Most folk who have ever sought after God can think of times when they have cried out, “If you’re there, why don’t you show me? I’m here and I want to know!” Yet God doesn’t always show up when we think He should. And it doesn’t seem fair. So why is it?
The word ‘daily’ in the Lord’s Prayer occurs nowhere else in extant Greek literature. Most scholars agree that this is not the correct translation: but are divided over what it should be. Why is this?
This posting arises from comments on the article, ‘Did Jesus Really Die?’ and explains more about the Christian concept of death.
If we see someone in a position of influence betray the standards they profess, most of us are not just reluctant ever to trust that person again: we even struggle with our memories of their past good deeds. Should we just write them off?
On a number of occasions, people I deeply trusted and admired as friends and outstanding Christians have betrayed the standards they openly avowed. The pain of it has at times been like a knife twisted in my gut. Is it possible to ever trust such people again?
A discussion on Goodreads recently raised the rather interesting question: why does the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead appear only in the gospel of John? After all, on the face of it, this was Jesus’ greatest-ever miracle: so if it did really happen, how come the other gospel writers don’t mention it?
Jeremiah is often known as a prophet of ‘doom and gloom.’ Yet, in the middle of a passage denouncing Israel’s sins and warning of coming judgement, we find this gem of encouragement – a manifesto concerning the true source of fulfilment in life and God’s agenda for bringing us into that place.
One of the hardest things for us to comprehend is what it really feels like to be someone else. If I bang my finger, I am in agony: but if you break your leg I can’t feel it. I can only try to empathize. For us, that is probably just as well. But there is someone who can truly understand…
It is a question that’s been asked, not just by agnostics and atheists, but many a disappointed enquirer and even many believers, frustrated by God’s seeming inaccessibility. There’s no single answer appropriate for every case: but I’d like to offer one key thought that can help our understanding
A recent discussion in LinkedIn’s ‘Books and Authors’ group raised questions about the proliferation of books and blogs, some of which are by people of very limited literary ability; and it got me reminiscing about someone I met many years ago…