Think

When we read Genesis Chapter 5, we are amazed at the longevity of Adam and his descendants who each lived long lives of a few hundred years. Lamech had the shortest life of 777 years while Methuselah lived the longest – 969 years. Except for Enoch who walked with God and was taken away by God when […]

One only has to turn on the news to hear of sad stories of all kinds – a mother killed by a drunk driver, a child dying of cancer, war between nations, earthquakes leaving villages in ruins, not to mention the issues surrounding ISIS. So, does Christianity have an adequate response?   Where to begin? […]

Secularists have long ridiculed religion by portraying it as dangerous and divisive. Secularism, they insist, is not only objective since it is based on the natural sciences and empirical rationalism; it is also more tolerant and neutral, and therefore the best guarantor of social peace.   Secular neutrality has been brandished about as if secularism is […]

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ ” Luke 15:1-2 Is anyone “muttering” against or criticising the Church? And if so, for what are we being muttered against? The Scriptures tell us […]

In his 2011 book, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker argues that “violence has been in decline for long stretches of time” and that “we may be living in the most peaceful era of our species’ existence.”   Describing the 800-page tome as a “masterly achievement”, the Princeton ethicist Peter […]

Integrity springs from inner purity. It is rooted in one’s heart. It is the internal character of God’s people.   Many years ago I was complaining to my immediate leader about a questionable practice of a fellow worker. I questioned the integrity of the person. The well-respected leader told me not to bother about it. […]

Discover God’s design and purpose for family God’s design for family – every family – is really about something bigger. Ask anyone if family really matters and most, if not all, would say it does. The real question, though, is “Why does family matter?” Have you ever wondered what God has in mind for the […]

On a chilly January morning this year, two heavily-armed Islamic terrorists barged into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris and fired 50 shots, killing 11 people and injuring 11 others. The terrorists shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is the greatest”) in an attack that was a violent retaliation to the […]

Mankind, being created by God, has an even greater power of recollection and nostalgia for the past and the capacity to respond to previous events beyond just simple memory. In God’s creation, many animals show that they have a certain kind of memory. Family pets can remember familiar voices, language, colour, movement and orientation. Some […]

Picture by rolffimages/Bigstock.com Conflict gripped Sri Lanka in 1988, with two terrorist groups dominating different regions in the country. I was in Colombo to preach when a curfew was imposed, but my hosts managed to get a curfew pass to Kandy. While driving, we noticed that the roads were deserted with numerous checkpoints along the […]

Jesus said, don’t pray to be seen by others, but rather, “go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt 6:6) As a frequent user of public transport, I find it quite disconcerting to see […]

“David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament …”  2 Samuel 1:17-18 (NIV)   David “taught this lament” to the people. David also wrote many other laments which were taught to, and sung by, the people of God in Bible […]