God’s Word will never fail (Luke 1:37)
Luke 1:26-38 I was recently contacted by a former classmate of mine from secondary school who was organising a class reunion and consulting with everyone about possible dates. Given that about a third or more of us live abroad, it…
Preparing for the coming of the Lord
Luke 1:16-17; Isa 40:3-5 I love the Christmas season with its wonderful decorations, music and food and enjoy the different aspects of preparation from putting the Christmas tree up to baking mince pies while singing along to carols. Yet for…
Trust in the overruling power of God (2 Sam 16:1-14)
2 Sam 16:1-14 Before I went to study at Bible college/seminary, I told a Christian colleague about it in confidence. However, I soon found out that he went straight to my boss with the information because the latter called me…
Finding God in humbling moments: David’s journey (2 Sam 15:30-37)
2 Sam 15:30-37 In the year that I was finishing my university degree in Budapest and after an earlier tourist visit to Israel, I was hoping and praying that I might go back there for a gap year. Opportunities, however,…
Finding faith in unexpected places (2 Sam 15:13-29)
2 Sam 15:13-29 In my twenties, I was reading the Bible with a girl I met at an evening course. She was not a Christian but was interested to hear more and we used to sit in a local McDonalds…
Charm and manipulation: Lessons from Absalom (2 Sam 15:1-12)
2 Sam 15:1-12 A Christian friend gave up a prestigious job and a sizable salary to take on an IT role in a Christian organisation for much less pay. He was motivated to be of service to Christians and only…
The challenge of forgiveness and reconciliation (2 Sam 14:21-33)
2 Sam 14:21-33 I once attended an academic conference on the question of forgiveness. Biblical scholars in Old and New Testament, as well as psychologists and counsellors all weighed in on what forgiveness means, why it matters, how it should…
Getting a changed perspective on life (2 Sam 14:1-20)
2 Sam 14:1-20 A former Christian colleague in banking had a highly paid job in Hungary, but she became increasingly uncomfortable about the pressure put on employees to squeeze as much profit out of clients as possible. Yet, every time…
The inevitable need not be inevitable (2 Sam 13:20-39)
2 Sam 13:20-39 A friend of mine told me that she suffered from a controlling mother and lived through a lot of conflict as she rebelled and fought against her mother’s attitude in her growing-up years. Yet, when she had…
What kind of seeds do we sow? (2 Sam 13:1-19)
2 Sam 13:1-19 A friend whose husband was regularly abusive to her escaped him and was supported by her son as she was trying to build a new life on her own. However, when her husband died suddenly, her son…