Devotions

The same human hands that held a newborn and held a grandmother's hands in a pew are the hands that dragged a boy from a doorway and rolled a body into a trench.  A hand tears a jaw apart like wet bread, another hand dead yet still warm, still wearing a wedding ring.  But other hands press a stranger's chest and refuse to give up, pass water across a fence, lay a loaded rifle in the mud, knock on heavens door.  We can build a school with them. We can break a child with them. The hands of God spread the sky like a cloth, and the hands of Christ were pierced and nailed flat while the world did what the world does — and the world is still being crucified, still bleeding in a hundred villages.  So we do not answer the nails with nails.  We answer them the way He did: hands open, not clenched, forgiving the ones who drive them in. -DTH- More at Line of Poetry

Babies in church are not a distraction. Suffer the children to come. Only consumer churches need worry — the babies and the ASN might pull your eyes from the product, the show. But a church that looks like the early church is for the big and the small, and gathers in strange places: the wilderness, ordinary houses, random temples, altars to an unknown God where ecumenical teaching moments happen. Because here He is. Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to Him. -DTH- More at Line of Poetry

Then: Free Church of Scotland Mission House. No porch light. No lantern. No knocking. It was forbidden, and I was told why. Tracts out through the door, torn up, flattened under tyres. Every year, the trick was ours. Now: A parent. Still a Christian. "Just a bit of fun", they say.  I'm autistic. The doorbell is a fist against my ribs. Masks with no eyes. Laughter on my skin. The whole street, too loud, too cold to bear. My anxiety doesn't do strangers. Children too hyped, too loud with begged-for sugar. I don't want the dark. Christ keeps me in the light. And for the ones who lost someone: Some sit in pubs with plastic bats on the ceiling, skulls on the bar, a wake dressed as a party. I see you. Grief doesn't get a season off. The one good thing: A teacher's hand, sweets at the classroom door — I don't see why you should miss out. Unasked. Unseen. Sweet. -DTH- More free verse at Line of Poetry

Dear Friends, ​The Reformation did not start with a hammer hitting a door in 1517. It started quietly. ​Long ago, Waldo gave away his wealth to put the Gospels into simple language. Francis chose poverty and peace. Wycliffe translated the Bible for ordinary people.  Men tried to silence them, but truth cannot be stopped. ​ By Scripture Alone. The Bible belongs to everyone.  William Tyndale promised that a simple farm worker would know the Scriptures better than the scholars. He was burned at the stake in 1536 for translating the New Testament into English. ​ By Faith Alone: Faith is trusting God, not performing for Him. ​ Through Christ Alone: Jesus is our only mediator. ​ For God's Glory Alone: Everything is for God's honor, never ours. ​ By Grace Alone: This is the beating heart of it all. ​You are saved by grace through faith. It is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–10). You cannot earn it, buy it, or pray your way into it. It is free to us, but ...

 

 

Words: keep the tongue bridled Actions should speak louder Thoughts should run toward what's noble and pure Companions should pull you up, not drag you down Heart — well, the heart of man's problems is the problem of man's heart so be blessed and pure in heart -DTH- More at Line of Poetry  

 

 

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow... (Matthew 6:28) ​I have always loved nature. It is my happy place. Just as ecosystems thrive with a variety of animal and plant life, so too does the human ecosystem thrive with different brain types. We can learn much from this, and from the views of Indigenous cultures. The purely medical view may have its place and may help some, but this deeper view is frankly beautiful—  just like nature itself. In Māori, autism is called Takiwātanga—moving in one's own natural rhythm and time.   ​In Aboriginal culture, it is Dadirri—deep, inner listening to the land and spirit.   ​The Navajo have the term Hózhó—a unique thread in the natural harmony of the universe.   ​In biblical and spiritual reflections, patterns of seeing shells or leaves mirror the recognition of the logic of the Creator. ​Through a high sensitivity to wind, light, and sound, a quiet soul remains receptive to the still, small voice. ...

I remember when I was a child having a bookmark that was my Grandma Holdsworths, made by the Peace movement known as CHIPS. It had the collect for peace on it. I also had a small wooden Saint Francis that was hers and a picture NIV Study Bible. Though those items are long lost they speak to who I always wanted to be and what I knew early on I believed. Over the October break some people of faith are celebrating the world week of prayer for peace. Due to circumstances I won't be posting lots for this in 2026. However, here is the collect to get us started on praying and seeking peace. I also include some other peace prayers. A Collect for Peace  O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ...

When people think about the origins of Christianity, they often picture a long game of telephone—decades of silence followed by someone finally writing down the story of Jesus in the Gospels years after his death. ​While the full-length narrative Gospels ( Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ) were indeed written roughly 30 to 60 years after the crucifixion, recent historical and textual analysis reveals a surprising plot twist: the core beliefs, creeds, and hymns of Christianity were being written down and recited within months to just a few years of Jesus' life. ​Long before bound Bibles or formal church libraries, the earliest followers of Jesus were already capturing their faith in stone, song, and scroll. ​The Paper Trail: A Timeline to the Earliest Texts ​ 30–35 AD (Within 2 to 5 Years of the Crucifixion): The Jerusalem Creeds ​ The Text: Embedded formulas like the 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection creed. ​ The Significance: Passed down almost immediately by the ...

The rain falls gently on the old tin roof. Angels in the tabernacle? The rain, loud enough to merge with Psalms,  yet not to drown the word of God.  The precentor sings a line and the congregation follows. "To thee I lift my soul..." The precentor sings a line and the congregation follows.  The rain, loud enough to merge with Psalms,  yet not to drown the word of God. Angels in the tabernacle?  The rain falls gently.  - DTH -  More Poetry   Follow for poems in your inbox. 

As some may know, one of my favorite saints is Saint Francis of Assisi. Whilst I don't agree on all his teachings I have always admired this wealthy man turned poor Saint.  In a time animals were mere food or inconvenience he loved animals.  In a time of a huge gap between the rich and poor he loved and identified with the poor. In a time of religious corruption he was a reformer before the Reformation.  In a time of ruined and abandoned churches he was a master builder.  In a time where love had waxed cold he loved.  In a time of war and crusades he stood for peace at great expense to himself. His time is not unlike today in fact.  His example is relevant to us.  The Canticle of the Sun ​ (Translation by Matthew Arnold) ​O most high, almighty, good Lord God, to thee belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing! To thee alone, Most High, do they belong, and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce thy Name. ​Praised be my L...