A Poet & a Joker.
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Rarely would Leonard Cohen and Spike Milligan 'appear' together, yet today is different. They both explain the benefit of a 'fracture'.
Rarely would Leonard Cohen and Spike Milligan 'appear' together, yet today is different. They both explain the benefit of a 'fracture'.
"We have spread so many ashes over the historical Jesus that we scarcely feel the glow of His presence anymore.
Today SoulSupply takes the unusual decision to follow contemporary events again. Good Christian reflections are faith building, helpful for our witness and affirming to our souls.
There is a greater power with us than the Paris Olympics and its opening.
The potter receives equal joy in the process as in the product. Each day God devotes Himself to the shaping of us. This work He does not neglect.
My self is given to me far more than it is formed by me. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. There were no errors, He was diligent.
You make your bed, so you lie on it. ~ anon Men at ease hold contempt for those in misfortune.
Mankind sees the scales of credits and debits. In their mind most men weigh their heavy credits. And guaranteed, these credits defeat their debits.
The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, You make the way of the righteous smooth. (Isaiah 26:7) Safety dwells in the hearts of mankind.
There is certainly an inequity, but is there too an injustice when those free from handicap reap honor from their 'natural' health, yet the handicapped are 'ineligible'? #The following text in...
The ageing, highly polished floorboards hardly groan. A young lithe figure steps forward. Elegant in her school uniform, she confidently mounts the stage Phones are out.
Satan paints Jesus in his own colors. ~ Stephen Charnock Too often life feels as if someone has quietly and unknowingly tied your shoelaces together, then you step forward.
'Popularity' is a growth industry. This has been so since Eden's gates were locked.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with...
Jesus largely 'led with His chin' during His remarkable three years of service in and around Galilee. The Sermon on the Mount heralded Himself as 'a maverick'.
No one ever outgrows Scripture. ~ Charles Spurgeon The sum of God's word is truth, and every one of His righteous rules endure forever.
Give me understanding that I may live. (Psalm 119:144) Scan your imagination for a moment, what did you see? Yes, we each think we know the best for us.
The child grew and became strong in spirit. (Luke 2:40) Spiritual strength does not come from the public eye.
I have called you friends. (John 15:15) To know Christ (Philippians 3:10) is life's greatest achievement.
We hold that man is never so near to grace as when he begins to feel he can do nothing at all.
1) Success begins at dawn. This is a deliberate discerning. Sunrise is best to meet the Son who saved you. Those who seek His presence do not lose out.
Does He not see my ways and number all my steps? (Job 31:4) Whether the soul rests well or is riddled in distress, each man should be convinced that He who...
Where is the sage? Who is the oracle to these times? Where is the wise watchman who speaks up? Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them....
Bursting across the west annually is an ever larger and glittering bubble of Halloween. Its shadow lengthens. Halloween lingers lonely nearby each year's end.
Halloween (October 31) is my birthday. My family was heavily into black magic. The horror (I still feel) of celebrating with witches, pumpkins, trick or treat is palpable.
The unredeemed heart holds small hope of dividing wickedness from righteousness.
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man.
The valuable is difficult to attain. The burden of suffering seems to be a tombstone hung around our necks.
In Christ we can say goodbye to feeling frightened and say shalom to feeling safe. Regular readers will know the value to SoulSupply of the late author Brennan Manning.
Almost two centuries ago Charles Spurgeon observed: we shelter in ourselves what we condemn in others. Life's changes, challenges and chances are deft coaches.
I did it my way . . . is the eulogy of the lost. Proud men sing songs, while humble men bend knees.
Lawlessness: Take away all thought that God sees and hears, and you have removed the underlying basis upon which morality itself is to be built up.
Ancient Ephesus held one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. Ancient Ephesus was one of the 7 Letters to the Churches in Revelation.
How often does a man discover troubling self-truths only while he is sinking in a stormy sea? Then as the sea calms he pens his lessons.
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things and let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord for He is the one who delivers us from the wrath...
Tantalising mans' collective mind since oral history's first words - is the story of Eden. Eden was true paradise! Harmony in a never-ending supply.
Yesterday looking better than today? We must go though many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
We all know the ‘complainer’. Their irritations are cast far and wide, only burdening all those who hear.
God calls His own in righteousness, all of us! The intent of the Lord calling out names is to bless and not burden, to help and not harm.
A mother's children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. (Psalm 85:10) A kiss spells connection, an agreement in some polite, deceitful or deep manner.
Gold bars are highly valued, hence they are heavily protected. Yet gold is valueless and dishonored in heaven, the streets are paved with it.
