The Church Mouse

What would you think if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song And I’ll try not to sing out of key  Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends (From ‘A Little Help from my Friends’ recorded by the Beatles, Lyrics by Billy Shears)   As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. (Proverbs 27:17)   For … Read more

“You can’t handle the truth.” (Col. Jessup in ‘A Few Good Men) “Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”’ (John 8: 31,32) “because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4: 18). I have an acquaintance who has built a ‘house of cards’ out of … Read more

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”( 1 Timothy 6:18) With what shall I come before the Lord     and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,     with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,     with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,     the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. … Read more

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12: 1,2) Some research has indicated that an exercise consisting of imagining and writing about one’s best possible self increases various aspects of well-being (King, 2001; Boehm, Lyubomirsky, and Sheldon, 2011; Layous, … Read more

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesian 4:16) Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2: 46, 47) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son … Read more

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.  It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31, 32) When I was 10 and 11 or so, my family went and lived in England while my Dad was writing a book.  It was a really remarkable experience that I’m not sure … Read more

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27) The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.  (Psalm 23:1) Last week I was having coffee at a friend’s house.  Its one of my favourite places to visit.  My friend is one of these people that just lets you into her house, pours you a coffee, and lets you curl up and chat in one of her big armchairs by the woodstove.  She’ll even give me a blankie if I want it.  She runs a farm and last week there were new baby chicks … Read more

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. (Acts 4:22) On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. (John 20: 19,20) So. Last week, Former President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced … Read more

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matthew 18: 1-5) Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree … Read more

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. (Exodus 13:21) “Metanoia [repent], for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17) “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.” (Acts 3:19) “John’s baptism was a baptism of metanoia [repentance]. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” (Acts 19:4) This week marks the fourth anniversary of … Read more