PJBelfast

When I look at the Gospel narratives I see Jesus' earthly ministry demonstrated primarily as teaching, preaching and healing.  His Death Burial and Resurrection (DBR) has wonderfully redeemed and reconciled us to God.  That's were a lot of Christians camp!  Many scholars however classify Jesus' ministry in three phases:as Prophet, as Priest & as King.  1.His (past) earthly life is as Prophet 2.His present life is as Priest 3.His future life, at his second coming, is as King .  My thoughts today take me to His priestly ministry as our Risen, Ascended and Glorified (R.A.G.) Lord.  When we dig a little deeper, in the New Testament we see some of what this priestly ministry of Jesus entails.  He is...  Our Mediator (1 Tim 2:5) Our Representative (Heb 9:24) Our Advovate (1 John 2:1) Our Intercessor (Heb 7:25) I suppose what I'm rediscovering from scripture is that, yes, Jesus redemptive work (DBR) gives us a get out of hell card, but we must look deepe

Anam Cara is a phrase that refers to the Celtic concept of the "soul friend" in religion and spirituality. The phrase is an anglicization of the Irish word anamchara, anam meaning " soul " and cara meaning " friend ."  It has its roots in the Old and New Testaments. Timothy had Paul as his SD Elisha had Elijah as his SD. Joshua had Moses as his SD.  Having such a friend is known today as having a " spiritual director ." It is different, yet complimentary, to mentoring, counselling, therapy or coaching. " First and foremost, spiritual direction is the ministry of directing our thoughts and the movements of our hearts toward God and the presence of God in our lives.' Spiritual Direction is " a means by which we might appropriate God's grace and respond to God's call on our lives."  A Spiritual Director can act as a companion who "comes alongside" to help us.  Here are several ways a Spiritual Directo

" The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age , they will stay fresh and green " ... (Psalm 92:12-14)  A desert plant native to Mexico, the Agave Americana, commonly called Century plant due to its flowering habit, thrives in hot dry areas and can take up to 70 years to bloom depending on climatic conditions. Michigan's octogenarian agave was a green giant with a death wish. Visitors  poured into the University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens to catch a glimpse of the rare plant, which was first acquired by the institution all the way back in 1934. For the first time in 80 years, the 27 foot high agave (Agave Americana) had begun to bloom. Its flowering stalk grew at an impressive 6 inches per day – so fast that staff had to remove a pane of glass from the ceiling to make room for its growt

1 John 4:17 says ... as he is (love), so are we in the world Most bikes have them - reflectors. Remember the red ones at the back. They reflect the light of car lights coming from behind hence the name reflectors. Just like a full moon is reflecting the light of the sun, so Christians are to reflect the love of Christ. The moon has no light of itself, it simply reflects the light of the sun. 2 Corinthians 3:18 As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit. As Jesus reflected the Fathers love, John's epistle encourages us to reflect Jesus' love  " as he is, so are we in the world " Agape love is defined as " sacrificial giving " - connect with someone this weekend and give them something, as an outward expression of that exhortation. Make this world a better place. Become more like him, by reflecting His glory. Go on. Your action can make

I listen to Lectio363 daily devotionals. You can download the app for free to your phone.  Currently they are looking at the life of the Old Testament dreamer known as Joseph. He didn't do himself any favours with his brothers, sharing his grandiose dream that they would bow down to him. Joseph also had a technicolour coat given to him by his dad Jacob. This favouritism, coupled with his self-affirming attitude, caused his brothers to throw him in a pit and sell him as a slave to passing Ishmaelites. What the brothers didn't know was that Joseph's disappointment in the pit would ultimately lead to God's appointment, allowing circumstances that would eventually lead him to become the prime minister of Egypt. The Joseph story demonstrates how disappointment can, in time, lead to God's appointment - the D of Disappointment changes by replacing the first letter D with H - His-appointment. Remember, with God, " all things " ultimately " work to

Fish that come out as small fry are called live-bearers. Before I swopped my platies and sword tails for larger bentosi tetras, I noticed that the swordtails had been merrily chasing the platies.  I introduced 6 Juli Cory catfish bottom dwellers yesterday. Upon further inspection I found that I now have two baby fry  resembling swordtails. Looks like the swordtail caught up with that platy after all!! The making up has been a making out:)  So my 30 fish are now 32 -  hopefully the babies will survive. 

An old Psalm came back to mind this morning to encourage my heart and mind while going through a troubling situation.  "God is our refuge, and God is our strength, A very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 When we find ourselves between 'a rock and a hard place' it's good to know we have a Risen Lord who "ever lives to make intercession for us'. He is "a very present help in trouble."  The scriptures are such a great source of comfort and encouragement.  We all encounter trouble in some form or other. No matter how intrusive the upset or setback, we can be assured that His presence is with us, every minute of every day. Knowing this can bring a great calm in the midst of our personal storm.  Personalize these as you read: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."(Heb 4:16) "Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;