[New Year 2019] The rhythm of nature and the certainty of the seasons are always a source of inspiration for me. There is so much of what we experience on a daily basis that encourages us to believe the Word of God with deep assurance. I have quoted Genesis 8:22 often. I am sure all…
Category: Christian, Bible Study
141. Hear…the sound of abundance
[Christmas 2018] I wonder whether we hear anything these days. When I was growing up my father taught me that ignoring people is bad manners. I had to look someone in the eye while that person was talking to me. It was almost like rejection or at least grave insult when you did not greet…
140. Deeply and fully covered in love.
[John 21] You had to know the fishermen of Galilee to write this account. Nighttime was the best for fishing. The catch described here is something that often happened on the lake. The man with the net relied on the call or bell of someone who sat at a higher place to see where the…
139. Go ahead…doubt and ask.
[John 20] The disciples were together in fear (20:19-23). They listened to the sounds of the street, also at night. When would the soldiers come? It was in this state of fearful waiting that they heard Mary knock. Her familiar female voice prompted them to open for her, hear her incredible news and race to…
138. He does what He said He would do.
[John 20] THE RESURRECTION Christianity as a whole is based on the Resurrection. It was customary to visit the tomb for three days after the burial. They also believed that the spirit of the person hovered for three days and only then departed. Thereafter the body would become unrecognizable through decay. For Jesus they could…
137. The cross and the grave.
[John 19:17-42] THE CROSS There was no death more terrible than by way of crucifixion. Even the Romans trembled by the thought and found it despicable. No Roman citizen could be crucified. For a Roman, execution was mostly beheading or forced suicide by drinking poison. Crucifixion was for slaves and criminals. The cross was originally…
136. The trial of Jesus – Pilate and Herod
[John 18:28-40 and 19:1-16 – Part 2] Pilate has always been a tragic figure in the events around the death of Jesus. I should probably not feel sorry for him, as he was cruel and hardened, with little regard for life. Even so, he was a product of the powerful, arrogant pagan empire he was…
135. The trial of Jesus.
[John 18:28-40 and 19:1-16] Part 1. In the literature of the world many books have been written on the trail of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels and sources outside the Bible. There is no doubt about the historical Jesus and the impact of His life and death on the history of Palestine in the…
134. A lonely man, a dark night.
[John 18] Everything that takes place in the dark is different from anything in daylight. People getting together during the day are working or visiting for a quick word or two. Lunch parties are so essentially unlike dinner parties. The evening brings a certain relaxation, a time frame that could be stretched. These days dressing…
132. Words of glory and truth.
[John17] In the very beginning of the study of John we have marveled at the miracle of a word becoming flesh. If I may repeat myself: St Augustine said in everything he ever knew about the world, everything he read and regarded as worth studying, he had never heard of a word becoming a man. [Pebbles…
Pebbles of Perpetuity 