Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. In China we are imprisoned and tortured; in Egypt we are denied justice; in Nigeria we are regularly gunned down or burned to death; in Myanmar we are used as slaves by the military; … Continue reading Bride-Atude Nine: The Faithful Witnesses
The Bride-Atudes
Bride-Atude Eight: The Light Keepers
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven... We have a habit of associating persecution only with ‘non-Christian’ countries and oppressive regimes. Especially in democratic societies we tend automatically to think that persecution belongs to a world we don’t really know. The idea that we may also … Continue reading Bride-Atude Eight: The Light Keepers
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Bride-Atude Seven: The Good Will Ambassadors
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God Somewhere in eternity there is a garden. In that garden humankind was created and co-existed in peace with the Creator. Then catastrophe struck. Man rejected God and the peace between them was shattered. No longer could they peacefully co-exist with God so … Continue reading Bride-Atude Seven: The Good Will Ambassadors
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Bride-Atude Six: The Greatest in the Kingdom
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God A pure heart is an innocent heart. Not innocent in regard to sin, but innocent in regard to having nothing to hide. Hidden agendas and self-centred manipulation of others are unfamiliar to the pure in heart. A pure heart is transparent. A pure heart … Continue reading Bride-Atude Six: The Greatest in the Kingdom
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Bride-Atude Five: The Blood Soaked Mercy Bearers
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy The greatest act of mercy in human history took place on a crude Roman cross at Golgotha when God the Mercy Bearer was denied mercy by those who needed it most. “Go and learn what this means”, said Jesus to the Pharisees: “I desire mercy and … Continue reading Bride-Atude Five: The Blood Soaked Mercy Bearers
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Bride-Atude Four: The Dove Eyed Lovers
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. How do you add water to a river in flood? How do you add righteousness to unlimited righteousness? Answer: you don’t. The point being that in this statement Jesus wasn’t encouraging us to try to increase in righteousness through our own efforts. His … Continue reading Bride-Atude Four: The Dove Eyed Lovers
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Bride-Atude Three: The Mighty Meek
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “God helps those who help themselves” the world screams at us. Success belongs to the aggressive and the assertive. Admiration is for those who go after what they want at any cost. Not surprisingly, success in the Kingdom looks somewhat different. The King of Kings … Continue reading Bride-Atude Three: The Mighty Meek
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Bride-Atude Two: The Passionate Mourners
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. God is irrepressibly drawn to brokeness in the human heart. Jesus was acquainted with grief, meaning He knew sorrow by experience (Is.53:3). One of the most beautiful phrases in the New Testament is “Jesus wept”. When Jesus wept at Bethany it wasn’t because his friend Lazarus … Continue reading Bride-Atude Two: The Passionate Mourners
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Bride-Atude One: The Joyful Poor
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus wasn’t blessing poverty here.This poverty of spirit is more accurately translated ‘destitute’. Jesus demonstrated this spiritual destitution by laying aside all the rights and privileges of His divinity in exchange for a life on earth that included a manger, homelessness, and … Continue reading Bride-Atude One: The Joyful Poor
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The Bride-Atudes
She is black, white, brown, caramel, albino and every shade in between. She speaks Swahili, Tamil, English, Italian, Hebrew, Pidgin, Mandarin and a countless number of other languages, past and present. Her eyes are brown, green, blue, black, hazel and any colour that eyes can be. She lives anywhere from shanty towns to royal palaces, … Continue reading The Bride-Atudes
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Dancing With God
Not since his youth had his body felt so light, so free. Around him the tumult of the procession rose as the maidens, tambourines in hand, rejoiced in the dance. Young men and old shouted loudly and clapped hands, overcome by the excitement of the occasion. Tearful voices rose in praise and prayer amid the trumpet … Continue reading Dancing With God
Bread for the Bride 