Like a dog chasing its tail, I could spend hours a day following my children around trying to keep the house in order. A few days neglect and the washing basket is overflowing. A morning of schoolwork and the dining room table and floor are covered with scraps of paper, pencils and flecks of rubber. …
Before delving into how our everyday activities can reflect something of the glorious character of God, I would like to take some time to talk about motivation. What we do matters, but, more important, is the motivation behind our actions. This is one of the most piercing lessons Jesus taught us while here on earth. …
In the opening chapter of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge weighs up the cost of Christmas, and finds it lacking in value: “What’s Christmas-time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer… Much good it has ever done you!” The cost …
The majority of life is made up of one mundane moment followed by another. Occasionally, we have exceptionally exciting events, but then, as surely as autumn follows summer, ‘normal life’ kicks back in. Floors need sweeping, plants need watering, food needs cooking and messages need responding to. I wonder, which are the moments that truly …
“…But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,In proving foresight may be vain:The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ MenGang aft agley,An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,For promis’d joy! Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!The present only toucheth thee:But Och! I backward cast my e’e,On prospects drear!An’ forward tho’ I canna see,I guess an’ …
This series on words is coming to end. However, we would be wise to never stop seeking to improve how we speak. As the Bible says: “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” (James 3:2) Speaking without fault might …
Gentle words can turn away anger. They can make a person feel welcome, bring healing to the hurting and hope to the shamed. Yet, in our culture, gentleness is often associated with weakness. In fact, one of the definitions in the Oxford dictionary for gentle is ‘not strong’. In 1 Peter 3:4, Paul says that …
One way we must use our words daily, is when disciplining our children. Discipline is a difficult process for both the person disciplining and the person being disciplined. Having to decide on and set clear expectations, and then come up with reasonable consequences for when those expectations are not met, is no easy task. Add …
Francoise Fenelon, a writer, poet and Archbishop in France, in the 17th Century, once said: “The more you say, the less people remember.” I recently discovered this was one of my Grandpa’s favourite quotes. My Grandpa passed away when I was a teenager. From what I remember of him, he didn’t say very much at …
If you followed the recent Wagatha Christie case, you will have seen how far a person might go, and how much they are willing to spend, simply to try and protect their reputation. In a way, it is not that surprising, considering what it says in Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is more desirable than …