So here we are at the end of 1 Peter. Peter, we’ve seen, is someone for whom reflection on the … More
Category: Bible intros #3
Latest: 1 Peter #9: The Way Ahead (4:12-5:11)
We’re almost at the close of 1 Peter, so now we watch how Peter brings all the great things he … More
1 Peter #8: The Vision That Arms Us (4:1-11)
Studying 1 Peter could save our lives. We’re only on this planet for a few decades; we’re in heaven for … More
1 Peter #7: The New Testament’s Most Puzzling Verses? (3:18-4:1)
This time we’ve reached what are maybe the new testament’s most difficult verses. But of course as part of the … More
1 Peter #6: Wrestling With Wilderness Relationships (2:11-3:18)
1 Peter seems to be written particularly for believers going through experiences of `exile`; of being away from our `home`, … More
1 Peter #5: We Have A Home In The Wilderness (2:4-10)
`Pioneering` in the Bible – following the taste, the desire, for the `pure milk of the Word’ – will lead … More
1 Peter #4: Three Roots For Our Lasting Transformation (1:15-2:3)
We saw last time how `setting our hope’, our desires, `fully’ on the enormous glory coming our way from the … More
1 Peter #3: The Power Of Desire (1:10-14)
I’m glad we’re looking at 1 Peter, because it’s an extremely rich book, and 1 Peter 1 is an extremely … More
1 Peter #2: What is God’s Word For Exiles (And For Us)? (1:1-9)
As our feeding on Scripture takes us to Peter’s first letter, we sense its recipients working through the tough experiences … More
1 Peter#1: What We’ll Get (Fairly Uniquely) From This Book
There are two sides to the Christian life. The norm – and this cannot be said too strongly, because Jesus … More
Ephesians (part 8): `Church`, She’s Not Quite What We Think – God’s Temple, God’s Household (2:19-22)
I’ve been much blessed these last weeks absorbing God’s revelation in Ephesians of what `Church` means: She is Christ’s Bride … More
Ephesians (part 5): `Church`, She’s Not Quite What We Think – The Bride (5:25-32)
We’ll relate better to Church if we grasp who She is! If we speed-read on through Ephesians, we’ll see how … More
Ephesians (part 2): I Realise I Don’t Pray About The Things Paul Prays About… (1:15-23)
Now comes a chance for us to foster a habit that’s important to Bible feeding – to begin noticing times … More
Ephesians: The Vision Of The Ultimate! (1:1-14)
Ephesians has been called the summit of the new testament. `It must be manifest to the most casual reader that … More
Rev 21&22: How God Closes Out The Bible
Grasp these final chapters of God’s Word, and we’ll catch the vision of something vital: we’ll grasp what the word … More
Rev 19&20: The Three Ways The World Ends
There will be a real, conclusive End to history as we know it. (We need to grasp that!) Here we … More
Rev 17&18 – How An Economic System Can Become Demonic, And What That Means For Us
Revelation 17 and 18 are absolutely fascinating, culturally and politically! They show how part of Satan’s final push will be … More
Rev 14>16: Lots To Think About Here
What will we gain from feeding on these chapters? A lot! First, we’ll be reminded imaginatively, at the start of … More
Rev 13: We Need To Take This Very Seriously – We Just Might Live Through It…
The close of history: God shows us in Revelation that, before Christ finally intervenes as King, there will be a … More
Romans (#9): `Fixed In The Certainty Of Love Unchanging!’ (8:30-39)
Romans’ central chapters have shown us one wonderful thing after another. `So what shall we say to these things?’ Surely, … More
Romans (#8): Visions of Horror And Glory (8:22-30)
Romans’ central section has a whole series of glorious, inspirational revelations, that can lead our grasp of our faith to … More
Romans (#7): `More Than We Can Ask Or Imagine!` (ch8:14-23)
`Sin shall not be your master’, we’ve seen! Thankyou, Father! But God has far more for us in Romans! Holiness … More
Romans 6>8 (#3): Something Dramatic Happened When You Were Born Again…!
God promises us in Romans, unreservedly and remarkably, that `Sin shall not be your master!’ (6:14). Let’s absorb again just … More
Revelation 12 – The Agelong Spiritual War!
