Is it possible to sell a product you don’t believe in? How motivated does one have to be to persuade a client, be it one individual or indeed a whole nation with a message in which you have zero confidence? Well, apparently Jonah pulled it off! (See Jonah 3:1-10) Admittedly, Jonah’s message is full of the fireContinue reading “Jonah – the reluctant persuader”
Category Archives: Personal
The Nourishing Tomb of the Fish
Imagine surviving the innards of a fish. The gastric juices alone would do wonders for the skin! The tale of Jonah is not interested in this detail (see Jonah 2:1-10). Ancient and forever symbolism holds before us the mystery of dark entombment as a liminal place between life and death, crucifixion and resurrection. With Love ToContinue reading “The Nourishing Tomb of the Fish”
Jonah – more than a Whale of a Tale!
… and there is no whale – the text refers to a “large fish” which is only incidental to the hermeneutical thrust of the story! It is considered that the story of Jonah is a corrective cautionary tale to the purists of the era of Ezra and Nehemiah and the reestablishment of the Hebrew nation followingContinue reading “Jonah – more than a Whale of a Tale!”
“I see you”
“I see you.” This meme from the movie Avatar did the rounds for a few months. It seemed to be nourishment for a collective hunger in a world which had descended into anonymity and a penchant for the kind of efficiency that codes citizens by number rather than name. It was a kind of epiphanyContinue reading ““I see you””
Troubled times … fresh resources.
“Crisis always comes with opportunity,” suggests the Chinese pictogram. How this relates to the current ascension of the greed of the few and the corresponding upward spiral of cost to the many is elegantly demonstrated in this video clip: Human history seems to reveal a default trend of societies devolving from the most altruistic ideals toContinue reading “Troubled times … fresh resources.”
Wooing the one who jilted you …
Who would want to? The Hebrew prophet Hosea – that’s who! Initially, he nurses the pain of anger when Gomer leaves him for a polyamorous dalliance with others. The patriarchal law of his time and place would have allowed his claim on her life. Instead, we see a tender wooing back, prompted by an insightContinue reading “Wooing the one who jilted you …”
That strange in between time when Epiphany bursts forth
Some call it the silly season. Its those first few weeks of a southern hemisphere January. The office is quiet. I’m at work making use of the downtime from the regular weekly program to engage in some tidying up and planning for what must take place in my final six months here – and beyond. There isContinue reading “That strange in between time when Epiphany bursts forth”
… increased in human favour..
continuing transition to retirement Seeking human favour always carried amber warning lights in my ministerial formation. We’ve seen too many examples of fall from grace in the political arena – and church leadership ain’t far from politics! Yet Luke’s gospel speaks approvingly of Jesus increasing in human favour. As an Enneagram Six, I am naturallyContinue reading “… increased in human favour..”
… increased in favour with God…
… continuing transition into retirement thoughts … Everyone thinks clergy have some secret hotline to God. How does a retiring one increase a state that is already deemed to be “perfect?” Let’s lay that myth to rest. To borrow from D T Niles’ aphorism, I have always seen ministry as “one poor beggar sharing with another whereContinue reading “… increased in favour with God…”
… increased in stature…
… continuing transition into retirement thoughts … Stature – now there’s a giggle. The transition has been lifelong – from the skinny, gawky unco-ordinated youth to what I overheard someone describing as that “round little man.” It seems my stature increase has been outward in all the wrong places rather than upward. Daily moderate exerciseContinue reading “… increased in stature…”
Wondering Pilgrim 