A child’s greatest fear is separation from their parents. While few of us are likely to have experienced outright abandonment, some have. It is an unimaginable tragedy. Others of us may have experienced the lesser calamity…

We’ve all seen that dramatic scene in a movie when a condemned criminal is asked for his final wish before facing execution. Typically they request their favourite meal, or a chance to make one final proclamation…

We’ve all been there. Either by getting caught up with the wrong crowd, or simply through our own weakness and misjudgement, we’ve made a terrible mistake. We said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing, or failed to…

To Christians, nothing captures our collective imagination quite like Heaven. We read a lot about Heaven in the Bible (nearly 700 references!), we preach about Heaven, talk about it, sing about it, and…

My wife and I enjoy to walk together in the morning. We live near a bay and are often reminded of the beauty of God’s magnificent creation all around. On a recent cloudy day our experience was enhanced…

I don’t know about you, but the older I get the more aware I have become of my failings and weaknesses. There’s something about the ‘ravages of life’ that strips away any pretence of self-righteousness or…

Growing up in Portland near the Oregon Coast, my earliest impression of the ocean was the large foreboding waves of the icy North Pacific. An Oregon beach is rugged and majestic. Not a place for sun…

John Adams, the second President of the United States, once said “People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity“ (https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/john-adams/).The American…

Have you ever heard any of these pithy proverbs? “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ―Benjamin Franklin. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” ―Abraham Lincoln. “All things are ready, if our mind be so.” ―William Shakespeare…

Have you ever noticed how the little things in life can often make the biggest difference? How many times have we read the famous story about blind Bartimaeus, recorded in Mark 10:46-52? I recall first hearing it in Sunday School as a child. There’s even a southern gospel song about it…