Author: Alex

A few years ago, I read a devotional about the differing attitudes of children at Christmas time. The author had been watching video clips of youngsters opening their gifts on Christmas morning. 2 opposing examples stood out. In the first, a child went into a full-scale tantrum after receiving the wrong toy, but in the second, a little girl was bouncing up and down with glee, having put her hand into her stocking and extracted a nut.
Continue reading “An Attitude Of Gratitude.”

A few weeks ago, I felt the Lord laying upon my heart the word “Wait”, so I searched the Bible, to see how many times this one little word could be found, and was shocked at the number of references. Waiting is obviously something God wants us to learn a lot about. Yet, in our modern world, people in general seem to want everything yesterday, or now at the very least!
Continue reading “Hurry Up And Wait!”

This past Sunday, I joined the Remembrance Day parade that marches through our town, ending at the war memorial, where various local organisations present wreaths in honour of those who gave their lives for our country during times of conflict.
Continue reading “We Will Remember Him”

There are some books of the Bible with which we are often fairly familiar, especially if we have been reading the scriptures for many years. For example, we may have heard stories of Jesus’ earthly life from the gospels at an early age. Even those who have come to faith later in life may know about such things as the birth of Jesus, or how he died for us on the cross. However, there are certain little books tucked away in our Bibles that many of us have rarely, or perhaps never read.
Continue reading “The Pointing Finger.”

When I was a child, I loved going to the beach, armed with my bucket and spade, ready to build sand castles. Sometimes, if I had help, my friends and I would build small villages of them, often surrounded by a moat which we would fill with water. WE were proud of our efforts, until the tide came in and swept all our hard work away. I felt sad, knowing my castles wouldn’t even stand for a day.
Continue reading “Build It On The Rock!”

With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to spend one more week writing about the topic of light and darkness. We’ve dealt with the positive sides. Jesus is indeed the light of the world, and we, as reflecting lights, are instructed to shine for him. We know ours will be a dim reflection at best, but it’s light all the same, and light is what this ever-increasingly dark world needs.
Continue reading “The Reality Of Darkness”

Last week, we talked about Jesus as the “light of the world”, and we discussed how the image of a lighthouse can often remind us of our Saviour. For me, this is only one part of the picture, because elsewhere in scripture, we are told to be lights. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 14-16.) Does this mean we are to be lighthouses too?
Continue reading “Shine Your Light!”

During my mid teens, my mother became fascinated with lighthouses. People began buying her ornaments, and we even had one on the end of the pull cord that operated our bathroom light! Up until this point, I don’t think I’d given them much thought, but all that changed when we visited Portland Bill in Dorset, and my parents and I stood on a darkened night, watching the beacon lighting up the sky while the waves crashed around us.
Continue reading “The Lighthouse.”

Earlier in the year I wrote about the joy of the arrival of spring after a long winter. Now, I find myself at the opposite end of the scale, as we head into the final 3 months of the year, and the autumn leaves start to fall. The nights are drawing in, and the days becoming colder. There is less opportunity for sitting outside, and walks have to be carefully planned to avoid the rain.
Continue reading “harvest.”

Have you ever felt the Lord compelling you to do something? It’s happened to me a few times now, and usually takes me by surprise. The first thing I do is presume this can’t possibly be God. It has to be my over-active imagination, because God surely wouldn’t be asking me to do this!
Continue reading “Take That Step!”