It was 40 years ago that a baby was placed in my hands. This was the child we had been waiting for 9 months, watching the bump grow and grow, eventually with me being woken in the night by tiny kicks in the back. Incredibly, my wife was not awakened by the kicks inside. I …
Lectio Divina—Reading
Advent 2023—Lectio Divina part 3 This Advent I am going to look at the practice of Lectio Divina, mostly because it is my favourite form of prayer and meditation. Lectio Divina means "Divine Reading" in Latin. It is a systematic way of reading the Bible dating back to the early centuries of the Christian church. …
Lectio Divina—Prep
Advent 2023—Lectio Divina part 2 This Advent, I am going to look at the practice of Lectio Divina, mostly because it is my favorite form of prayer and meditation. Lectio Divina means "Divine Reading" in Latin. It is a systematic way of reading the Bible dating back to the early centuries of the Christian church. …
Lectio Divina—An introduction
Advent 2023-Lectio Divina part 1 This Advent I am going to look at the practise of Lectio Divina, mostly because it is my favourite form of prayer and meditation. Lectio Divina means "Divine Reading" in Latin. It is a systematic way of reading the Bible dating back to the early centuries of the Christian church. …
Growing in the darkness—Psalm 69
Psalms of David "The Lord hears the needy." This was the standout verse when I did my Lectio Divina on Psalm 69. This on one level is a typical lamenting psalm in that it uses an extended metaphor of a drowning man to describe the prayer of someone who is being persecuted for being faithful …
Who does God arise for?—Psalm 68
Psalms of David God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered. His enemies, not mine. You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do. Anne Lamott, though she attributes this to 'my priest friend Tom.' I am writing this at a …
Forgiveness is a lovely idea—Psalm 65
Psalms of David At last, a song of praise. This is the last of 15 Psalms by David, which have been arranged in three sets of five. It started with confession, the prayer of David when he was confronted about his Adultery and Murder, and continued through psalms based on mostly events from David's life. …
Reap what you sow—Psalm 64
Psalms of David They say that first impressions are important, and my first impression of Psalm 64 was not positive. I had no idea at all as to what it meant. It is a bit of a mess, going in and out of metaphor. |-o0o-| Psalms in Book 2 are like Book 1 in that …
Imagine—Psalm 63
Psalms of David Imagine there is a heaven, it's easy if you try. That is the message of Psalm 63:2. "I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory," writes David. The term looked upon, sometimes translated as envisioned is, according to an online Rabbi, the word meaning a vision but the …
What’s the story—Psalm 62
Psalms of David Psalms are songs. They are written as worship, for when man encounters God and God encounters man; they work both ways. But they are not only songs, but also stories. Stories of people's delight in God and also of their struggles in a world where there seems to be no justice. The …
