The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owned land. He went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to give them the usual pay for a day’s work. Then he sent them into his vineyard. About nine o’clock in the morning he went out again. He saw … Continue reading Learning The Way Of Otherness
Life in Christ
Burning Questions
There were two burning questions on Jesus’ mind concerning those who followed Him. The first was uttered on the Road to Caesarea Philippi: ‘Who do you say I am?’ The second came not long after, on a day when many would-be disciples turned back from Him: ‘Do you also want to go away?’ Interestingly, both … Continue reading Burning Questions
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From The Archives: Thy Kingdom Come?
First posted in January, 2013: "Thy Kingdom come." It’s probably the most frequently spoken prayer known in Christendom, uttered all over the world daily by multitudes of Christians since time immemorial. We so desperately want the Kingdom of God to come, don’t we? Errr….don’t we? Well…..maybe. Ever considered what we’re actually asking for as we … Continue reading From The Archives: Thy Kingdom Come?
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The Cross and Our Identity Crisis
If your Christian experience has been anything like mine you would regularly have heard that Jesus went to the Cross in your place. The wages of sin is death, right? All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory? And you’d agree that faith in Christ’s substitutionary act on our behalf is foundational to … Continue reading The Cross and Our Identity Crisis
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Lessons From The Wilderness Part Five: The Revelation Of The Son
The Spirit that guides, counsels, comforts and shows us things to come is a Spirit of revelation (Jn. 16:13). He is a revealer. And that which He reveals is Christ. It is always the purpose and ministry of this holy, revealer Spirit who is the very living breath of God, to reveal Christ. There is … Continue reading Lessons From The Wilderness Part Five: The Revelation Of The Son
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The Return Of Innocence
There was a time when humanity was innocent. Not simply good and well behaved. Innocent. Neither Adam nor Eve had any conscious sense of ‘goodness’ before they ate from the tree. They had no need for such knowledge, for all that God created, including them, was ‘good’ (Gen. 1:31). They had no conscience, no sense … Continue reading The Return Of Innocence
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From The Archives: Not For The Feinthearted
“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 From The Archives: Not For The Feinthearted
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The Prodigal Father
"Prodigal": Spending money or resources freely and recklessly, wastefully extravagant, having or giving something on a lavish scale Oxford Dictionary To Simon, brother of my father, greetings and peace to you and your household. I will waste no time, uncle, in presenting to you the reason for my letter. I find myself in need of assistance … Continue reading The Prodigal Father
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The Foot of The Mountain
Had any mountaintop experiences recently? By ‘mountaintop’ I mean those encounters with God that can leave us dazed with glory for hours or days, suddenly propel us into a deeper revelation of Who He is or enlarge our prophetic understanding of time and events. Peter, James and John had a pretty cool mountaintop experience with … Continue reading The Foot of The Mountain
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From The Archives: Deep, Deep Love
In this season of newness, when we look back at where we have been and contemplate where we may be going, I have decided to share again this post from the Bread for the Bride archives. For all who are in the process of stepping out of the boat and onto the wild water, whatever that may … Continue reading From The Archives: Deep, Deep Love
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No Fear? Part Two
Part Two of Two Most of us know that Jesus told people not to have fear. Often. Recently I attempted to count how many times in the gospel accounts Jesus said ‘fear not’, ‘don’t be afraid’, or something along those lines. I gave up. I had no difficulty counting how many times Jesus told people … Continue reading No Fear? Part Two
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No Fear? Part One
Part One of Two I always thought I’d run into her in a supermarket aisle or perhaps in the doctor’s rooms. It was neither as it turned out. At the shopping mall, as I emerged from the ladies’ rest room, there she was: approaching the rest room from the opposite direction, in a long narrow … Continue reading No Fear? Part One
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The Jesus That Time Forgot
Until Christ is revealed in us and to us by the indwelling Holy Spirit we cannot know Him. For many Christ followers our journeys begin in a similar way. We hear and believe the gospel and set out expectantly, seeking to know more about this Jesus Christ who took our place on a Roman cross. … Continue reading The Jesus That Time Forgot
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The Question
This is not the post I planned to share today. Today many of us are grappling with deep sadness and questions no one can answer. This weekend we were brought once again to the shattering reality that humanity is in deep, agonising trouble. While politicians promise dramatic responses, musicians comfort us with gentle tunes, and … Continue reading The Question
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Guest Post – Scrubbing The Competition
Today I welcome fellow blogger Tiffany Clark as a guest poster on Bread for the Bride. Tiffany writes with deep insight at her blogsite Messy Theology. Tiffany teaches (and is taught) Spiritual Formation in an M.A. program offered for Christian leaders throughout Africa and Asia. In her various writing projects, Tiffany prefers grappling with the Scriptures in the … Continue reading Guest Post – Scrubbing The Competition
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Moments Like These
You know, I wasn't planning this post. But I saw something today that literally took my breath away and squeezed some unexpected salty tears from these jaded eyes. Spontaneous tears....they're the best kind don't you think? The Rugby World Cup Final was played out between old rivals Australia and New Zealand this past weekend. Now, if like me you're not … Continue reading Moments Like These
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The Tyranny of Empty Nets
A dark mood enveloped the seasoned fisherman as he dragged his boat onto shore. Pulling an empty net up beside him he began to wash away the night’s debris. Simon could hear the Rabbi’s voice speaking softly and firmly to the crowd further up the beach. But he was tired, sore and irritated at the … Continue reading The Tyranny of Empty Nets
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In Whose Image?
One of the most common accusations levelled at women by those who advocate male leadership in church and home (and some would add society in general), is that Eve (Ishshah) disobeyed God and led Adam into sin. For this reason, they say, God ordained that ‘her husband would rule over her’ (Gen. 3:16). In fact, … Continue reading In Whose Image?
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From The Archives: No You Can’t, Uh Uh, No Way!
So there was Jesus making His way along the road. And there was the usual crowd, pressing, squabbling, gawking, chattering. Seems a familiar scenario - Jesus and crowds go together, right? No, not this day. This day Jesus turns, faces the crowd and presents them with something they didn’t come for. “You can’t follow Me” … Continue reading From The Archives: No You Can’t, Uh Uh, No Way!
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In Search Of Authentic Authority
Leadership. For many of us the word leaves a bad taste. For some it evokes a sense of deep disappointment, emotional pain or abandonment. And for far too many it awakens traumatic memories of spiritual abuse. Jesus didn’t have a lot to say about leadership, except to warn the disciples that His idea of leadership … Continue reading In Search Of Authentic Authority
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