By Gerard Manley Hopkins

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

So tell me, what do you think these words mean?

“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17)
As a Jesus follower, I am committed to living LIKE Jesus in the details of my life.
Not just being religious (going to church, praying before meals, reading bible, etc.
Following Jesus is about how you spend money, how I treat my spouse.
How I handle disagreements, how I respond to a health concern.
It is in the ordinary daily details – whatever I do – as I seek to live LIKE Jesus. Continue reading ‘Ordinary, everyday discipleship’ »

I recently spoke on the idea that Jesus still speaks to us, by His Spirit, in our hearts. I described what happened to the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). The spiritual ‘heart burn’ was how I described the Spirit of Jesus speaking to their hearts. This is something that I personally experience when I read the bible. Let me explain how Jesus speaks to me when I read the bible. Continue reading ‘How does Jesus speak to me?’ »

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Every day for the last 10+ years I have been posting my reflections here.
I am so thankful to ‘tdk’ for supporting me with his own reflections on the blog.
Someone recently asked me WHY I post my reflections here.

First I want to clarify what my reasons are NOT.
I am NOT writing these reflections because I am a minister, and I get paid to do it.
I am NOT writing these reflections to impress people how pious and holy I am.
I am NOT writing these reflections to teach people what they should think or believe.
I am NOT writing these reflections to excuse you from doing your own reflecting. Continue reading ‘Why do I post my bible reflections?’ »

What do you think?

Over 20 million people in South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen are at risk of starvation due to famine. If the world doesn’t respond soon, millions of people could die for lack of food. In parts of South Sudan, famine has already been declared by the United Nations. This means some have already started dying of hunger. You can help…

What do you think?

What do you think?

What does faith look like when things don’t go as planned? What does it mean to trust the Lord through times of fear, frustration or uncertainty?

At this very moment, we are playing the real estate waiting game. We are waiting for offers on our house – and none have come yet (and it’s 4pm). To make matters worse, the house we are offering on has three registered offers.

My heart is beating faster, my mind is all over the place, and I can’t relax. My agent here reminded me to “Keep breathing, keep the faith, stay positive!” My agent there reminds me every time I talk him that every day is a great day with God. (Where would I be without these great spiritual encouragers???) And here I am, the one who preaches faith, giving in to waves of fear. This is all present moment, everything will likely be different a few hours from now. But right now, I am being attacked by anxious thoughts. Satan is playing games in my head.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

I keep repeating these words, “The Lord is near!” (Philippians 4:5) The above picture comes to mind as I feel like I am drowning in negativity. Its a picture from the perspective of someone that is sinking. Looking up, you see Jesus’ feet on the water, His face looking down in love. And His hand reaching down, offering to pull me up out of the depths.

I am choosing to look up, to reach up, and to give my situation to Him. I am choosing to affirm words of joy, of hope, of peace, and to hand over my anxieties to Him. The feelings remain, but I am not giving in to them… I refuse. I am confident in this, this will all work out for the best in the end. For now, I will hang on through the storm; He will lead me safe to shore!

I can see His face above the waters… can you?

(I’ll let you know later how this all worked out.)