We’re starting now on the last section of our Revelation series — with maybe the book’s obscurest chapter, ch12! But … More
Rev 8 to 11: Understanding History’s Final Crisis
Does Revelation teach us the permanent principles hidden but active in every phase of history? Or does it show us … More
Rev 7: Heaven’s Wonder From Another Angle!
Now Revelation 7. A slightly surprising chapter, but actually hugely uplifting – a key chapter, too, for catching Revelation’s flow, … More
Revelation 5 & 6 – The Unreadable Book of Human Suffering
In Revelation’s powerful chapters 5 and 6 we read of a sealed book no one can access. When it’s finally … More
Revelation 1 & intro: This Book Is About Jesus’ Glory!
We’re starting a new series of posts on the first half of the book of Revelation. I’m really looking forward … More
Sermon On The Mount intro
The sermon on the mount has to be one of the most massively important parts of Scripture. There’s more of … More
Hebrews 1 and intro
Hebrews: we really need to know Hebrews! It’s different from any other new testament book. Like others, though, it’s a … More
James 1 and intro
This week a few introductory thoughts that may help us feed on James; and why it matters… For some of … More
1 Peter 1 and intro
This time an introduction to 1 Peter! Why is it valuable? It’s valuable because our Christian life involves two types … More
Revelation 4 – What God Desires To Show Us About Heaven!
Today we launch out on a new series exploring the strange and wonderful book of Revelation – beginning with as … More
Revelation 2: Recovering God’s Truth – And Losing The Love…
This week we start Revelation 2. Which I suspect has something to say to any of us who are following … More
Rev 2 part 2 – Jesus On Not Being Tolerated, & On Tolerating
In these posts we’re listening to Revelation 2 and 3 – vital chapters, because, remarkably, they show us just how … More
Rev 3 – Which Church Would You Rather Be Part Of?
In Revelation’s seven letters, Jesus speaks to seven churches linked with the aging apostle John. It’s a tough time: most … More
Rev 3: Jesus Says These Christians Make Him Spit… What About Me?
The last of Jesus’ letters in Revelation, to Laodicea, is probably the most well-known, & perhaps the most powerful. Jesus … More
Revelation 4 & 5 – Basics To Help Us Worship!
Revelation records a lot about singing, and shows us a lot to help us learn to worship! Obviously a book … More
Romans 6>8 (#1): There’s No Wrongful Behaviour We Cannot Break Free From!
I remember when I first discovered Romans 6 as a student. It felt like wonderful dynamite! `Sin shall not have … More
Romans 6>8 (#2): There’s **No** Wrongful Behaviour We Cannot Break Free From!
In Romans 6 God makes an incredible – and if, or since, this is God speaking: highly practical – promise … More
Romans 6>8 (#4): Why Then No Instant Triumph? (ch7)
We fed last week on God’s dramatic revelation in Romans 6, so crucial to its guarantee of our liberation from … More
Romans 6>8 (#5) Liberation: The Three Steps Forward On Our Side
Recently we’ve fed on God’s amazing promise that we can be liberated from all – all! – negative behaviours (Rom … More
Liberation in Romans (#6): Deepening Our Grasp Of The Spirit’s Agenda (chs12,13)
Here’s the last of our posts exploring God’s amazing promise that there’s no negative behaviour, at all, that we cannot … More
Matthew 24: Jesus On the End-Times?
Matthew 24, and its parallel in Mark 13, are arguably the most significant Bible chapters on the end times, and … More
Romans (#10): A PS On Chapter 9 – A Troubling One??- Undeserved Glory!!
