard someone say it? And maybe you thought “The answer to what – what was the question?”Continue reading