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
Anyone plugged in to life right now is aware of COVID -19.
Persistent in Scriptures are those whose souls hunger for the heavens. Man was not made for this world.
Jesus' spilt blood was so His life and His followers lives would spell 'righteousness'. The difficulty of the journey does not define the joy of the destination.
In emptiness the spirit finds life, and the soul is revived. Grace is no more a license to sin, than paying your speeding fine is permission to speed again.
The impossible is available to those who rely on the eternal. While the carnal rules the spiritual, evil will remain unchallenged.
With a faith smaller than a mustard seed the good Lord led me to do the impossible.
This is Shrek the sheep. Shrek became famous several years ago when he was found after hiding out in caves for six years.
The world awaits you, it is to each man his oyster. When an irritant enters an oyster's shell its natural reaction is to cover the speck and protect itself.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.
In the beginning God created man in His image and saw that this was very good. He was very well pleased.
The world is a vastly different place from the birth of the first SoulSnack in July 2005, and the beginnings of SoulSupply in 2007.
Picture heaven as an orchestra hall, and the music of its symphony as the glory of God.
Wise counsel is absent from the halls of pleasures. It is not poured from bar taps or left on bar stools.
Countless seasons have waxed and waned upon their necessary reliability. These are fortunately equal to my great skill at slow learning.
Satan began the revolt in heaven and continued it in Eden. He has not changed.
All of mankind justifiably desires the best of life. But, they place the cart before the horse in this pursuit.
God is neither blind or deaf. He does not slumber or become mighty busy.
There are two paths leading to prosperity - one from man, the other from God. Mankind's path makes prosperity his god, God's path is righteous.
Religion can be the enemy of God. ~ Bono Jesus was well accustomed to conflict.
These thoughts come from the green side of the grass, and are now poignant reflections of a Godly man who had gained that heart of wisdom: When all is said and...
Don't try to fix me, I am not broken. ~ anon. Accusation and argument awakens the proud heart, but steals another's joy.
Division isn't just a maths problem. It's also humanities! ~ Anthony T. Hincks Consider God's intervention at the Tower of Babel.
The longings of the righteous will be satisfied. The anxious heart weighs a man down. Heartache crushes the spirit.
Performance reviews are now de rigeur in industry, and most professional occupations. It is a fashionable but tiresome measure of a person's value taught by the Tree of Knowledge.
I will say to myself - the Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.
Upon an earth in open rebellion, From a heart that still leans sin's way With a back turned against Heaven And a face still set to Babylon The good Father counted my worth far greater...
The word 'impossible' can harden a man's heart and cause him to flee. Mankind's thinking is always 'dated' when it comes to grasping eternal things.
The eyes of faith will see that the Lord is on their side. Psalm 119, at 176 verses is the longest chapter of the Bible.
Countless fine lives have bequeathed far more than a decaying, crusty headstone. There is good reason for this.
God is my strong city. He makes the walls and its ramparts my salvation. No marauders can scale them, or bandits breach them.
It is not strange, we all know those tedious talkers who speak too much; those who must be heard.
A desire is no more a thirst than a rock-slide is an earthquake. Desire knocks on doors, but thirst kicks them down. Thirsts both occupy and demand attention.
Today Mt Sinai rises 2,285 metres above sea-level. 3,500 years ago it was much taller. It is a most rugged and arduous trek up to this day.
Who is there that would have a heart, yet has not known an incision or two? Who is there who still has a heart to know Jesus more? Rev.
From the search for answers the time arrives when a believer refuses compromise.
An Archbishop of Paris was preaching to a great congregation. He spoke of three happy, worldly and godless young men. At one time they wandered into a cathedral.
Light mocks darkness, for it shall always return. It is when morning dawns and evening fades that the Lord calls forth songs of joy.
Tales of cheeky monkeys are worldwide. I wonder if these first arose from Aesop (circa 600 B. C. )? Once upon a time there was a cheeky monkey.
Ponder now a western world devoid of moral understanding, that filled with pride now calls evil good.
Half a century ago the Beatles longed for yesterday, when troubles seemed so far away.
Freethinkers and skeptics abound. Science and knowledge hold the world of faith to an intellectual ransom. Men of genius are honored.
Hallelujah! Something is steadfast. Something is forever. . . And there is my peace.
Anger is a temptation for betterment that only invites disaster. "When you blame others you give up the power to change".
Grace is never in short supply. It can not be 'sold out', caught on the docks in a container, or become stale under a noon-day sun.
God has formed mankind in His image. To this day men are still learning to live in their creator's image.
In the winter of 1935, the United States reeled from the throes of the Great Depression. Fiorello La Guardia presided as New York's mayor during those dark days.
