Great love

'the LORD is a kind and merciful God. He is slow to become angry. He is full of great love.'
Exodus 34:6

Deny

'you will deny me three times' Matthew 26:75

I have let God down far more than three times.

Miserable

'weaker and more miserable' Psalm 32:3

Drama in the park today. I heard cawing and a very loud strange noise as I approached, only to find a very distressed tiny kitten being bothered by crows. As I couldn't see its mum, I went back a while later to find instead of the kitten a much larger older cat, with the same colourings, in exactly the same spot.

I hope they found each other.

Deception

'Detest every kind of deception' Proverbs 8:7

Right wing lie: Multicultural education is total bull.

Left wing lie: All paths are equally valid.

Oppose

'I will oppose those who oppose you' Exodus 23:22

The Patriots lose to the Giants in the Superbowl.. again. Can you believe it?!

Failed

'suppose the ox had a reputation for goring, and the owner had been informed but failed to keep it under control. If the ox then kills someone, it must be stoned and the owner must also be put to death.' Exodus 21:29

I don't want TEPCO executives shot. But why are they being treated with kid gloves?

Cloud

'dense cloud' Exodus 19:16

A scientist will tell you a cloud is just water vapour, but this is reductive. Clouds are symbols of God's presence.

There is a very old book of mysticism called the 'Cloud of Unknowing'. It starts: 'God, unto who all hearts be open...'

We cannot see God. But He sees us. Very clearly.

Humbled

'those who exalt themselves will be humbled, while those who humble themselves will be exalted' Matthew 23:12

It's not everyday you are invited to audition for a rock band! But ultimately it seems I'm more of a soul man.

water

'the water was too bitter to drink' Exodus 15:23

Vicious

'see how viciously they hate me' Psalm 25:19

Talk about Jesus on the internet and pretty soon you get attacked with language which if directed at a Muslim or Jew would almost certainly be regarded as hate speech.

Miraculous

'miraculous signs' Exodus 10:1

There's a scientist in Tokyo that is beginning to understand how to make a cloak look invisible. But an invisible God is just a fairy story, right?




Wrong.




As usual technology is only a few thousand years behind the Bible. Do try to keep up!

LORD

'the LORD' Exodus 8:1

God is totally in control.

Force

'when he feels the force of my strong hand...' Exodus 6:1

One of the reasons I hate teaching children is that if I smack them for misbehaviour, I am the one in trouble. Liberals, teach your own brats! Stop expecting me to work with my hands tied behind my back!

But the fact is, I hate having to be stern with kids to achieve an effective working environment. That's the reason I left teaching in Liverpool in the first place. Grinding out study from kids who don't give a flying fig about learning is joyless, and given the rate of pay has more or less halved in the decade I have been in Japan, for me it is just not worth the grief any more. According to Channel 4 news, teacher suicides have almost doubled in the UK, while teachers are leaving the profession in droves, so clearly I am not the only person who feels like this.

If you are a teacher who has been pushed to the end of your rope- get help before you hurt yourself or someone else. Ironically, not allowing teachers to smack kids sometimes leaves children more at risk of serious harm.

Beautiful

'She is beautiful' Proverbs 5:19

My wife doesn't spend a lot of money on clothes, make up or hair products, thank God. I still find her attractive after 12 years of marriage. But moving back in with her mother has done our relationship a lot of harm.

Descendants

'they will never have descendants' Psalm 21:10

Many liberals and feminists believe it is OK to kill your own child- as long as it is really tiny. Obama thinks so too.

Sidetracked

'Don't get sidetracked' Proverbs 4:27 (NLT)

We have a proverb in English- life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.

Victory

'You gave me victory over my accusers' Psalm 18:43

Today at least, Newt trumps Mitt.

Safe sex?

'He led me to a place of safety' Psalm 18:19

Throat cancer is one of the very real dangers of sexual promiscuity. (see today's Independent newspaper)

Knight

'my rescuing knight' Psalm 18:1-2 (MSG)

In the year of the dragon, who can save us? God alone.

Household

'in charge of his entire household' Genesis 39:4

If I was in charge, the first thing I would do would be to put that wretched Buddhist altar in the trashheap where it belongs.

As it is, nothing goes right.

Idle

'You must give an account on judgement day for every idle word you speak'
Matthew 12:36

Flagrant

'despise flagrant sinners' Psalm 15:4

I despise the TV producer that decided to make money by making a program about young women going topless. And I despise myself for watching it.

Face

'what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God'
Genesis 33:10

Jacob had the wisdom to see God's image in his enemy- his brother. How often I lose sight of this.

Unfailing

'I trust in your unfailing love' Psalm 13:5

So Tebow couldn't get past Tom Brady in his rookie year. He is still a far better quarterback than 99% of his critics.

Desire

'Wisdom is more precious than rubies
Nothing you desire can compare with her' Proverbs 3:15

Wisdom is unlikely to leave me broken hearted, humiliated, or with a nasty rash.
Why then do I keep looking in the opposite direction?

Leah

'when Jacob woke up in the morning- it was Leah' Genesis 29:25

Most of us will never be tricked like Jacob. But many of us wake up next to people who are different from the people we thought we knew.

Rather

'I would rather die than... ' Genesis 27:46

How would you complete this sentence?

Well meaning people can often offer glib 'solutions' to problems, but Jesus really does understand you better than you understand yourself.

Home

'prefering to stay at home' Genesis 25:27

It's so cold today!

Daughter

'whose daughter are you?' Genesis 24:47

Having visited many schools during my time here, and having taught hundreds of children, I have seen enough of Japanese state education to feel absolutely sure my child would do better at a Catholic school. But my wife, who is not a teacher, disagrees.

Reigning.

'the LORD reigns forever.' Psalm 9:7

Tim Tebow is currently on the front page of USA Today. Will he win again next weekend? I don't know.

But Jesus reigns 4ever.

Birds

'birds in the sky' Psalm 8:8

Falcon, in his riding
of the rolling underneath him steady air and striding...

GM Hopkins, The Windhover

Tuning

'Tune your ears to wisdom' Proverbs 2:2

To read the Bible, you don't have to stand upside down or make a position imitating a Dog. (read the NYT today for horrific details of yoga injuries)

Try it. It won't hurt your back.

Bitter

'they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way'. Proverbs 1:31

Few of us truly obey God in everything we do. So we suffer.

Peace

'God blesses those who work for peace' Matthew 5:8

God bless Ron Paul.

Light

'for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined' Matthew 4:16

Thank God for Rick. He has endured torrents of abuse for standing up for Godly values on abortion and homosexuality. No doubt he will suffer much more before this thing is over.

Devil

'The devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ''I will give it all to you'' he said, ''if you will kneel down and worship me'' ' Matthew 4:8-9

'Lady' Gaga is very popular, isn't she?

Wife

'you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat.' Genesis 3:17

Adam didn't get into trouble by listening to his wife. He blew it when he listened to her when she told him to do something God had already warned him about.

Does your other half want you to take them to the local Shinto shrine, Buddhist temple or Hindu yoga class today? Just say no. You may be in trouble if you refuse, but its better to upset your spouse than upset God.

Day

'evening passed and morning came, marking the first day'
Genesis 1:5

Watched the sunrise today, a Japanese tradition. Only it was cloudy.