If I asked you which season you are in right now, no doubt you would answer me with “Spring” or “Autumn”, depending on which hemisphere you currently live in. You could point to physical and climatic signs to back up your answer. Here in Australia leaves have turned red and golden, there is a gentle … Continue reading Seasons
The Kingdom
Why Trouble The Woman?
Before gender equality became written into our laws, before #metoo and #churchtoo, long before the time’s up movement and the current “he said, she said” media frenzy, there was a time in human history when man and woman lived together on this planet in perfect harmonious co-existence. When God introduced the first woman (Hebrew “Íshshah”) … Continue reading Why Trouble The Woman?
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An Interview With The Prince Of Peace
Interviewer: Good evening everyone. Well, as advertised, we are here tonight for an exclusive interview with the, er, so-called Prince of Peace. Welcome Prince. Many who have been eagerly anticipating this program wish to hear whether you have any relevant input into current affairs, so let’s get straight into the nitty gritty if you don’t … Continue reading An Interview With The Prince Of Peace
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IDOLS IN THE TEMPLE Part 4: The Tithe (B)
(This is part B of a two-part study. It is recommended you read Idols in The Temple Part 4: The Tithe (A) first). In Part A of our study on tithing, we examined some faulty foundations frequently used to justify the practice of paying tithes. Tithe teachers will tell us that tithing is a form … Continue reading IDOLS IN THE TEMPLE Part 4: The Tithe (B)
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IDOLS IN THE TEMPLE Part 4: The Tithe (A)
The preacher’s face reddened as he belted out his favorite (some said his only) Sunday morning message. With Bible held high and voice rising, he loudly reminded the congregation of our duty to faithfully bring the whole tithe (with emphasis on w-h-O-l-e) into the storehouse. Not to do so was to commit that gravest of … Continue reading IDOLS IN THE TEMPLE Part 4: The Tithe (A)
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From The Archives: Coming to Moriah
When Abraham laid his son Isaac on a sacrificial altar no witness was present but God. The Bible is silent on whether Abraham wept as he bound the boy to the firewood. The scriptures do not tell us whether he averted his eyes from Isaac’s frightened gaze. If we have ever loved someone dearly, however, … Continue reading From The Archives: Coming to Moriah
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The Voice
I was asleep but my heart was awake. A Voice! My Beloved was knocking. (Song 5:2) The voice of the Beloved is sweet, fragrant oil pouring forth on the Bride’s thirsty soul. It is like no other voice we will ever hear. It calms our inner storms, declares peace and increase over us and sings … Continue reading The Voice
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Community of Grace
From the shadows they came. From the dark and dangerous haunts of the city. From the hidden nooks and crannies where they lingered on the fringes of society. These were the undesirables, the basest and most shunned in the community…..going about their business with downcast eyes and furtive footsteps, quickly disappearing back into the city’s … Continue reading Community of Grace
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Hidden In Plain Sight
Let’s be clear. A gospel that does not progressively awaken us to the truth that Christ’s sacrifice is all sufficient is not the gospel of the Kingdom Christ preached. A gospel message that teaches we can gain God’s favour by anything in addition to faith in His Son will ultimately produce dysfunctional disciples in whom … Continue reading Hidden In Plain Sight
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The Way Forward
So we’re off and running, or so it would seem. 2017 looms large and beckoning before us, promising all kinds of ‘newness’. Christmas pudding and tinsel are already so yesterday. The tree is back in storage until needed for its brief seasonal appearance in around 350 more sleeps. Before we know it we’ll be shedding … Continue reading The Way Forward
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Grieving In Zion
I can say no more about the poem below than this: there will be those who will treat it like a snack on the run and quickly move on to something more satisfying. Hopefully, there will also be those to whom it will be more like an anticipated expensive meal, to be tasted, carefully considered and allowed to be digested in full. By reading … Continue reading Grieving In Zion
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Until Christ Is Formed
Travail. It’s a very outdated way of describing a woman’s heavy labor during childbirth. A word rarely heard these days. Try dropping the word ‘travail’ at the local Playgroup or nearest women’s health clinic and it's pretty certain people will look at you like you just landed from Mars. It’s right up there with: ‘curmudgeon’ … Continue reading Until Christ Is Formed
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From The Archives: Of His Flesh and Of His Bones: A Mystery
One of the things I like about some more historic versions of the Bible is their poetic language. I know not everyone will agree and some struggle to understand the older translations, so this is purely an individual observation. Modern language translations and paraphrases also have an important place and personally I enjoy consulting a … Continue reading From The Archives: Of His Flesh and Of His Bones: A Mystery
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The Word
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. The beginning. Not the beginning of God, or of the Son, or of the Holy Spirit, for indeed God knows no beginning. From everlasting to everlasting He is, and was, and … Continue reading The Word
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What’s Mine is Yours
Two friends did everything together. The greatest happiness for each of them was to be in the other’s company. Day and night, whatever they were doing, they sought to be doing it in the companionship of the other one. Hours were spent talking, laughing, confiding, sharing, trusting one another. For each of them this rare … Continue reading What’s Mine is Yours
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ALTAR, TEMPLE, KINGDOM Part Three
Dear friends of Bread for the Bride: I am currently away taking a short break. Thankyou for your continued support for the Bread for the Bride blogsite since I started it in April 2012. And if you are a new subscriber, welcome! There are 193 articles and poetry for you to explore while I am away and … Continue reading ALTAR, TEMPLE, KINGDOM Part Three
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ALTAR, TEMPLE, KINGDOM Part Two
Dear friends of Bread for the Bride: I am currently away taking a short break. Thankyou for your continued support for the Bread for the Bride blogsite since I started it in April 2012. And if you are a new subscriber, welcome! There are 193 articles and poetry for you to explore while I am away and … Continue reading ALTAR, TEMPLE, KINGDOM Part Two
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ALTAR, TEMPLE, KINGDOM Part One
Dear friends of Bread for the Bride: I am currently away taking a short break. Thankyou for your continued support for the Bread for the Bride blogsite since I started it in April 2012. And if you are a new subscriber, welcome! There are 193 articles and poetry for you to explore while I am away and … Continue reading ALTAR, TEMPLE, KINGDOM Part One
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Learning The Way Of Otherness
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
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On The Crest Of The Kingdom
So…here we are. Seated in heavenly places as we simultaneously inhabit a world in which we are unwelcome strangers (Eph. 2:6; Phl. 3:20). Sometimes, no often, it seems impossible to reconcile both those truths. When we hit that wall of mental impossibility, we call it ‘mystery’. But then there’s the tension: the daily spiritual, emotional, … Continue reading On The Crest Of The Kingdom
Bread for the Bride 