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat in quietness on the porch bench. She didn't move, just sat. Her lowered head gazed at her hands.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
When my feet drag and my eyes hang low. . . When my joints ache and my muscles abuse. . .
In 2012 cyclist Lance Armstrong (the doping cheat) sprinted not to fame, but to shame. His name is forever recorded in history as synonymous with shame.
All hearts know treasures and tears, wealth and weeping. Yet the habits of each heart remain set upon its delights.
My Lord spent His life to draw me out of me, that I could be in Him and He too in me.
Your mercy flows with no constraint, with eyes of care and giving, You reach my heart, extending mercy a blessed relief in living.
Impossibly dead Lazarus lay in a cave and Jesus ached. . . Impossibly bleeding for twelve years a crushed woman dared to reach through a crowd to Jesus. .
The face of a thousand emotions is now the President-elect. A ribald and cheeky tsunami of political incorrectness will move onto the already cooling throne of Barack Obama.
The insult goes: you may not have lost all your marbles but there is definitely a hole in the bag.
Surrender listens to the lions. Compromise breeds an ill-fitting faith. It mis-aligns faith as an extra for living, rather than the map to life.
Wealth sits in God's unlocked vault. We all will live very, very well, a rich life when each day is sandwiched between these two verses: . . .
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice.
'History is heading somewhere'. ~ David Beasant July14th's SoulSnack was published with a prophetic tinge only hours before France bled afresh for Evil still spills.
The principle problem of living is life. When all is said and done we humans are really children in a world plagued by sickness, loneliness and death.
Tim lived life in an orphanage. He was a bright and friendly little bloke.
Shamefully known for his posturing, Diotrephes took no prisoners. He was intent on being first. (3 John 9-10) It is knowledge that sets a man ahead of other men.
As the sun dawned upon recorded time, a deceitfully hairy Jacob masqueraded as his hirsute brother Esau, to steal Esau's blessing.
The air is an elevated combat position of significant and superior tactical advantage. Satan is the prince of the air (Ephesians 2:1).
When does a god need a crystal ball, a stick of dynamite or a round table discussion? When He has failed. Elijah spoke disparagingly of gods that fail.
Some may judge me simple (they are surely correct). The voice of a simpleton, my boy within resonates.
This surely won't surprize you but I stumbled upon a new word (to me) recently - loquacious. Apparently it is associated ungraciously with the elderly.
Whilever I seek my glory I foolishly condemn myself to failure. This is the crafting of me as a direct competitor to God. We are always exalting ourselves.
John Newton's (1725-1807) mother died just before he turned seven years old. In the brief time with her son, Elizabeth Newton eagerly taught him God's word.
Heaven's title deeds and rewards are held by three peoples. They are: the poor in spirit, (Matthew 5:3)those persecuted because of righteousness (Matthew 5:11-12) and little children (Matthew 18:3-4).
The shortest SoulSnack EVER: Jesus did not descend to earth and suffer death merely to forgive my yesterdays and bless my todays; He came to change both me and my tomorrows....
Are we not spiritual cripples? Why is spiritual perception so dull? Why does so much of the western world believe in few or no spiritual realties at all? Why does the human body...
In a world moulded by gold it is yet to learn the most important things can never be bought.
Amazingly Esau and Jesus faced identical battles. Esau's did not last very long. Satan seized an opportunity and mounted a raid on Jesus' future. (And the future of mankind.
Esau and Jacob were twins. They shared genes but not love. Jacob seized an opportunity; he mounted a raid on Esau's future and prosperity.
Is an unexamined life even worth the breath it draws? Socrates thinks not. . . "The unexamined life is not worth living.
Soul Snack 225/14 . . . There is a slavery to the spirit, soul and then the body (as it follows suit), when handcuffed by another's opinion.
Soul Snack 224/14 . . . One ancient noon was peculiarly recorded in history. Unnamed and unnumbered men strolled beside the violent Pharisee Saul as they neared Damascus.
Soul Snack 199/14 . . . History permits the reader to gaze down well-lit corridors of time and capture another's pulse.
Soul Snack 176/14 . . . The morning arrives, you blink through bleary eyes towards the curtains and clumsily your feet hit the floor.
Soul Snack 156/14 . . . A prayer from my heart for my heart: Teach me your ways O Lord for I seek to humbly walk in your truth.
Soul Snack 109/14 . . . On July 8th 1741 Jonathon Edwards preached up a hell-fire storm.
Soul Snack 106/14 . . . A careful approach to gaining true wealth will repay with everlasting jewels.
