Consider this

                If I had to pick one Old Testament story to teach from for the rest of my life, I would pick David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17).   It is familiar, easy to understand and full of lessons about important themes like fear, trust, faith, God and the nature of man.                   As I read through the incident one more time last week, I was struck by a new thought: “Why did Saul allow David to fight Goliath?”   Saul knew what was on the line.   The challenge stated that each army, the Philistines and the Israelites, would chose a warrior and they would fight each other.   The loser’s country would then become the slave of the winner.   With all that hung in the balance, why di...

                The way we see our circumstances is often as important as the circumstances themselves.   To illustrate that point, a Yale University professor told about a friend of his who had a job interview.   She got up early, dressed in her nicest clothes and arrived at office building early for her 11 o’clock appointment.   She took a seat in the waiting room and was somewhat surprised when, at 10:45, she was called into the room.   “They must be running early” she thought.                 A few days later the boss called and offered her the job.   He then mentioned that he was very impressed with how she handled herself despite the circumstances.   “What circumstances?” she...

                “If you are willing, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40).                 Leprosy was a terrible disease.   Not only did it disfigure and tear up one’s body, it also tore up everything the person held dear.   Lepers had to leave their homes, families, jobs and even their towns.   They had to shout “unclean” so that they did not come into contact with healthy people.   It was such a lonely existence that some referred to lepers as “the living dead” because they had lost everything that brought meaning to their lives.                 It is notable, then, that this man approaches Jesus.   Maybe he thought...

                Taking one last look at the Newfoundland coast before heading out over the Atlantic Ocean, Charles Lindbergh wondered what the next several hours would hold for him.   He had taken off from Long Island’s “Roosevelt Field” at 7:52 that morning and for the next eleven hours he navigated by spotting landmarks and comparing them to his numerous maps and charts.   However, that was about to change.   Now, in the dark and over the featureless ocean, he would have to rely on the two compasses that his airplane, The Spirit of St. Louis, carried.   As well, he would also have to make exact calculations on his charts, because being a few degrees off on this side of the ocean would mean that he would be hundreds of miles off course when he got to the oth...

                  I am the type of person that looks for patterns in everything.   I see pictures in the clouds (“Ooh, that looks like a monkey in a top hat”) and I often see faces in trees.   It should be no surprise, then, that when I approach the Bible, I look for patterns.                   One of the benefits of looking for scriptural patterns is that it allows us to learn from passages that we would overlook otherwise.   Mark 1:29-31 is a good example.   It says, “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and h...

Many years ago, our Bible college honoured a couple who had been good givers to the school. To look at them, you would not know that they were good givers, or that they even had the means to be such.   They did not drive new cars.   They did not own a big house.   They certainly never talked about how much money they made.   Apparently, though, they were very generous. As the ceremony was winding down, someone said, “The best part about this couple is that they gave without remembering”.   I have never forgotten that phrase, because it struck me as being such a rare thing.                 I know some generous people, but I also know that some of those generous people find it hard not to talk about all the good they have done.   I know some people ...

                I like those “Spot the Difference” puzzles where you are shown two almost identical pictures and then must figure out what changed from one to the other.   In a Biblical version of that game, I am going to give you a passage of scripture that retells an Old Testament story.   Your job is to tell me what detail has been left out.                 “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren – was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.   And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore” (Hebrews 11:11-12).                      ...