What it takes to have fellowship with God (Psalm 15)
Ps 15:1-5 A friend with a burdened past was overwhelmed by God’s presence and love that she felt through the worshippers in a church. The service was simple (no hanging from the chandeliers kind of excitement), but it awakened her…
How best to evaluate biblical characters?
When I was teaching Old Testament in Bible college/seminary, some of my students interpreted biblical characters in a very black-and-white fashion. Either they decided that someone was praiseworthy and played up the good in them while ignoring the shady side…
The path of redemption (Judg 16:23-31)
Judg 16:23-31 During an evening course in my twenties, I met another young woman, and we soon discovered that we were both Christians. As we walked to the underground after class each week, we often had long conversations in front…
The source of our strength (Judg 16:15-22)
Judg 16:15-22 A few years after I came to faith, the Christian life became a heavy burden. My church background emphasised obedience and denying oneself and life with God turned into joyless drudgery. That summer, things came to a head,…
The power of desire (Judg 16:4-14)
Judg 16:4-14 Kipling in one of his Just So Stories (‘The Cat that Walked by Himself’) describes how the Cat manages step by step to wheedle his way into the cave where the Woman lives with her Man and her…
Why character matters (Judg 16:1-3)
Judg 16:1-3 In a youth group I co-led with a friend, there was a teenager who came to faith. Even after his commitment to Christ, the others thought him a little arrogant, a bit of a know-it-all. When he opened…
Awakening to God’s purpose (Judg 15:14-20)
Judg 15:14-20 Some people seem to know instinctively what is meant to be their purpose in life, a particular career, involvement in a church and its ministry, building a home and family or some combination of these. Their own desire,…
God has something better for us (Judg 15:9-13)
Judg 15:9-13 Rosaria Champagne Butterfield was an associate professor in the English Department of an American university in the 1990s. She had no time for Christians whom she considered intellectually shallow. However, when she was researching the Religious Right, she…
God works in mysterious ways (Judg 14:19-15:8)
Judg 14:19-20; 15:1-8 During his career, my father took it into his head to join a particular company. His first attempt was unsuccessful due to a coincidence (I forget now why). When he tried again years later, the respective wives…
How faithfulness may be eroded (Judg 14:10-18)
Judg 14:10-18 A fellow student I knew in the UK had a father who was the stereotypical Indian immigrant with his corner dairy and ambition to make a better life for his children. His daughter wanted to break out of…