Soul Snack 105/14 . . . An unrestrained personal confrontation is the Bible's DNA. It accosts the wayward soul while opposing the sinful spirit.
Soul Snack 50/14 . . . 5 days, 10 nations, 42 aircraft and many ships later the plane has still not been located.
Soul Snack 13/14 . . . Those who leave the greatest physical legacies are those who are willing to pay the largest spiritual costs.
Soul Snack 202/13 . . . Thought Police We are taught how to behave but not how to think.
Soul Snack 171/13 . . . Of Governments & Regrets We have the best government that money can buy.
Soul Snack 140/13 . . . The Royal Arrival I missed the royal arrival, I was asleep.
Soul Snack 91/13 . . . A Supermarket to the Soul The Bible is a supermarket to all souls.
Soul Snack 64/13 . . . The Palace of the MindCarlos Santana - that goliath of all guitarists strums his spirit as he strums his strings.
Soul Snack 23/13 . . . Not Finding God God is not found in the study of scripture.
Soul Snack 228/12 . . . Better than Gun Control Jesus knew murder. God the Father knew murder. His only Son was murdered.
Soul Snack 214/12 . . . Unfulfilled Dreams Unfulfilled dreams can be intense and drive you into God's presence. They are a spiritual magnet to the soul.
Soul Snacks 199/12 . . . Of Fred Flintstone & GodThere comes a time (usually silent in its creep) when history requires correction.
Soul Snack 191/12 . . . 3 Incisive Questions The Lord knows how to cut to the bone, address core issues and stir to righteousness.
Soul Snack 135/12 . . . Of Babies & Rewards The crawl down life's corridors is from indulgence to restraint; it is from ME FIRST to YOU FIRST.
Soul Snack 60/12 . . . One Solitary Life# He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
Soul Snack 32/12 . . . The world's highest cross A pinched and frozen right hand punched into pure snow on May 29th 1953.
Soul Snack 158/11 . . . Wholly to the atheists Did you know that no-one is born an atheist? Atheism is the deliberate choice to divine rejection.
S oul Snack 145/11 . . . No bridge required Frequently build a bridge and get over it is the graceless counsel to those troubled.
Soul Snack S14/12 . . . The murder of God The God of the Cross carries too much blame these days.
Soul Snack 121/11 . . . Diffusing Life Amy Winehouse and Anders Behring Breivik exemplify a world diffused of correct direction.
Soul Snack 102/11 . . . A successful God The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong.
Soul Snack 66/11 . . . Of Light and Liberation The soul is enslaved to the desires of the heart.
Soul Snack 64/11 - APOLOGIES TO JOHN LENNON In 1971 the late Beatle - John Lennon, released the chart shattering hit - Imagine.
Soul Snack 46/11 . . . Man's Speech Children will grasp at even a fragment of a promise.
Soul Snack 27/11 . . . The Invisible Jesus has answered prayers I haven't prayed and gifted graces I haven't asked for.
Soul Snack 169/12 . . . Resident Evil? Lurking within both the redeemed and unredeemed adult spirit remains the sense that effort is a prerequisite mandate to acceptance.
Soul Snack 204/10 . . . A Past Future With the solitude audibly interrupted, beady black flies buzzed around my head.
Soul Snack 202/10 . . . Fire or Fireplace? A ruined hearth of heat-tortured bricks wound around an open fireplace.
Soul Snack 189/10 . . . A Whisper of Angels A sense of ethereal and cosmic goodness inhabits our souls and at times enhances our senses.
Soul Snack 183/10 . . . Boundaries of the Soul The soul inspires the body.
Soul Snack 167/10 . . . Dreamworld Enveloping his mind was a mist-laden canopy of light that filtered into his dream's reality.
Soul Snack 166/10 . . . Today's Aphrodisiac Pennies and power are likely summed up in the single word prosperity.
Soul Snack 155/10 . . . God's image of Himself God made man in His own image, and man returned the compliment.
Soul Snack 151/10 . . . Heaven's platform When the night is bad and my nerves are shattered and the waves break over the sides # . . .
Soul Snack 137/10 . . . The only stress free exam Single-seated, timber tables chorus an unusual symmetry across the assembly hall's floor.
Soul Snack 85/10 . . . Heaven's Cavalry There is a heavenly cavalry. The horse soldiers of Heaven are God's vanguard for my victory on this earth.
Soul Snack 55/10 . . . Paddle-Steamer theology Both regularly and mercilessly the wooden blades assailed the water as the paddle-steamers driving drum cycled around and around.
Soul Snack 9/212 . . . Hangars for God! An intensive familiarity is the start of heaven's yearning for me.
