Category: Humility and Grace

Wisdom, Grace & Fear ~ Spurgeon

22/2/2024
Wisdom, Grace & Fear ~ Spurgeon

An ancient Roman sage, Quintilian, said of some in his time that they might have become excellent scholars had they not been so persuaded of their scholarship already.

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The Fraud of Independence.

20/2/2024
The Fraud of Independence.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5b) Since satan's expulsion from the heavenly halls mankind has stood firm with shoulders held back.

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1 Lover & many Losers

9/2/2024
1 Lover & many Losers

It is better to lose a lover than love a loser.  ~ anon Dominique Voillaume lived, died and proved the opposite of the above bankrupt myth.

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The boy who got no prize...#

28/11/2023
The boy who got no prize...#

There is certainly an inequity, but is there too an injustice when those free from handicap reap honor from their 'natural' health, yet the handicapped are 'ineligible'? #The following text in...

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God never gives a 1st prize

25/11/2023
God never gives a 1st prize

  The ageing, highly polished floorboards hardly groan. A young lithe figure steps forward. Elegant in her school uniform, she confidently mounts the stage Phones are out.

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Dangerous Prejudices

5/9/2023
Dangerous Prejudices

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with...

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Murmurs of Grace ~ C

23/2/2023
Murmurs of Grace ~ C

Jonah now learns how to bend the knee even in the belly of a monstrous fish. In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me.

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Murmurs of Grace ~ B

23/2/2023
Murmurs of Grace ~ B

Jonah was mighty soon to become jetsam. Distress counseled a low heart to obey. Jonah was soon to learn to not forfeit grace. Murmurs of grace multiply.

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The Very Breath of Humility ~ A

8/1/2023
The Very Breath of Humility ~ A

Humility enters these fresh days of 2023 desiring to walk the paths of righteousness for His names sake. (Psalm 23:3) 2023 is not a further season for self-promotion.

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God Wants To Get Us Home#

27/11/2022
God Wants To Get Us Home#

'You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in Your care You watched over my life'. (Job 10:12) Discipline is easy for me to swallow. Logical to assimilate.

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Jesus backs virtue!

27/9/2022
Jesus backs virtue!

Clergy are no longer the keeper of the keys. Amidst all the centuries since Christ, Christians live in an increasingly charmed season.

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Treasured Grace#

3/6/2022
Treasured Grace#

Nails and the crown of thorns are a clear reality that screams G. R. A. C. E. They are best held close to the trusting heart.

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Ordinary People#

5/5/2022
Ordinary People#

Ordinary men can live by grace not by performance when each become familiar with the Savior nailed on our cross.

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Guidance 101

8/2/2022
Guidance 101

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way. (Psalm 25:9) It is in humility that men seek the Throne of Grace.

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Jesus' Edge

5/5/2021
Jesus' Edge

Where is the soft spirit, the quiet eyes or the easy touch of warm support? Scanning the tabloids, listening to the daily news or watching soul-numbing sitcoms there appears little room...

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The Delight of Boasting

14/3/2021
The Delight of Boasting

'Boasting is always an advertisement to self-poverty' - anon. Or is it really? 'Boast' appears in Scripture ninety-three times. (NIV -UK version).

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God Never Gives A 1st Prize

25/2/2021
God Never Gives A 1st Prize

The highly polished floorboards hardly groan. A young lithe figure steps lightly forward. Elegant in her school uniform, she mounts the stage with grace.

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Grace Faces Me Forward

4/2/2021
Grace Faces Me Forward

There are no thrones I can approach, nor stately doors drawn open should I knock. Yet grace permits me, NO - indeed invites me to approach Heaven's throne.

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The Mystery of Godliness

3/9/2020
The Mystery of Godliness

In the Bible we find the concept of ‘mystery’ as something once hidden but now revealed. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:16 . . .

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The World Awaits You

31/3/2020
The World Awaits You

The world awaits you, it is to each man his oyster. When an irritant enters an oyster's shell its natural reaction is to cover the speck and protect itself.

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Lead me on a level path!

12/3/2020
Lead me on a level path!

              'Men give advice, God gives guidance. ' ~ Leonard RavenhillA daily prayer for the humble:  Lord You are my light and my salvation. . .

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Flattened on a mill's floor?

10/2/2020
Flattened on a mill's floor?

