Itching ears may long to hear,All is well. Everyone relax.But truth is rarely so welcome, or simple;more often we hear All is not well before it is well.More often the doctor diagnoses before healing;the exiles must first be exiledbefore coming home.All shall be well. All manner of thingsshall be well. But first we must learntheContinue reading “The plans I have for you”
Category Archives: Devotional
The Story of a Brain: My life with Big O
As an school-aged child, I was very orderly. My family would say, immaculate. Everything had its place and I noticed it anything was out of place, even if it was only by a centimetre. I always kept my hair neat, patting it down with water to keep it from sticking up at the back. MyContinue reading “The Story of a Brain: My life with Big O”
Running with Horses
Weeping prophet with the puffy eyes:I’ve run with men and am at my end.Tell me how you ran with horses;tell me how you stood to run.Prophet sitting in Zion’s rubble:did you see Messiah weepingin the broken city’s puddles?Did He lift you, man of tears?Broken prophet dragged by crowds,did you see heaven’s horses’ flight?Arms bound byContinue reading “Running with Horses”
The Patience of Bread
To the toddler eye, yeast bubbles for pure delightand the lump of dough is to be savoured now.Try as I might, I cannot explainwhy that treasure must go to wait in the sun,why the instant must make way for the delayed.I too cannot understandkingdom yeast’s delay in them, in me,cannot let go of moment’s feastwithoutContinue reading “The Patience of Bread”
The Weeping Prophet
To be a pariah takes only hateand the unshaken conviction that you,above all others, are right.To be an outcast you only need yellwhen a listening earmight salvage a soul.To be Jeremiah, you need more than that:not only conviction, not only the truthbut the burden of weeping,the burden of love,the knowledge that kingdoms are built ofContinue reading “The Weeping Prophet”
Peace and the Thorn
“Mellow out,” they say. If I only could. Adolescent patient quoted by Dr Michael Piechowski Three times, the Apostle, says he cried,yet three times denied:within his side the unnamed thorn remained.To fester? To infect? No, to be the site of grace,for only this reply came: My grace is sufficient; in your weakness will my powerContinue reading “Peace and the Thorn”
Lost Things
In a house wheredaily I lose, misplace or breakwhat really, in eternity’s view,means little, yethas power to make or break my day,I understandthe urge to ask Saint Anthony wheremy keys are, or my glasses, orany other easily hidden thing.God in heaven is surelytoo busy with the business of soulsand perhaps too quick to point outContinue reading “Lost Things”
The other side to success
Year 12 results come out today in my state, after a year in which no-one would have chosen to sit their final high school exams. I live through Year 12 results every year as a teacher and this year because of people close to me receiving results I’m experiencing it more close to home. ThisContinue reading “The other side to success”
Christmas Day: Let all the earth rejoice
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.This will be for the Lord’s renown, for anContinue reading “Christmas Day: Let all the earth rejoice”
Advent with the Prophet Jonah: Christmas Eve
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them…They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters coverContinue reading “Advent with the Prophet Jonah: Christmas Eve”
The Consolations of Writing 