Straw and grain grow from the same plant stem, but after a while, the difference between the two is as plain as day. God does not immediately extinguish those who speak rubbish in his name. He 'lets' religious trash-talk have its day in the sun.  There will always be t...

The kingdom of God is a state of affairs in which the character and will of God is carried forth and celebrated by all self-conscious beings.  Those who pursue this ideal as a priority, even in a world of rebellion against God's rule, will not be disappointed. The bles...

Why are there rich people? Why are there poor.  Is it because the former were astute, and worked hard, and the latter were indolent?  In some cases, yes. But there is another reason; one supplied by God. Some have many material goods so they can share them with others...

John makes an astounding assertion; not astounding because he claims to have witnessed Jesus' career first hand with his own ears and eyes, but because he believes that in his personal acquaintance with Jesus the man, he encountered God.  This is the reason for his exu...

God showed himself in Mary and Joseph's child, and people did not like what they saw. They spoke out against him.  Such was the power of Christ's persona. Unwittingly, involuntarily, their unwelcoming and antagonistic stance regarding Jesus, revealed their attitude to...

Like so many in the world, Peter was a fisherman who worked hard without becoming rich. When Jesus told him to go put out his nets, he was already exhausted from his long shift at plying his trade. Since it had been a bad night, he would have felt strongly inclined to...

This is not a compliment but a lament. The vine (tree, plant) is a frequent metaphor for the people of God in the Prophets. Under God's patronage, Israel flourished like a healthy grapevine. But it became satisfied with its own luxuriance; selfishly wallowing in its ow...

You don't have to be a professor of theology to know and enjoy God. Many an expert in biblical studies, many a priest or pastor is a stranger to the beauty of the deity. The privilege of intimacy with the divine is open rather to childlike trust so that no one is ineli...

One of the greatest gifts I can give to someone, is to create in him the confidence that I am feeling what he is feeling; that I understand what it is like to be in her shoes.  It is relatively easy to supply glib counsel to someone who is deeply troubled. It takes a g...

He who pitied the wounded and disabled traveler totally contrasts with others passing on the same road. He drew near to the victim with a view to helping him, while others avoided contact with a view to not helping him. We know instinctively that the Samaritan, a membe...