The Psalm of the season is clearly Psalm 91. It lifts our eyes up from our circumstances and calls us to call God, “my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” In a year as tumultuous as this, these words ought to be regularly uttered by us Christians. However, there are someContinue reading “Psalm 91 and our Arbitrary Literalism”
Author Archives: Robbie
To Have and to Have-Not.
There is a sentiment in society today that success perpetuates success. You acheive to display acheivement, which leads to more acheivement to display all the more, which leads… This is all very well and good, appropriate and understandable (we all do this to varying degrees). But it does become a little bit more difficult whenContinue reading “To Have and to Have-Not.”
Grief in a ‘pleasure v pain’ world
Mark Vroegop in his book on lament “Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy” writes this, “Finding an explanation or a quick solution for grief, while an admirable goal, can circumvent the opportunity afforded in lament – to give a person permission to wrestle with sorrow instead of rushing to end it.” (p.19) This quote got me thinkingContinue reading “Grief in a ‘pleasure v pain’ world”
Virtue Signaling and Psalm 26
We probably all feel that natural and ironic cringe when we encounter virtue signalling and moral grandstanding. When you meet that person and within three minutes you know they are a Minimalist and all the ethical reasoning behind their choice. How righteous! And now the right hand knows what the left hand is doing, whichContinue reading “Virtue Signaling and Psalm 26”
To Ponder Suffering
As I ponder upon the magnitude and intensity of human suffering – specifics, generalisations, through history, at this very moment – I shake my head. Sometimes there are no words. Who can truly fathom it? Who can really give an exhaustive answer? Only God. In our limited experience we can do not much more thanContinue reading “To Ponder Suffering”
On Work, and Not Working.
At the beginning of the year I was not a happy man. I wouldn’t say I was depressed, instead it might be labelled, “situational-down-and-out-ness.” In other words, I didn’t have a job. To be clear, I had put myself in this situation. When I finished my theological degree my plan was to look for part-timeContinue reading “On Work, and Not Working.”
Men can have shoe problems too.
To be a man is to have temperance in one’s consumption and use of shoes. This universal rule is contradicted by my life. For you see, I owned shoes for every occasion. I had wedding shoes (a pair in white, and a pair in black), running shoes, shoes for everyday wear, shoes to wear aroundContinue reading “Men can have shoe problems too.”
Coming to Faith in a Pentecostal Church. Part 1.
I became a Christian through a Pentecostal church. It was a decent size church in a country town (around 50 – 100 people would attend on a Sunday). I attended the youth group and sometimes attended the Sunday church gatherings. So what was that all like? How did I become a Christian there and whatContinue reading “Coming to Faith in a Pentecostal Church. Part 1.”
The Alternative of My Doubt
In his book ‘keep the faith’, Martin Ayers says this, “when you are battling nagging doubt about a particular issue it’s important to think carefully about the alternative. In order for your doubt to be valid, something else must be true.” There is a lot to appreciate in the point that Martin makes. It’s veryContinue reading “The Alternative of My Doubt”
God, Death and ‘War of the Worlds’
In Howard Overman’s 2019 rendition of ‘War of the Worlds’ there is a very interesting scene that made me take note. A couple arrive at a military base looking for their son. They first of all find a woman who has lost her two kids. This woman asks the other mother, “Do you believe thereContinue reading “God, Death and ‘War of the Worlds’”
Bigvai and Shiphrah 