These Lively Oracles

                                        Big Doors Swing On Wee Hinges Have you ever felt “insignificant” among God’s people? Ever felt that you were just there to fill a seat? Or give money into the collection plate? Don’t worry. Believe me. You are more important than that. Let’s take a look at a woman from the Old Testament. I want to look at an apparent oddity contained in the Old Testament. The Book of Ruth. It is a small little book consisting of only four chapters and stuck in between the massive historical tomes of the Old Testament. The previous seven books from Genesis to Judges contain 232 chapters. While the following six books after Ruth - 1 st Samuel to 2 nd Chronicles - contain 167 chapters. Such a tiny little book should surely be out of place amongst all the worthy historical accounts of ancient Isra...

                           “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stranger” Yes. You read it correctly. Stranger! Ever seen that person sitting quietly in the corner of the church? You paid them no notice, right? Or maybe you smiled. Or nodded. And then they bowed their head or averted their gaze to something else? And you did too? Or maybe you just say “hi” to the person in the next seat or pew. And they smile and say “hi” back to you. But no one pursues any further conversation. Emotional battles, even ones fought long ago, do take their toll on people. And people who have fought these battles, although they don’t necessarily become withdrawn, always seem to prefer their own company. They sit quietly in the corner of the pub, or the church, or the cinema, or the coffee shop. And they quietly watch all that is going on around them. They are seen as the “strange” ones. In days gone by people used to refer to them as...

Never Lose Faith In Yourself..... Many years ago I heard a wee saying. Maybe somebody said it to me. Maybe I read it somewhere. I can’t remember. But it went like this…. “The Love of God won’t take you where the Grace of God can’t keep you” You see, often in this lifetime we sit and wonder just exactly what it is that God wants from us. We have doubts and insecurities. We wonder if we and God are ok with each other. Yes, we’re saved. Yes, we’re redeemed. Yes, we’re washed in the blood. All that great stuff was settled at Calvary. But in our daily lifestyle I sometimes sit and think about Jesus. Just about our relationship with each other. Not as God and Christian. Not as Saviour and Saint. But just as person to person. In several of my previous jobs I sometimes had to have an “appraisal” or a “career review”. It was designed to be an open, two-way discussion where me and the interviewer could talk to each other about our work relationship up to that point and our hope and t...

I was sent to work on a building site sometime back in the 1990’s. I was the first one of our team to be sent on to the job to start preparing the site for the other to follow a week or two later. Belfast was experiencing one of its more “excitable” periods at that time and the boss had a chat with me about it. “I know that you’re ok with the area and that you’re sensible enough to deal with any situation should it arise”, he says. “But just take care and be safe. There are other workmen on the site, but you’ll still be on your own. Stay safe until we get there in a week or two”. Aye. Like I needed to be reminded of that. Anyway. I got onto the job and started working away getting things ready for the rest of the squad following behind me. One day, I was sitting in the tea room. Everyone was sitting around quietly reading their newspapers and drinking their tea. No mobile phones, tablets, or electronic gizmos in those days. I was just enjoying my own tea and sandwiches, jus...