Devotions

See Matt 11:28 Lord, help me to pray as I ought to. Help me to pray from the heart. I rend my heart, no garment would suffice. I labour and carry a lot. The weight of sin, shame and guilt. I am so imperfect. The weight of being a father, Being a husband Being a son. The weight of the world as I hear of wars and rumours of wars, suffering, famine and disease.  The endless petitions and sorrows. Tears and angry words. I can't take it anymore. We can’t. So I lay it before you in pain and spiritual anguish. Take my burdens. Our burdens. I receive your rest. Amen 

Some grave news from  The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and The Quakers: Not that I want to be alarmist, but the UK is at "watch" level on Genocide Watch ...  Targeted Groups:     Gypsies, Roma and Travellers,     Refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants,     Muslims and Jewish people, and      Trans people "Since 2010, the U.K. has become increasingly hostile to minorities, with the government and far-right parties demonizing refugees, immigrants, and the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community. GRT people face high levels of normalized racism and discrimination. The government has now passed a law that not only cracks down on protests but also criminalizes aspects of many GRT people's nomadic identity and way of life. Additionally, the government has made multiple attacks on the rights and safety of refugees, including by signing a deal with Rwanda to offshore asylum processes for refugees considered "illegal." In the 20...

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John 16:33 Sometimes I despair. I find it so hard to find hope. Shall violent Godless rulers and terrorist/revolutionaries hold our world to ransom forever? Shall poverty and disease be left unchecked in this age of advanced everything? Shall life always be a struggle? Thankfully whatever happens if we follow Jesus we know He has overcome the world and we shall be overcomers! Martin Luther King Jr seems to have referenced this wonderful hymn numerous times in his ministry. It links nicely to our text: We Shall Overcome  We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday! Refrain: Oh, deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome someday! We’ll walk hand in hand … some day! We shall live in peace … some day! We are not afraid … today! God will see us through … today! (The hymn is Public Domain - via Hymnary.org )

He was a world leader.  To some a liberation. To others a terrorist.  He will die one day.  In the brevity of life, soon.  His legacy on this earth will be as dust. All the blood He spilled and money gained never could buy back his soul. The arms companies and profiteers he thought were friends, thrived off of the sacrifices on his proverbial altars. One day they also will perish. He taught that citizens could be acceptable losses, collateral damage, killed as a necessary evil. He didn’t realise the same argument could be made against him and his sponsors.  The world didn't need, want or like him. In the end as he looked in the mirror he saw evil and he felt the same way.  What was there to like? All his empires will be brought to ruin. Even his body would return to the dust. Meaningless, Meaningless all so Meaningless. He had grasped after the wind. Now his dust would blow there. ~ DTH ~

When we are told about collateral damage, acceptable losses, friendly fire, lifes of diminished value as human shields, or some other excuse for bombings never forget God even in Old Testament anger is far, far more merciful. Further more all followers of Jesus are rebuked by Him if they call down fire on enemies. Surely this includes both the desire for cosmic vengeance and the desire to drop bombs on the children of your enemies. God is willing to spare the righteous even if few in number: 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. 23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from the...

Second draft of a sermon I am working on: Prayer: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Righteousness of the Kingdom READ: Matthew 5:17-32 (NKJV) 17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the ...

Governments, armies, Terrorists and arms dealers all claim to be serving the greater good in eliminating threats. They claim to protect us from enemies (while clearly swimming in a sea of money like Scrooge McDuck). But, the question is, who will protect us from them? It is the age-old "Who Will Watch the Watchmen?"