Intreat …"The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.” 1 Timothy 5:2 [KJV] Hebe Veronica I recently tried to help someone herd some cattle. However, the cattle clearly didn’t think I looked particularly scary, because now and then a steer would bolt, the mob would scatter in three different directions, and we would have to round them up again. Later, the person I was ‘helping’ said kindly, “There’s nothing quite so unpredictable as a mob of young ca

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” John 17:17 [KJV] Wood stove I’ve recently been house-sitting in the country. One evening, as a storm rattled the house, I sat ‘cosied up’ by the wood heater in the lounge room. The glow of the charring wood mirrored my inner satisfaction: after two failed attempts, I was confident that I had built a fire that would burn for hours. You see, I’m still learning how to run a wood heater. So far, I’ve discovered that if you d

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 [KJV] Hawthorn berries “What are you doing to reach your Jerusalem?” I remember hearing this question about five years ago. Our church was letterboxing tracts for Easter or Christmas. Above the table stacked with bundles of tracts and invites, hung a large map of the

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 [KJV] Last week, I gave a speech in one of my Bible College classes. The topic was ‘illness’, so I shared what the Lord has been teaching me through chronic illness. Looking back over God’s goodness throughout the last decade was such an encouragement to m

“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Proverbs 25:28 [KJV] Last week, I was sitting at my desk when I suddenly felt very downhearted. A heavy emotional weight settled on me, my eyes turned weepy, and my thoughts spiralled. Is all this study just filling my head with knowledge? Is there any purpose in what I’m doing in life? What if I’m wrong about, well, everything? Then I paused. Why was I thinking like this? Mome

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 11:22 [KJV] Pink Easter lilies Lately, Easter promotions are everywhere in the supermarket. In the lolly aisle, it’s all about chocolate bunnies and eggs. In the bakery, hot cross buns appear in increasingly strange flavour combinations. In the deli, signs advertise ‘Fish for Lent’. And in the outdoor section, a l

“And there was one Anna, a prophetess …she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Luke 2:36-38 [KJV] Have you ever been surprised by the kind of person God chooses to use? Our church is currently studying the lives of the Apostles, and–let’s