'Grist' literally means grain to be ground. 'Grace builders' are those unpleasant, persistent times and people that grind 'the living daylights out of you'.

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Banking Grace

21/1/2020
Banking Grace

From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. (John 1:16) Grace is the heartbeat of every Christian endeavour.

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Stirred towards Mercy

3/7/2019
Stirred towards Mercy

Mercy is the door a man opens to his enemy, still knowing he need not, still knowing he continues safe from his enemy, and most notable of all - that...

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Reclaiming The Angels

16/6/2019
Reclaiming The Angels

'It was pride that changed the angels into devils; it is humility that makes men angels. ' ~ AugustinePride is my firmest deceiver, it persists within my heart.

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Pride - the unseen disease!

28/4/2019
Pride - the unseen disease!

Pride is blind! Pride makes men strong and mean. It is a wicked strength and a terrible taskmaster. Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) reflected on the hypocrisy of pride.

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Idle Idols

21/2/2019
Idle Idols

Warmly his eyes smiled. Gentle fingers curled around a golden miniature Buddha. A captured heart and focussed mind knelt with great care before this slight statue.

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The Beauty of Grace

28/12/2017
The Beauty of Grace

Am I correct? . . . The people most likely to turn up enthusiastically to a school reunion are those who have 'made good' in life.

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Hit by Grace!

19/11/2017
Hit by Grace!

A tattered urchin grins through broken teeth to a well-dressed gent. Grubby hands wishfully hold an outstretched hat. Almost unintelligible words add color to this scene.

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A Parable of an Old Man#

11/11/2017
A Parable of an Old Man#

An old man was sitting in his 'cell' (a hut or a cave where the desert monks lived) and a voice came to him which invited: come and I will show...

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Learning He Was Wrong

6/11/2017
Learning He Was Wrong

I saw a man who wore that shining necklace of pride. (See Psalm 73:6) Then I saw the same man both weak and knowledgeable.

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My Sins Run Out Behind Me

23/10/2017
My Sins Run Out Behind Me

Sadly, I am a skilled gardener. Too often I have potted life in the rich soils of poor judgements. This dirt I have watered well and fertilized frequently.

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God's Intent for the Nations

17/10/2017
God's Intent for the Nations

It hasn't happened yet. . . God intends for righteousness and praise to rise before every nation. The nations have chosen the ways of wickedness, they slander Heaven.

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3 Rocks from the Son

1/8/2017
3 Rocks from the Son

Rocks are formidable. Even small ones fell giants. Many times rocks are described with god-like qualities. Immovable, unchallengeable and unchangeable. Firm, strong, steadfast and resilient.

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Who's 'DA BOSS'?

2/3/2017
Who's 'DA BOSS'?

Just three days ago 'DA BOSS' inched lazily past me in his white muscle car. 'DA BOSS' license plates were his megaphone.

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Sprinting to Honor

26/2/2017
Sprinting to Honor

In 2012 cyclist Lance Armstrong (the doping cheat) sprinted not to fame, but to shame. His name is forever recorded in history as synonymous with shame.

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Propelled by Grace

17/1/2017
Propelled by Grace

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for all those times that You have strengthened me when I was under trial, given me wisdom when in a difficult situation, or empowered me...

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How to Build a City

9/1/2017
How to Build a City

Is everything I think I am, I am not really? Does my spirit of pride still lie to me, seduce me and puff me up? How can I know? Surely a...

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The Power of a Cave

15/11/2016
The Power of a Cave

Bible greats dwelt for short or extended periods in caves.   Elijah, King David, Lazarus, John the Apostle and of course our Lord all passed through caves.

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What Gift Never Arrives Alone?

15/9/2016
What Gift Never Arrives Alone?

Gifts should frequent and delight all lives. They can be a lowered draw-bridge to join the gap of troubled relationships. Mankind's widest gap is from his creator. . .

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How Did I Manage Yesterday?

9/8/2016
How Did I Manage Yesterday?

Bear with me please, just for a moment? A simple random guess I offer - on at least one weary morning you have shaken a foggy head clear while the dawn...

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Simpson's New Secret#

8/8/2016
Simpson's New Secret#

I shall never forget the morning that I spent in my church reading an old musty book that I had discovered in my library on the subject of: "The Higher...

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3 Ways to Keep the Faith

12/7/2016
3 Ways to Keep the Faith

November 3rd 1992 saw Jon Bon Jovi release his chart shaking 'Keep the Faith'. He sung that keeping the faith is 'living though the rain'.

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10 Candles of Grace

20/6/2016
10 Candles of Grace

Grace is to be celebrated. Grace is life's most attractive virtue. Grace continues as the Divine rescue flooding His planet - all the more as wickedness abounds.

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The Two-Fold Beauty of Grace

2/6/2016
The Two-Fold Beauty of Grace

Planet earth is dressed in as many different personalities as there are individuals. The ply of human thinking categorises (judges?) people. We each do this with a culpable regularity.

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4 Secrets of Forgiveness

26/5/2016
4 Secrets of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is swimming against an emotional tide, even a flood. Forgiveness is a wrestle of the soul many refuse to enter, to their own destruction.

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The Balance of Forgiveness

26/5/2016
The Balance of Forgiveness

At its core, forgiveness remains unfair. There is something unjust about a person's dastardly deeds going unpunished.   In the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith.

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Living A Billiard Ball Life

28/4/2016
Living A Billiard Ball Life

The pattern of this world is easy to live with, it blankets the planet. As nationalities take up arms, likewise individuals rise against each other.

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3 Truths for a Dry Faith

12/4/2016
3 Truths for a Dry Faith

Is the soul parched and the spirit cracked? Has repetition at worship dulled your praise? Could the absence of personal devotion be a stealth attack to your faith? Maybe all the above, or...

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The Hydra of Pride ~ C.S. Lewis

10/3/2016
The Hydra of Pride ~ C.S. Lewis

In a very personal letter last century C. S Lewis reflected: During my afternoon meditations I have found out ludicrous and terrible things about my own character.

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Shining on the Poor

18/1/2016
Shining on the Poor

Do you feel your name is written in the heavens but only scribbled upon earth? Does your very existence cry out for God's presence, thirsting with the deer and knowing your...

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Life's Bright Side

17/1/2016
Life's Bright Side

Grace is the leaven that each life rises upon. Without grace life can only further descend into the hollowness of my rights and the destructiveness of sin.

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The Gentle Edge

13/1/2016
The Gentle Edge

Scanning the tabloids, listening to the daily news or watching soul-numbing sitcoms there appears little room for gentleness, little honor for the tender person.

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Stretching to Success in 2016

29/12/2016
Stretching to Success in 2016

To laugh and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false...

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4 Trumps to Pride

2/12/2015
4 Trumps to Pride

Around 3,500 years ago the Lord described Moses as the most humble upon the face of the earth. Today he is still the man to mimic.

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False Grace#

15/7/2015
False Grace#

A fear washes my soul. Am I becoming disagreeable? Where there is tolerance so will there be rebellion, for righteousness is never defended by the wicked name of tolerance.

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God the Diamond

17/6/2015
God the Diamond

Once upon a time (about three centuries ago really) the firebrand pulpiteer Jonathon Edwards melted pride and chastened souls with his timeless sermon - Sinners in the hands of an...

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Are You Ungifted?

2/6/2015
Are You Ungifted?

Ok you are not a Conan O'Brien; this thought causes you little distress or maybe the opposite? But in reality you DO know that you don't share your brother's and sister's...

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Of Guilt & Relationship 101

27/5/2015
Of Guilt & Relationship 101

#God is above all relational within Himself and invites us into that same relationship, and not as a whimpering poorer person not quite of the family, but as an equal...

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God's Flagstaff

14/5/2015
God's Flagstaff

Whilever I seek my glory I foolishly condemn myself to failure. This is the crafting of me as a direct competitor to God. We are always exalting ourselves.

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The 3 Owner's of Heaven

5/5/2015
The 3 Owner's of Heaven

Heaven's title deeds and rewards are held by three peoples. They are: the poor in spirit, (Matthew 5:3)those persecuted because of righteousness (Matthew 5:11-12) and little children (Matthew 18:3-4).

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Of the Meek & Justice

28/4/2015
Of the Meek & Justice

Meek people refuse to be controlling people, it is likely that 'control' rarely enters their mind. They are accepting, gracious and travelling the extra mile people.

