“The last King of Israel was a Queen. And after all was done, the last became first.”

“What does our relationship with Jesus look like? What does he do for us and what does he expect from us? How does this fit with our relationship with God?”

“If I am living in resentment, then I have crossed a boundary. I am no longer living in my life, but have moved into yours. I do not belong in your life, without first asking if you would like help. I can help you alongside. I can help you carry your boulder. I do not carry your boulder for you. It’s a subtle but hugely important difference.”

“The Bible is actually quite unique in that it is a library of books, with many different genres, styles, and structures, from different authors, centuries, and contexts. All of that complexity and diversity is wonderful. But does that make it accessible? Does the Bible make it easy to answer life’s big questions? Does it make it easy to find moral guidance? Does it make it easy to build and strengthen your relationship with God? Or actually, does the Bible often seem to be inaccessible, irrelevant, or even, sometimes, boring?”

“Who or what is the Holy Spirit? Is it a power or a person? Was the Holy Spirit just a New Testament thing? What is the Name of the Holy Spirit that Jesus said we should be baptised into? These are all questions I had never found satisfactory answers for – until now…”

“Solomon states his intent: the Proverbs are designed to steer the reader away from seductive Hedonism (also presented as a woman) and towards Lady Wisdom.3 For all his destructive foolishness, Solomon is the one who most intelligently articulates the principal dilemma all humans face. Will you marry Wisdom, or be seduced to partner Hedonism?”

“Addressing the changes we must make in our homes can be challenging, just as changes to our spiritual lives can be challenging. We first must ask why and then we must be honest about whether the renovation is justified. If we agree that it is justified, then we must sit down and count the cost as to whether or not we have the will and courage to make that change – or whether we will continue living with it as it is, because it’s not worth the price. One makes us grow, while the other maintains the status quo. Both are conscience decisions.”

“This dichotomy – between the character of God as revealed in the Old Testament and the character of God as revealed through His Son – has created a cognitive dissonance, which has been gnawing at me for a long time. So how do I reconcile this issue? Can I reconcile this issue?”

“Our God creates and sustains this magnificent world. He is in everything! I want to be constantly aware of seeing Him, looking for Him, and recognising Him in all things – from the creation around me to my own, personal life.”

“While so many people treat prayer to “solve” their problems, the passenger sitting beside me on the plane had a different perspective. Prayer was not just a tool to reverse a troubling circumstance – because the flight attendant's situation was not likely to be changed – but prayer was the fundamental tool he used even when he didn’t expect any answer.”

“This is the exhortation of Daniel in exile. He is an agent of God’s undying love and compassion for his children. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, and nothing could separate Israel from the love of God which was in the prophet Daniel.”

“The spoken word was of primary importance in the ancient Near East of the Hebrew Bible, as well as in the Greco-Roman world of the New Testament. I have found that in recognising this, I have been better able to focus on the authority vested in Jesus as the Word of God, while acknowledging the written text as the medium of transmission to us of the words spoken.”

“I feared rejection. I believed that love in our community was conditional. It had small print: terms and conditions which might prove unfavorable. If people knew the true me, I’d be labelled, marginalized and rejected.”

“The spoken word was of primary importance in the ancient Near East of the Hebrew Bible, as well as in the Greco-Roman world of the New Testament. I have found that in recognising this, I have been better able to focus on the authority vested in Jesus as the Word of God, while acknowledging the written text as the medium of transmission to us of the words spoken.”

“Ruth’s story is very much a tale of two halves. From the ashes of famine, bereavement and despair in Moab, arises a tale of compassion, cooperation and caring for others in Israel.”

“The spoken word was of primary importance in the ancient Near East of the Hebrew Bible, as well as in the Greco-Roman world of the New Testament. I have found that in recognising this, I have been better able to focus on the authority vested in Jesus as the Word of God, while acknowledging the written text as the medium of transmission to us of the words spoken.”

“It’s worth taking a moment to step back from academicism to just live with our faith. We need to be okay stepping into the uncertainty, fear, and doubt that come with being constantly open to new ideas. And perhaps, once we move past those initial emotions, there will be joy. Joy that this is not all there is to the text we base our whole lives on; joy that there will always be something more, something new, something interesting; joy that we have been enabled to lead interesting lives because the text will continue to change to mirror our changing contexts and understanding.”

“God is in the stillness – if we listen enough and enter the quiet spaces to hear him. And it’s not about finding God. It’s about finding the peace within ourselves that allows us to see that he is, and will always be, there. It’s about letting go. Letting go of our need to control our lives. Letting go of the “productivity” mindset that has been ingrained in us for as long as we can remember. Letting go and learning that it’s okay to… breathe.”

“I have grown to appreciate that I am part of an ancient and diverse Biblical tradition that must handle the scriptures humbly and with the respect they deserve. Interpretation of scripture is a sacred obligation that we are all called to participate in, just like our Jewish and early church fathers did before us. They may have gotten it wrong every now and again – and we will too – but with each new day, let us strive to build on this beautiful divine mystery that is sometimes messy but still a living, breathing, generative tradition.”

”A midnight rendezvous. A forbidden ceremony dabbling in the occult. Disguise, terror, criminality, and a death sentence. King Saul’s encounter with the Witch of Endor has all the components of a fantasy novel and yet, in reality, it is a poignant tale of a desperate king grasping for survival, and clutching only a thin, cold mist of despair. For all King Saul is rejected by God –and we must support the divine decision – it’s difficult not to sympathize with a soul so doomed. Surrounded by faithful warriors he may be, yet Saul cuts a lonely figure.”