The tough parts of Scripture often turn out the most worthwhile. Or, as C S Lewis puts it: the foxhunter … More
Mark 1 and intro
I find something uncanny as I read Mark’s Gospel. I might not have expected it, yet I keep finding it … More
2 Corinthians(1): Stress And What We Can Get Out Of It (Ch1)
I’ve enjoyed journeying here through the `vision of God’s ultimate` in Ephesians! But sometimes we feel a million miles from … More
Luke resource
This site started out as an archive of ideas on some of the Bible’s chewier parts, in the old testament. … More
2 Corinthians(2): How Paul Copes With Stress – Beyond The Measurable Goals (Ch2)
We’re feeding on 2 Corinthians, where Paul is having a very difficult time and writes on the very edge of … More
2 Corinthians(3): Do We Know We Each `Minister The Spirit`?! (3:1-6)
Now in ch3 we find the third anchor that gives Paul, and us, real `confidence’ (3:4) amid the stresses that … More
2 Corinthians(4): We Point The Wonderful Way Right To The Heart Of God! (3:7-18)
Is there a fourth `anchor’ here that helps Paul survive the stresses, and means WE too surely won’t `lose heart` … More
2 Corinthians(5): You Want Transformation? This Is How It Happens… Channelling Glory! (3:12 (again!)-4:1)
Amid all the pressures we encounter, Paul’s been saying, we’ll be seriously strengthened if we grasp the incredible privilege of … More
2 Corinthians(6): Our Indispensable Weapons (4:1-6)
Summary so far: among all his problems, Paul doesn’t lose heart; and this is because he knows the Word he … More
2 Corinthians(7): Broken Pot Spirituality (4:7-11)
I’m glad some of us are finding this magnificent, profound epistle as lifegiving as I do. As we’ve seen, Paul … More
2 Corinthians(8): Now Let’s Learn About The Glory! (4:12-5:8)
Here’s a lifegiving idea: in the new testament, suffering and glory seem to go together like the two sides of … More
2 Corinthians(9): Turning Vision Into Lifestyle! (5:9-21)
As usual with Paul, mysticism, vision, turns into action, as 2 Corinthians continues. Or, we might equally say, faith comes … More
2 Corinthians(10): Sixfold Transformation!(1) (5:16-7:1)
`If anyone is in Christ`, says Paul (and indeed, God), `they are a new creation’ (2 Cor 5:17)! And as … More
2 Corinthians(11): Sixfold Transformation!(2) (chs7-9)
So now vision is turning into passion, into action! In these chapters we watch Paul embodying the transformation he’s been … More
2 Corinthians(12): God Actually _Plans_ On Our Weakness, In This World Where The Cross Happened! (chs 10-13)
This is our final post on 2 Corinthians. And here, perhaps, comes the heart, the ultimate gift to each of … More
Ephesians(3): God Says We’re In Heaven Right Now!? (2:1-7, 1:13-14)
There’s so much more in Ephesians’ glorious first paragraphs! Not surprisingly, since Paul is expressing the vision of the ultimate, … More
Ephesians(4): Grasping The Cosmic Plan, And Our Own Place In It (1:9-12)
We caught last week something of the wonder that we’re already seated with Christ `in the heavenly realms` (see Eph … More
Ephesians(6): `Church`, She’s Not Quite What We Think – The Body (1:22-23, 2:15-16, 4:11-16, 5:28-30)
We are Christ’s Bride (last week): what more could we ask or imagine? Yet there’s more! If we speed-read through … More
Ephesians(7): `Church`, She’s Not Quite What We Think – God’s Masterpiece, God’s Workmanship (2:1-10)
We the Church aren’t what we appear. We’ve seen Ephesians bringing us one profound image after another as Paul labours … More
Ephesians(9): The Vision Of The Incredible Love Of God (2:11-22, 3:14-21)
In these last weeks we’ve absorbed the amazing vision God gives us in Ephesians of `Church`. Now the revelation gets … More
Ephesians(10): The Vision Hits The Road! (4:1-6:9)
Now marriage, sex, workplace, family: in Ephesians God shows us how authentic doctrine (when it’s really from God, not manmade) … More
Ephesians(11): Won’t Survive Without These (6:10-22)
Like we’ve seen, having presented the cosmic vision, Paul says: You’ll need to do something practical about it, in marital/sexual … More
Ephesians(12): The Summit! (6:23-24)
As we’ve seen throughout this series: Ephesians’ vision is of a cosmos that one day will be gloriously freed from … More
John: Five Starter Thoughts
This post cannot offer to be a full-scale `introduction` to John, when John’s deeply profound gospel could be said to be … More
Acts resource
This site started out as an archive of ideas on some of the Bible’s chewier parts, in the old testament. … More
