What do we choose: blessing or curse? (Judg 9:16-21)
Judg 9:16-21 During a gap year that I spent in Israel, a Jewish woman at a café struck up a conversation with me. She came from Poland and her father was a well-known rabbi in Eastern Europe who translated the…
Learning to see true reality (Judg 9:7-15)
Judg 9:7-15 I often wonder why certain things hold such an attraction for people that they cannot dispense with them. For each person who clings to activities or things, there will be another who feels no pull towards them. Thus,…
Who claims our allegiance? (Judg 9:1-6)
Judg 9:1-6 After WWII a man whose family was known to my father opened a bank in Hungary. The man convinced his siblings of the scheme, and they encouraged their relatives and friends in good faith to put their money…
What seeds do we sow? (Judg 8:28-35)
Judg 8:28-35 The house we are currently living in used to have a cactus at the end of a row of spider plants along the garage wall. When we moved in, that cactus was small, easy to care for and…
The challenge to keep growing in the faith (Judg 8:22-27)
Judg 8:22-27 A pastor in Hungary was serving a small church in the countryside. Like many that the Communist regime considered politically unreliable, he was barred from preaching in the capital, so his influence was limited despite his obvious talents.…
Why our motivation matters and how to discern it (Judg 8:18-21)
Judg 8:18-21 It is the typical format of whodunnits to keep an element of surprise until the end. As you read along and wonder who the murderer is, you are led down various promising avenues that turn out to be…
Facing temptations that come with success (Judg 8:4-17)
Judg 8:4-17 A man was looking for a parking space in a busy carpark. He prayed, ‘Please, Lord, help me find a space, pleeeeaaase’. He kept circling round but saw no opening and his prayer got more frantic with every…
How to respond to criticism well (Judg 7:24-8:3)
Judg 7:24-25; 8:1-3 In my early years of teaching, student feedback forms were the things I dreaded most. Under the cloak of anonymity, some used this opportunity to vent their anger at something I said or did, never thinking of…
The battle belongs to the Lord (Judg 7:15-23)
Judg 7:15-23 If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is that a pandemic cannot be overcome by an individual alone. Wise leadership is essential, but so is the co-operation of the rank and file. The ongoing mantra of the NZ…
The God of the impossible (Judg 7:9-14)
Judg 7:9-14 In his book, The Great Good Thing, Andrew Klavan tells his own story of coming to faith and he relates an incident when he felt overwhelmed by life and by his failures. He was working late that night…