Genesis 38:9 – Onan, spilled seed, and levirate marriage
Genesis 38:9, the story of Onan spilling his seed on the ground, is one of those Bible tales that many people know, yet don’t necessarily know its context. Judah, one…
Book of Parables
12 posts
Genesis 17 – God traumatises His own creation
Genesis 17 is one of the most provocative chapters of the Bible—God’s instruction to Abraham to circumcise himself and his people as a promise of faithfulness. The Bible account relates…
Matthew 16:24 – No, Jesus isn’t going to take up your cross for you
In this blog I’m going to write about one of those pesky verses in the gospels that we all know is there yet it’s often easier to pretend it isn’t,…
Matthew 7:3 – What you judge in others reflects what you judge in yourself
Judgment is one of the great themes of the Bible. It contains many passages referring to both individual and collective judgment. But what does it mean? Why do we judge?…
John 2 – God is uncompromising; you must be too
The second instalment of this New Earth 101 series is about the need to be uncompromising. We all struggle with change. At the same time, we often want change or…
Matthew 10 – The truth is always unacceptable
“You can see the speck in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the log in your own eye.” (Matthew 7:3) It’s one of many truth bombs that litter the…
Matthew 6:25 – Align with your day to reduce anxiety
In Matthew 6:25, Jesus tells us not to worry: “I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink or wear. Isn’t life…
Revelation 7:14 – The road to Heaven goes through Hell, not away from it
It’s easy to conceptualise heaven and hell as opposite ends of a spectrum; that we all sit somewhere in the middle, our proximity to the celestial realms or the pits…
1 Samuel 16:7 – 6 tips to see through God’s eyes
Chapter 1 of Genesis tells us we are made in God’s image. That means seeing through God’s eyes, in theory, at least. Here’s 1 Samuel: “For the Lord sees not…
1 Kings 17 – Elijah and the ravens: a lesson in letting go
In 1 Kings 17:1, the prophet Elijah announces a drought: “Elijah was a prophet from Tishbe in Gilead. One day he went to King Ahab and said, ‘I’m a servant…