Bible Study

I remember as a teenager browsing in a bookstore and coming across a title, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” written by a Jewish Rabbi. It is a question that comes up over and over again, and I am often asked to give my opinion on the subject.

My answer is always, “your free will” which most people don’t want to hear, because they want to blame God or something outside themselves for tradgedy. I often quote C.S. Lewis who said that God must have thought givi…

As I accumulate birthdays I am fond of telling people “getting older is not for wimps!” If we are privileged to reach advancing age it goes without saying that certain challenges become inevitable as youthful capability fades. No one promised us that life would get easier! I choose to accept the tradeoff of more birthdays for the joy of enjoying friends and family and fellowship.

Being a Jesus-follower is not for wimps either. There are demonstrable benefits to being a committed Christ…

There is a famous placcard issued by the UK Government during World War II which says “Remain Calm and Carry On”. The bright red backgound, stylized crown and white lettering has become a pervasive meme in social media for difficult and/or troubling circumstances. Perseverance is also a central theme in Christian life. The journey of faith is not always easy, yet Scripture repeatedly reminds us that endurance through trials produces strength, maturity, and ultimately eternal reward. From the …

I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of hearing or reading a word for the first time, or perhaps one we’ve forgotten for a long time, and then it suddenly seems to appear in every piece of media we consume. So it was for me this last week with the simple word “power” — Political Power, Military Power, Solar Power, Girl Power,… and on and on. The usage that struck me was Spiritual Power.

Scripture reveals a profound truth: spiritual power is not merely human strength amplified, but the…

Try to imagine an endeavor that does not benefit from having a coach or mentor. Just about every sport you can think of employs coaches from toddlers playing soccer to professional tennis players. The job of the coach is to convince you that “yes, you can” when your body or skill level says “no I can’t”!

On the cosmic level the story of God’s work in human history is not one of flawless heroes but is replete with ordinary men and women whose frailty becomes the stage for divine strengt…

Many times these thoughts of mine are a result of circumstances that I am living through but are common to all of us. Many of you will know that my wife of 54 years and I are facing times of uncertainty due to her health challenges, but as I commented to a friend the other day I am practising “passing the buck” — casting all my cares on Jesus who cares for us. The temptation is to let anxiety turn into a fearful future, so I turn to scripture for advice.

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous …

One of the great blessings of the Christian life is the availability of timeless scripture with advice, counsel and reassurance for challenging situations. When life gives us lemons, scripture gives us lemonade sweetened by the presence of the Holy Spirit. A particularly well-loved passage can be found in Psalm 23 — one of the most beloved and quoted passages in all of Scripture. Written by King David, it has comforted millions across generations with its assurance of God’s presence, provisio…

I often hear people expressing an opinion that every circumstance in their life must be part of God’s plan for them. This leads to a confusing point of view that has a loving and compassionate God creating tragedy and painful circumstances seemingly on some whim!

I assert that not everything that happens is part of God’s plan (despite insurance companies claiming that natural disasters are “Acts of God”), but rather that He can adapt and weave unpleasant experiences in…