Because sometimes, God's grace in our lives, starts first with an ugly story.
It was 9.05am (exactly) on Wednesday, March 17th (St Patrick’s Day) when my phone rang. I didn’t know then just how important that phone call would be. On the Sunday before, I had gone shopping with my mum. One of mum’s great joys has always been buying clothes and PJs for her grandkids, so on…
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Several years ago, I found myself in the middle of a battle that I didn’t ask for and certainly didn’t want. Without going into all the details, I found myself face-to-face with a ‘mud-slinger’ – the kind of person who (when they feel threatened) throws every accusation they can think of, in order to deflect…
Read MorePicture the scene: A group of friends had just been through the worst few months of their lives. They were tired, ragged, worn down, exhausted and yet also in complete shock and jubilation. Their best friend (who also just happened to be the Messiah) had been horrifically murdered by the State, had then miraculously and…
Read MoreIn the late 1990s, I was living in the US and will never forget one sunny Sunday afternoon, chatting to a lovely pastor, who was full of grace and Godly wisdom. He also happened to be building a bunker in his backyard and was gradually transferring his life savings into gold coins, so that he…
Read MoreLast night, as news about the tragic death of another celebrity filtered in, I read the headlines with shock and sadness. Within hours, online, many were asking, ‘how could this have happened?’ ‘Who was to blame?’ Was it social media? The Press? The courts? Everyone was asking if this could have been prevented? I know…
Read MoreOver the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking about the faithfulness of God. It sounds like a heavy thing to be mulling over, but it all started at the beginning of the week when I received a notification on Facebook, suggesting I look back at my ‘Facebook memories’. As I curiously flicked back 8,…
Read MoreI’m not quite sure how I missed it, but recently it dawned on me that since living in my new home, I’d never actually received a water bill. I was sure I’d registered the house at the beginning, but nothing had ever come through. Initially I didn’t think much of it, but I took a…
Read MoreAre you a cheapskate Christian? Bit of a strange question, eh? But let me explain. Recently, I’ve been reading through Genesis and Exodus and seeing just how overwhelmingly gracious God is with us. Time and time again, I am reading about his loving kindness, his patience, his mercy, his forgiveness. Even in the New Testament,…
Read MoreYears ago, I remember being in a meeting and we were waiting for another colleague to arrive. My (then) boss quipped, ‘he planned to be here on time, but unfortunately, he got waylaid by a full length mirror’. We all laughed, because well, it was funny, but also, I wonder if any of us thought…
Read MoreMany years ago, I knew a really annoying kid. Ok, strike that, at the time, I thought he was annoying. There’s a difference, I remember though, that he didn’t have many friends. I think he once tried to be my friend, but I wasn’t interested. I didn’t want to be ‘contaminated’ among my peers, by…
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Ugly Grace 