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5 Hints @ Humility

16/4/2015
5 Hints @ Humility

I pen this as a rampant outsider that trusts maybe, that's right just maybe, the good Lord may introduce me some day to be an insider.

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The Grace Spendthrift

24/2/2015
The Grace Spendthrift

Satan hides this. We miss it. God then becomes ignored, or worse still, blamed. God has not short-changed us. He has not withheld grace.

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Full Steam Grace

22/2/2015
Full Steam Grace

Wickedness is on meteoric increase. It is broadcast by both the media and perpetrators shamelessly to the world.

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Tainted Grace

16/2/2015
Tainted Grace

Circa 1570 a humble nun had been requested to write. She felt uneducated, certainly unaccustomed to such invitations she humbly protested. But her master prevailed.

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A Wisdom for NOW!

28/1/2015
A Wisdom for NOW!

Familiar and comfortably proud lives blanket the western world, selfishly sculpted by ambition and desires.

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The 6AM Prayer

20/10/2014
The 6AM Prayer

Soul Snack 200/14 . . . The true story is told of an insane royal braggart who became a beggar.

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Of Pride & Prayer

18/9/2014
Of Pride & Prayer

Soul Snack 180/14 . . . Beware the pride of prayer. Audit the performance of public displays, or the inner comparisons to others during private devotions.

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GRACE GALORE

26/6/2014
GRACE GALORE

Soul Snack 120/14 . . . Grace is dousing the right to fight. Grace is not a thirst for justice but a hunger for mercy.

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God's Sidearm

1/6/2014
God's Sidearm

Soul Snack 102/14 . . . Pride is running block on God. It is the spiritual sidearm of those devoted to falling and foolishness. The proud shoot the humble.

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Faith & Falling

20/3/2014
Faith & Falling

Soul Snack 56/14 . . . There can remain a hidden pride in the long-redeemed heart, or long-suffering forgiven soul.

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Of Worthlessness

28/11/2013

Soul Snack 229/13 . . . Of Worthlessness For those who have lived around, or even within the trash cans of life. . .

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Leonard's Light

23/10/2013

Soul Snack 204/13 . . . Leonard's Light Pride has come and gotten in the way of my life. It has stolen my life from me.

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The 2nd Chance Key

25/9/2013

Soul Snack 185/13 . . . The 2nd Chance Key During the 7th Century BC, legislator Draco was first to bring written laws to ancient Greece.

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Resurrecting Sodom

22/4/2013

Soul Snack 75/13 . . . Resurrecting Sodom  With one hand God is motioning man to come to Him, with the other hand He is holding back His wrath.

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Of Science & things

19/6/2012

Soul Snack 100/12 . . . Of Science & things To the knowledgeable, the self-confident, the talented, the self-made and the purposefully proud an anonymous anecdote. . .

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Abiding in Peace - B

7/5/2012

Soul Snack 70/12 . . . Abiding in Peace - B Floating permanently upon the shallow pond of life is the gilded lily of God's love.

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Of Grace & Graves

6/3/2012

Soul Snack 177/12 . . . Of Grace & Graves We have all made our bed but 2000 years God had lain on it in the grave.

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Hounded for Humility

5/2/2012

Soul Snack 6/12 . . . Hounded for Humility   For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

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Grasped Grace

9/11/2011

Soul Snack 195/11 . . . Grasped Grace Lord, the nicest thing about you is that you always think better of us than we think of oursleves.

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Glory thieves

14/6/2011

Soul Snack 93/11 . . . Glory thieves A war in heaven left heaven significantly less populated (Rev. 12:7-8).

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Infinite Grace

20/5/2011

Soul Snack 79/10 . . . Infinite GraceCascading daily across our souls is Heaven's generous grace. Some souls require larger quantities, but all souls require some.

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Pride's Place

21/3/2011

Soul Snack 38/11 . . . Pride's Place The courageous and the coward are welcome at the Throne of Grace.

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God's absence

30/1/2011

Soul Snack 4/11 . . . God's Absence To the wilful, the proud, the self-made and the over-confident . . .

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Impotence

23/9/2010

Soul Snack 163/10 . . . Impotence Since no man knows the future who can tell him what is to come.

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Life's Cement

12/8/2010

Soul Snack 133/10 . . . Life's Cement Residing in the vestibule of our minds is the imagination of blessing or burden.

