Isaiah 40:1–11 Who is this voice? John the Baptist? Well yes, he was a voice (John 1:19–23), and he did make that cry from the wilderness beckoning any who would respond to come into the wilderness to prepare for the coming of the Lord. But, the voice in Isaiah Chapter 40 is not only John […]
This is the fourth in a series of articles on Family Life by Ben Pitcher We considered the principle of obedience in our last article, where we were encouraged to be Godly parents, who show God to our children when we teach them obedience. We can set up a list of arbitrary rules and expect […]
When we think of the teaching of our Lord, vulnerability may not be the first idea that comes to mind. But it is there: being vulnerable to each other and being vulnerable to our God. What do we mean by vulnerability? Well, it’s the idea of being open and not hardened. It’s the idea of […]
I was blessed to spend a weekend with some young people some months ago talking about Freedom in Christ, based on John 8:32, where Christ says, "The Truth shall set you free". Someone asked that, although Christ was talking about "The Truth" in this instance, was there a sense in which just telling the truth, […]
After my baptism I was presented with a copy of Elpis Israel written by Brother John Thomas in 1849. Seven years later I attended an Elpis Israel Class in the centre of Birmingham. The Bible was presented in a way that I had not heard before. It came alive. It was a thrilling rediscovery of […]
This is the fourth in a series of articles on Family Life by Ben Pitcher Teaching our children obedience is one of the most explicit parenting instructions in the Bible. Paul, in both Ephesians 6v1 and Colossians 3v20 commands children to obey their parents. This same command from God is also embedded in the Ten […]
So far, we have seen our problems with polarisation and bias and that we must not assume that God is on our side. God is on His own side. Our responsibility is to seek to know Him and His will in honesty and humility. And that takes a lifetime. So, how do we handle division […]
In our previous article we saw how trial exposes us and how easily we sink into childish behaviour that results in “them and us”. It would be good, wouldn’t it, if we could all agree? But, by agree we usually mean, they must agree with Me. The problem of bias We all think that our […]
“He broke my house!” shouted the child, shattering the peace and looking desperately for me to right the wrong done to him, rivulets of tears glistening his distorted face. “See! He kicked over the chair! He always spoils everything!” “No, I didn’t. He did it himself when I was straightening the chair, and he pulled […]
This is the third in a series of articles on Family Life by Ben Pitcher Motherhood is one of the most highly praised roles in the Bible. It is designated as even more important than any role that a husband might aspire to. For instance, whilst Paul says in 1 Timothy that aspiring to be […]
“Please Dad! Just one more chapter. Please?” It’s evening time, the fire is crackling, and my brother and I are lying on the floor listening to another adventure from the Little House on the Prairie seriesby Laura Ingalls Wilder. Mum is sitting there too, and Dad is in his armchair reading the story with all […]