Soul Snack 9/207 . . . A Gardening Lesson. Water and mineral oils are not missable! (I think that means that they don't mix together.
Soul Snack 9/172 . . . Heaven's deposits. There is an 'after-glow' to sitting with God that she enjoyed. Crowned in a heavenly goodness as peace infused the soul.
Soul Snack 9/154 . . . The Horizon of the Soul - B. Fiercely engaged within the soul a precarious battle waged. One wrong movement could spell death.
Soul Snack 9/153 . . . The Horizon of the Soul! An orange/red glow brightened the horizon. Strangely a beaming white horizon stood beside it.
Soul Snack 9/128 . . . Jesus multi-tasks! The heart is convoluted and clouded, it screams for attention and draws to dis-repair.
SOUL SNACK 9/119 . . . The Keys to Wisdom Daily countless types of people criss-cross my paths.
Soul Snack 9/107 . . . The quality queue! (Reflections from Zech 3:1-7) Picture the heavenly throne room, the great court that emanates light and justice.
Soul Snack 9/105 . . . Waiting for dawn. The mind relentlessly active - the body incapably still. Silence the canopy of some comfort.
Soul Snack 9/79 . . . Beach Banquet Motionless supertankers parked patiently on this absolutely gorgeous Pacific horizon. The lightly wind-blown sand stirring the few would-be sunbathers.
Soul Snack 9/76 . . . Heaven vacant? Flat, prostrate, motionless is how he lay. He dare not look up! Fear coursed every sinew and fibre of his being.
Soul Snack 9/37 . . . High Intimacy Jesus is the master of the surprise. He is the creator of fresh thinking .
Soul Snack 9/31 . . . The Race to Grace Meandering through the deltas of all lives, across all nationalities is an unobserved race to the Throne of Grace.
Soul Snack 9/29 . . . Distant Distance Eyes no longer met, although they were only a glance away. The discomfort of eyes engaged, now undesired.
Soul Snack 9/22 . . . Unnoticing Earth I have observed a curious phenomenon. This is a reliable event repeated often to my eyes.
Soul Snack 9/19 . . . Future Creation. Where do you live? Each moment that I live in the present is the exact creation of my next past.
Soul Snack 9/12 . . . Birthplace Matters Did you know that your birthplace is very important? Privilege comes with birth. Birthplaces are all about inclusion and exclusion.
Soul Snack 8/220 . . . Brand Recognition Large, heavily tattooed forearms graced the chrome windowsill of the car door.
Soul Snack 8/212 . . . Satan's Sands Distilled with pointed and deliberate care through the venturi of an hour-glass are the sands of deceit.
Soul Snack 8/192 . . . Rest Repair Collapsed from a heat induced fatigue, her body lay motionless on the very disordered sheets.
Soul Snack 8/175 . . . Sweet Attraction Harriet Beecher Stowe dives into the desperate depths of 19th century America when she reflects '. . .
Soul Snack 8/152 . . . Golgotha's Goal Does God still keep His sabbaths? God is at work constantly and universally.
Soul Snack 8/113 . . . 'Jesus Air' Roaring turbines ingesting ever increasing volumes of city polluted air, strain every nut and bolt and washer.
Soul Snack . . . Mind Matters - C He who controls the mind, controls the person. This axiom I must understand.
Soul Snack 8/109 . . . Mind Matters - B Ever so gently caressing and soothing a distressed cerebellum an unseen poison flows.
Soul Snack 8/107 . . . Mind Matters - A Her desperate feet pounded the pavement frenetically, yet her mind had outraced her feet all day.
Soul Snack 8/89 . . . The Precious Worthless Snuggly cocooned in a light sleeping bag of warmth, effortlessly his thoughts drifted to that which too regularly consumed him.
Soul Snack 8/76 . . . TV's Paradox The desire for contentment is strong. A path I may choose is to relax in front of the TV.
Soul Snack 8/3 . . . The Welcome Father ". . . your God who defends His people. .
Soul Snack 8/53 . . . Eternal Health. A tiny capsule is embedded deep within each one of us.
Soul Snack 8/48 . . . The Sleep of Health The inviting comfort of fresh warm sheets and a soft bed 'drew' him deeply under the covers.
Soul Snack 8/47. . . Confirming Conforming! Patiently his eyes scanned the human tapestry that is the modern airport lounge.
Soul Snack 8/139 . . . Downhill and Forward Perspiration dripped almost seamlessly down his temples, unimpeded by the cool mountain air. Gravity now the only 'push' forward.
Soul Snack 8/28 . . . Being Love. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear . . .