“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Hebrews 6:11-12

Tag: jesus

  • Chickens, Elephants, and the Illusion of Freedom

    Recently I was visiting a poor rickshaw driver’s family in their home. Our teammates have befriended this rickshaw driver, and treated him well, witnessing to him in word and deed. They live in a field behind a large mosque, with a handful of other small one-room dwellings. Their entire living space is about 7ft by…

  • The Blessedness of Kind Mother-in-laws

    Mother-in-laws (MILs) can be the recipients of some bad stereotyping in the West. I’ll say it clearly at the start for the record: My Mother-in-law is great! And for a lot of people in the Western world, the stereotype doesn’t have as much bearing as perhaps it did at some point in time. Recently, we’ve…

  • The Bridling of Death

    Why are we, in the West, so uncomfortable with death? Last year Dee and I took a short break in Portugal. It was outside of tourist season, so it was easy to relax. In this Atlantic coastal area, there was plenty to do and see. One day we hiked along the cliffs, as the sun…

  • The Master of the Nets

    On a lakeshore in Northern Israel stood two men; two experts in their respective fields. One, a fisherman who could mend a net with his eyes shut, who could stand in his vessel on choppy waters without losing balance, who knew the feeding times of the many shoals hidden beneath the surface, whose calloused hands…

  • A Smog-Filled City and a Murky Pond

    This is (finally) the first guest post from my insightful wife, Dee. Hopefully lots more to come! – Dónal I sit on a swing in the park, as I do every morning, gently rocking back and forth. I look out through the grey haze and through the tree branches, towards the murky green lake in…

  • Moses’ First Christmas

    Did Moses look on that first Christmas night? A man who knew what it was to live in the tension of the come-yet-stay-away God, he wandered the wilderness, beckoned by God from the bush, yet immediately warned, “do not come near“. He learned early to hide his face, afraid to look at the God he…

  • A Voice in the Wilderness

    As daytime eased into nighttime, the animals began to sing their song. In this oasis of greenery, situated outside the capital city with all its clamour of horns honking, sellers shouting, power-tools working… there was peace. During the day, we had walked around the beautiful gardens of the retreat centre, our kids insisting on swimming…

  • The World As I’ve Seen It

    Dealing With Doubt – Part 3 I’ve seen too many facesAll shining like the sunI’ve seen too many skies on fireLike the face of the Holy One I’ve seen too many eyes wide openThat once were so blindAll burning with the beauty of the same loveThe same love that opened mine. This is the final…