To be Known and Remembered: Reflections on Psalm 103:14
Sometimes a verse from the Bible jumps out at me and I know I need to journey with it. I’ve always loved Psalm 103, but verse 14 recently spoke to me in a fresh way: “for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Immediately before the Psalmist had reassured us “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (v13). While there is some Hebrew parallelism at play in “he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” when the poet essentially repeats a sentiment for emphasis, I...
Read MorePermanence, Pervasiveness and Agency: Three Questions that help to get things into perspective
The old ditto goes “Two men looked out through prison bars, the one saw mud, the other, stars”. I have always been intrigued by the very different responses people have to the same situation. What is a catastrophe for one, is an exciting adventure for another, what leads to a response of indifference from one person, sees another almost besides themself with indignation. While the difference in people’s responses is interesting, I have come to realise that far more is at stake. Some responses are life serving and lead to health and wholeness, while others shrink us, and see...
Read MoreOn Beauty, Tragedy and New Possibilities…
Being in a brief nomadic phase, the final touches still being added to our new home, we decided a trip to Tasmania was in order. It’s been a great decision. I’ve only been here once before, and that was on a speaking tour which allowed limited time to explore the natural beauty. For Rosemary it is a first time visit. Each day has been filled with “wow”, “wow” and “wow” again. The natural beauty of Tasmania has to be seen to be believed, and I’m saying that during a winter visit, the time it’s least recommended to be here. Actually the weather has been...
Read MoreOn saying goodbye to a loved home…
As I write, our home packers are filling boxes and blanketing furniture. Tomorrow the removal van will whisk our earthly goods into storage for a month as we wait for our new home to be completed. When you read this it’s likely that our possessions will be in storage and we will be in our nomadic month, housed courtesy of family, friends and timeshare. Yes, our house (no, our home) of 17 years is sold, and will soon be part of an earlier chapter in our life. True, each ending is also a beginning and Rosemary and I have much to look forward to and gratitude is an underlying theme of our...
Read MoreBuilding in a Pause: Observing, Welcoming and Naming as a Path to Spiritual Growth
I’ve spend a fair amount of time thinking about spiritual formation – perhaps not too surprising since I’ve written a book on it (Stirrers and Saints) and have spent most of my life as a pastor or trainer of pastors. Naturally I always point people back to the tried and trusted resources of scripture, prayer, confession, worship, study, service, church involvement and the like. More recently I have been paying attention to what fosters deep inner growth – not simply the change of a few obviously unhelpful behaviours, but a genuine shift in posture to God, others, self...
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