Posts from November 2013

In the Holy Bible there are less than a dozen references to pearls. Some of those references simply refer to what is most valuable and precious.  Thus Jesus tells us not to throw our pearls to pigs (Mat.7:6).  I’ve often used that verses (and probably misused it too!) to justify not answering an antagonist who is having a go at me for my Christian beliefs. In other instances pearls are used to refer to jewellery items and are simply included…

What’s heaven like?  The obvious answer is: awe inspiring…! When the apostle John, exiled on the island of Patmos, has a vision of the glory of heaven he falls face-down as though dead.  Ezekiel, in the Old Testament has a similar experience and the reaction is the same. Over the years I have often spoke n to people who had a near-death experience, which gave them just a small glimpse of what is on the other side.  Rather typical is…

What’s heaven like?  That’s an interesting question that has occupied many of us from time to time. Cleaning up some paperwork last week I came across an old letter from my mother from 1990.  Mum always had a great sense of humour.  She shares a joke: “Do you know how you can double your money?  Fold it!”  But there is also a lengthy section in which she shares her thoughts about heaven. In the retirement village in which they lived…

There’s a saying that we shouldn’t criticise someone unless we’ve walked a mile in their shoes. That saying highlights the difficulty of properly understanding someone else’s situation. At times we have issues with someone but often in such circumstances we only know half the story. There is a sense in which this also applies to understanding someone else’s pain. Last week Ed Welch, in a blog in the newsletter of the Christian Counselling & Educational Foundation, commented that there are…