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Relentless Grace

24/5/2010

Soul Snack 77/10 . . . Relentless Grace Grace is: salve to my soul, a handkerchief to a broken spirit, the glue of relationship and the reason I breath.

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Rhythms of Grace

23/5/2010

Rhythms of Grace   As I was reading my Bible I came across this very familiar passage:   "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I...

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The Red Carpet Watch.

22/2/2010

Soul Snack 17/10 . . . The Red Carpet Watch The Sydney Morning Herald carries a regular feature called "Red Carpet Watch".

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Mind Grace

4/2/2010

Soul Snack 5/10 . . . Mind Grace! In this world it is so simple to think 'criticism' and not think 'Christ'.

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Spelling Grace

6/8/2009

Soul Snack 9/129 . . . Spelling G. R. A. C. E. ! There is a sensible and delightful young lady named Grace.

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Future Grace - Now!

2/6/2009

Soul Snack 9/85 . . . Future Grace - Now! Walking up the Mt of Olives surely terror was in His heart and betrayal on His mind.

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The Trust Table

20/2/2009

Soul Snack 9/15 . . . The Trust Table The fickle fancies of relationships can either compel or dispel trust.

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Grace Growth

11/12/2008

Soul Snack 8/217 . . . Grace GrowthPicture the nearly desperate scene! There is a quiet shouting among the stewards.

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Completing Grace

10/12/2008

Soul Snack 8/216 . . . Completing Grace The season for grace is now upon us. The season for judgement is yet to be unleashed.

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Too Easy!

24/11/2008

Soul Snack 8/204 . . . Too Easy!     Confidence coursed easily through his veins, flowing around his body.   Confidence oozed from his lips. Confidence seeped across his cortex.

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Solo Adam

16/9/2008

Soul Snack 8/157 . . . Solo Adam The 'voice' for attention, even fame resonates loudly through all souls. But obscurity is to be more desired than fame.

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Superior Independence

31/7/2008

Soul Snack 8/124 . . . Superior Independence Time reasonably available, distractions pleasantly absent. Softly, carefully and patiently she speaks to this struggling and fragile student.

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Chewing Gum

27/6/2008

Soul Snack 8/102 . . . Chewing Gum! Undivided attention greeted every glance. Many sat almost transfixed before him, 'consuming' every word, examining each movement.

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The Unseen Apprenticeship

12/6/2008

Soul Snack 8/91 . . . The Unseen Apprenticeship He was dreadfully unaccustomed to sitting quietly. He knew the breadth of his knowledge was hardly surpassed.

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God's Classroom

5/6/2008

Soul Snack 8/87 . . . God's Classroom Classrooms are the domain of the needy. Classrooms are the source of their future.

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Naming Me

30/5/2008

Soul Snack 8/83 . . . Naming Me Names are how invitations are issued in relationships.

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2 Keys 2 Self

27/5/2008

Soul Snack 8/80 . . . 2 Keys 2 Self Residing in gained self understanding is a pleasant future and a now wisely guarded past.

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Owning Heaven

27/2/2008

Soul Snack 8/19 . . . OWNING HEAVEN “Show me O Lord my life's end, and the number of my days, let me know how fleeting my life is.

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The Simple Heart

22/2/2008

Soul Snack 8/16 . . . The Simple Heart "the Lord protects the simple hearted" (Ps 116:6a) God declares His interests, His hands are open, His values so self-evident.

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Unwanted Company

2/2/2008

Soul Snack 8/1 . . . Unwanted CompanyIf deep distress visits regularly then it is accompanied by a most undesired companion, sadness. Delight is absent.

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Grasping Identity

29/9/2007

Soul Snack 110 . . . Grasping Identity 'I baptize with water,' John replied, 'but among you stands one who you do not know.

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A Permanent Grace

1/1/2006

SOUL SNACK 50 . . . A Permanent Grace “I will bring back my exiled people…" Amos 9:14a Gauge your circumstances. Reflect on your resources.

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The Golden Rule

2/2/2002

SOUL SNACK 136/13 . . . Has the distaste of harsh criticism anointed your days of trouble or pierced your soul? . . .

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The Peace Process

1/1/2001

Soul Snack 75 . . . The Peace Process 'Be completely gentle and humble, bearing one another in love. Make every effort to keep. . . unity. . .

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