Mary Styles Mary Styles

Bands of Love

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom. For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

“What does our relationship with Jesus look like? What does he do for us and what does he expect from us? How does this fit with our relationship with God?”

Read More
John Pople John Pople

Esther: Born to Rule

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom. For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

“The last King of Israel was a Queen. And after all was done, the last became first.”

Read More
Tom Gaston Tom Gaston

The Word of God

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom. For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

“The Bible is actually quite unique in that it is a library of books, with many different genres, styles, and structures, from different authors, centuries, and contexts. All of that complexity and diversity is wonderful. But does that make it accessible? Does the Bible make it easy to answer life’s big questions? Does it make it easy to find moral guidance? Does it make it easy to build and strengthen your relationship with God? Or actually, does the Bible often seem to be inaccessible, irrelevant, or even, sometimes, boring?”

Read More
Julie Trotman Julie Trotman

The Holy Spirit Angel

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom. For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

“Who or what is the Holy Spirit? Is it a power or a person? Was the Holy Spirit just a New Testament thing? What is the Name of the Holy Spirit that Jesus said we should be baptised into? These are all questions I had never found satisfactory answers for – until now…”

Read More
Rachel Launchbury Rachel Launchbury

Loving Boundaries

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom. For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom. For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

Read More
John Pople John Pople

Wisdom’s Story

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom. For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom. For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

Read More
Cathy Strachan Cathy Strachan

See God in Everything

“Our God creates and sustains this magnificent world. He is in everything! I want to be constantly aware of seeing Him, looking for Him, and recognising Him in all things – from the creation around me to my own, personal life.”

“Our God creates and sustains this magnificent world. He is in everything! I want to be constantly aware of seeing Him, looking for Him, and recognising Him in all things – from the creation around me to my own, personal life.”

Read More
Doug Davis Doug Davis

This Old House

“Addressing the changes we must make in our homes can be challenging, just as changes to our spiritual lives can be challenging. We first must ask why and then we must be honest about whether the renovation is justified. If we agree that it is justified, then we must sit down and count the cost as to whether or not we have the will and courage to make that change – or whether we will continue living with it as it is, because it’s not worth the price. One makes us grow, while the other maintains the status quo. Both are conscience decisions.”

“Addressing the changes we must make in our homes can be challenging, just as changes to our spiritual lives can be challenging. We first must ask why and then we must be honest about whether the renovation is justified. If we agree that it is justified, then we must sit down and count the cost as to whether or not we have the will and courage to make that change – or whether we will continue living with it as it is, because its not worth the price. One makes us grow, while the other maintains the status quo. Both are conscience decisions.”

Read More
Mark Strachan Mark Strachan

The Character of God

“This dichotomy – between the character of God as revealed in the Old Testament and the character of God as revealed through His Son – has created a cognitive dissonance, which has been gnawing at me for a long time. So how do I reconcile this issue? Can I reconcile this issue?”

“This dichotomy – between the character of God as revealed in the Old Testament and the character of God as revealed through His Son – has created a cognitive dissonance, which has been gnawing at me for a long time. So how do I reconcile this issue? Can I reconcile this issue?”

Read More
Sonya Szabo Sonya Szabo

Transforming Prayers

“So we sat there in our camp chairs, with our whittled sticks, our almost empty water bottles, and a little bit of sand in our hair, remembering Jesus.”

“While so many people treat prayer to “solve” their problems, the passenger sitting beside me on the plane had a different perspective. Prayer was not just a tool to reverse a troubling circumstance – because the flight attendant's situation was not likely to be changed – but prayer was the fundamental tool he used even when he didn’t expect any answer.”

Read More
Will O'Toole Will O'Toole

Addressing Apathy

“So we sat there in our camp chairs, with our whittled sticks, our almost empty water bottles, and a little bit of sand in our hair, remembering Jesus.”

“So we sat there in our camp chairs, with our whittled sticks, our almost empty water bottles, and a little bit of sand in our hair, remembering Jesus.”

Read More
Sara Schlageter Sara Schlageter

Holding Space

“The times of life when we are dealing with grief or trauma, or sin, are vulnerable in ways that are similar to the process of labor and birth. When one of our loved ones trusts us enough to let us enter those vulnerable spaces with them, it is just as much a moment of profound privilege as when I am allowed to enter that birth space.”

“The times of life when we are dealing with grief or trauma, or sin, are vulnerable in ways that are similar to the process of labor and birth. When one of our loved ones trusts us enough to let us enter those vulnerable spaces with them, it is just as much a moment of profound privilege as when I am allowed to enter that birth space.”

Read More