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I remember the year I built a wall, the year I got fed up. It was a rollercoaster of a year, one that began without an inkling of all the storms that came with. A year I had enough, a year I struck back in kind, a year I lost control, a year I saw beyond the naive, a year I became a man, a year I did the petty like a child, a year I became wizened. Quite the year, of the highest of personal heights, the lowest of collective lows. A year I escalated some interpersonal conflict, and a year I pled for God's mercy, a year of chaos and stability. I built a wall to protect myself, to save myself from the syndrome of feeling used, small and embittered. A wall where I didn't always have to accommodate or play the bigger man in a game I didn't know or understand the rules. In difficult times, you're forced to shed your skin, unlock a version of you you didn't know existed. One which you play by your rules. Or maybe not yours particularly, but by the rules of an unexpected si...

The most powerful man is the single man. He's also the most vulnerable. The most conflicted man is the growing man. He also has enormous potential.  There is no manual for how people evolve and how relationships change, you only know what you feel and how it affects you and your view of the object of your interest. I found myself once again in a similar position as of some years ago, a position of yearning. Yearning for something deeper, for someone closer. A bond beyond the ordinary, not necessarily with the official stamp that comes with. Just two people who enjoy each others company, unreasonably so. You find it sometimes with people, and then you find that they have it already somewhere else, unknown to you. And when it is revealed, things change. The single one adjudges the change begins with the revealer, unbeknownst to them. The revealer says the change begins with the single one. I cannot speak for the others, but myself. The truth is that the revelation does change interac...

We've seen multiple cases in the Bible we just couldn't help but wonder what was truly going on, and wonder at the reasons Jesus did some of the things he did. One such case is the example of Jesus cursing the fig tree. Jesus and a Fruitless Fig Tree (Mark 11:12-14 - Passion Translation) 12 The next day, as he left Bethany, Jesus was feeling hungry.  13 He noticed a leafy fig tree in the distance, so he walked over to see if there was any fruit on it, but there was none—only leaves (for it wasn’t yet the season for bearing figs).   14 Jesus spoke to the fig tree, saying, “No one will ever eat fruit from you again!” And the disciples overheard him. Why The Curse? This verse, along quite a few others, has always left me wondering. Why would Jesus curse the fig tree that wasn't ripe, and verse 13 even tells us that it wasn't the time yet for figs. Is this the classic case of a hungry man is an angry man, or is there a lesson embedded within? Lessons of Faith ...

THE GOLDEN RULE   The Golden Rule is one of the most well-known moral teachings of Christ. It encapsulates how people should treat others. It says: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31).  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you...” Sometimes, we find ourselves holding on to this ideal well after people have abused that notion, and made a complete mockery of what we believe in.  We find ourselves holding onto the Word of God, and treating people better than they deserve, simply because we hold ourselves in high esteem, and treat people exactly how we want to be treated, yet there are times we get the complete opposite of what we invest in.  Don't you wonder what the right thing to do is? Should we keep on treating these kinds of people like we want to be treated, or do we treat them exactly as they treat us?  Should we keep on keeping the peace, or should we go to war? Should we detach for a while, or should we...

We've all had a chance to read the story of the prodigal son. If you haven't, you should give it a read. Someone once called the parable the parable of the loose-lipped servant or something along those lines. But more than being a parable of the lost son, it is a mirror that shows what kind of person we are in our daily lives.  The parable of the prodigal son reveals to us different categories of people in the world. It begs the question. what kind of person are you?  1. The All-loving and All-forgiving Father   The perfect figure of love and compassion beyond the ordinary. This Father's love extended beyond the love of his sons, this love was evident in the treatment of his servants, so much that the son was willing to return to his father as a servant even if he had lost his place as a son.  Would people return to us if they lost our love or trust? Imagine his father had matreated his servants, he might have lost a son forever. What kind of person are you?  ...

Mary's husband, Joseph, wasn't touched on much again in Scriptures after the birth and infancy of Christ, but I cannot help but wonder that we need more men (and women) like Joseph.  The Bible records Joseph as a just man [Greek - dikaios (δίκαιος)]:This is the same moral category used for figures like Noah, Abraham and Job.  It signifies a covenant-faithful man. This is indeed higher praise than the English translation provides.  WHAT DID HE DO WHEN HE FOUND THAT MARY WAS PREGNANT?   Matthew 1:18–19 says that before they came together, Mary was found to be with child. Joseph, being described as “just” (righteous), did not want to expose her to public disgrace, so he decided to “put her away quietly.”   1. He chose to put her away (which was his right to do).  2. He chose to do it quietly (of which he had no obligation to).  He chose love, and doing the right thing even in the face of apparent betrayal. Most of us would take the first option, ...