Incarnation

Shepherds, angels, starry night The sounds of birth An infant’s cry Swaddled now In the arms of earth   Stable, manger, oxen stare Wood and straw No room elsewhere Smell of cattle Earthen floor   Lowly men and lowly beasts Eyes and hearts Contemplate the humble scene Each one chosen For their part   Blood … Continue reading Incarnation

Twisted Truth and Lethal Lies, Pt. Two

Keeping the Sabbath In Part One of this series, Twisted Truth and Lethal Lies, the subject was law keeping.  In Part Two I wish to zero in on sabbath keeping and what that means to us under the New Covenant. The Lie: “ God said the seventh (sabbath) day is to be a day of … Continue reading Twisted Truth and Lethal Lies, Pt. Two

Twisted Truth and Lethal Lies

The Myth of Lawkeeping The Lie:  “Jesus said He came to fulfil the law, therefore by His example, I must also make the Ten Commandments my standard for living a Christian life.” The Truth:  “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should … Continue reading Twisted Truth and Lethal Lies

The Promise

The breeze toyed playfully with His hair Tugging wistfully at His robe At the tread of His sandals The earth sighed with inexpressible hope Sunlight wrapped joyfully around His frame And danced with delight on His face Waves stumbled softly one over another In gleeful contest to caress His feet Wind and storm bowed willingly … Continue reading The Promise

Law and Spirit

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are IN CHRIST JESUS, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:1-2) Fact One: There is an … Continue reading Law and Spirit

Shedding the Older Brother

For the law was given through Moses....... The ageing prophet trembled as he slowly ascended the smoking mountain. He had come to love and trust the God who had first revealed Himself in the burning bush. He had also come to know Him well enough never to take their friendship for granted. He had seen … Continue reading Shedding the Older Brother

Of His Fullness….

Bread for the Bride has been silent for a short time while I have been away ministering to the church in a South Eastern Asian country where Christians face ongoing persecution.  During that time I (along with two companions) had the great privilege of sharing teachings, prayer and fellowship with house church leaders and members.  … Continue reading Of His Fullness….

Reblogged from A Wilderness Voice. Enjoy!

Michael's avatarA Wilderness Voice

God has always called only a small remnant to go ahead of the rest by faith (or go into battle as with the story of Gideon for the sake of others). Most often the people that they risk all for to help don’t appreciate them and sometimes they even try to kill them as it was with Jesus. A small percentage of the whole of what is called “church” these days have been called out (ekklesia) to bear the brunt of the battle and pay the price of following Christ and obeying His voice. It is not a thing to get proud about as some who claim to be in the lead or “on the cutting edge,” but rather it is a labor of love both for and with Jesus and for the rest of His people. After Gideon and the 300 God chose won the battle by letting their…

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Talitha Cumi (Little Girl Arise)

  Then He took the child by the hand and said to her “Talitha, cumi”…     I was between twelve and thirteen years of age when I decided to trust Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord.  That’s around fifty years ago now.  Yes, I know, prehistory.  Before smartphones, ipads, Google, microwave ovens and means … Continue reading Talitha Cumi (Little Girl Arise)

Not for the Fainthearted

“What do you seek?”  It was a loaded question and one that would dramatically change their lives….forever.  Unnerved at the abruptness of the question and the penetrating stare of the Teacher, the two men did not at first know how to respond.  One of them blurted out brashly “Teacher, where do you dwell?”  “Come and … Continue reading Not for the Fainthearted

Today if you hear His voice…

God’s purpose has always been to complete what He starts. In nothing is He half-hearted or uncommitted.  In leading Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness His intention was always to bring them in to the Promised Land.  Far too many didn’t make it.  They believed He could deliver them from Egypt, but they … Continue reading Today if you hear His voice…

Has Been’s, Wanna Be’s and Bethany

Nazareth, the Place God Left The atmosphere was electric with expectation the day Jesus returned to His home town.  The whole surrounding region was alive with talk of His extraordinary powers and now He was back, in their own synagogue.  Every eye followed closely as He took up the scroll to read from Isaiah.  Every … Continue reading Has Been’s, Wanna Be’s and Bethany

Destination Christ

The Bride’s journey is not a journey TO somewhere.  It’s a journey INTO Someone.  Her goal is communion with the Father, by means of the Spirit,  through oneness with Christ the Bridegroom.  Her destination is nothing less than Christ's fullness (Eph. 4:13). This is the very thing Jesus prayed for in his final hours of … Continue reading Destination Christ

Creation

Creation is groaning Laden with weariness Like a prisoner confined to shadows Aching with indefinable loss Haunted by elusive memories Of a distant day of brightness When nothing hungered And Adam’s touch Was free of fear   Creation is listening Straining to hear again The laughter of innocence Echoing like a melodic song Summoning every … Continue reading Creation

Mixing Sacred and Profane

It must have been quite a scene:  men running in all directions, frightened sheep bleating, wild-eyed oxen stampeding through the crowds, money scattered on the ground and tables upended.  In the middle of it all stood an angry Man wielding a self-made whip, at the same time yelling something about His Father’s house.  There was … Continue reading Mixing Sacred and Profane

The Beautiful Journey

Psalm 23 is surely among the best known, best loved of Bible passages. I would like to invite you now to take a fresh look at this well-loved psalm, possibly from a new perspective, for within it is hidden a prophetic picture of the Bride of Christ.  The Psalm reveals the Bride’s beautiful journey in … Continue reading The Beautiful Journey

Rocking the Boat

There are two ways to view scripture.  Either it’s the word of God to humankind infused with the living Spirit of God whose fruit is always abundant life, or it's the dead letter of religious law-keeping, the fruit of which is always condemnation and spiritual death.  The first view is rooted in the sure knowledge … Continue reading Rocking the Boat

The Embrace of God

The Bride now emerging from the wilderness is learning one thing above all others:  what it means to lean on the Bridegroom.  To “lean on” means to shift our weight entirely to something else, wholly trusting that specific ‘something else’ to hold or carry us safely and securely.  We do this every time we sit … Continue reading The Embrace of God

Watch This Space

  “Foolishness” mumbled the soldier Casting lots for the rabbi’s garment “An utter waste of a good man’s life”      “Serves him right” spat the Pharisee Nodding to himself self righteously Stroking his beard with smug delight     “It cannot be!” uttered the disciple Tears streaming from bloodshot eyes “It wasn’t meant to … Continue reading Watch This Space

Come Away!

Here on the east coast of Australia Spring has made a welcome arrival.  I understand that for most of the world it is now Autumn (or Fall), but we in the southern hemisphere are emerging from our long winter season into the renewal of life that Spring always brings.    Spring for me has always been … Continue reading Come Away!