Catechism Logo (Word Cloud)

Catechism is defined as a book giving a brief summary of the basic principles of Christianity in question-and-answer form. 

I designed this 'word cloud' in the form of a tree to capture the essence of what we are trying to do through our catechism classic, teaching our Youth the principles of God's Word and helping them to be rooted in Christ.

Legacy (pictured)

For a recent sermon series I did on family I tried hard to get a picture that conveys the idea of legacy. I could not get exactly what I wanted - so designed this one with the footprints, and the "L" formed by one of the footprints. Sometimes a picture speaks volumes more than our words could, and a picture makes a far longer impression on peoples minds than mere word.

Were there Opera singers in the Old Testament?

There sure was a lot of drama... but Opera?
It seems that Psalm 46 hints at the possibility. The lead in reads 'According to alamoth. A song.'
Alamoth is a Hebrew word meaning;

*properly girls, that is,
the soprano or female voice, perhaps falsetto: - Alamoth.

Reading Psalm46 is like watching a dramatic opera with a lot of commotion and noise described in the opening verses. There's talk about mountains shaking and the ocean roaring. There are armies fighting. People run and hide, seeking shelter, calling out to God. (Soprano lady hits dramatic high note)
But then suddenly the orchestra stops playing. The Soprano Lady stops singing.
There's a sudden hush that rests on the audience... and then, after a pause, God's voice speaks from on high;
"Be still, and know that I am God."


To capture the essence of such a moment you need to imagine a dramatic scene in a movie. Imagine the sound effect of armies marching and earthquakes and water crashing. Now imagine hitting the 'mute' button on your remote...
   quiet... in spite of the scenery that continues;
        peace... in spite of the ongoing story line.

You close your eye... shut out the drama... and you think of God... high above the commotion.
He is not surprised by the drama. He is not overwhelmed by our urgency.

Rather, He reminds us, even when the storm hits... that He 'is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.' (v11)

I guess this is what Jesus meant when he said we should build our house on the rock... so that we can weather the storms... (Matthew 7:24-29)
- and say to the dramatic opera voice in our head... "Be quite!"

Memo to self; "Shhhh... !"

Inspiration for Easter

Most churches will celebrate Lord’s Supper on Good Friday. It speaks to us of Jesus sacrifice; the pain and shame He was willing to endure, all for the sake of redeeming us from our sin. We are reminded of his suffering, the innocent blood that flowed, and the painlaiden words Jesus spoke on the cross;

"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." Luke 23:34

Jesus, the blameless Son of God, who healed, delivered and saved people – was Himself sentenced to death. He was accused with lies and wrongfully punished. He did not deserve any of this. It was an injustice. Foul play... But still He trusted his Father and even asked for forgiveness for his tormentors.

This grace and forgiveness of Jesus shames me. Sometimes I get upset over the smallest of things. Sometimes I stay angry for days if someone treats me wrong. And yet - when I do wrong  myself - I want so much for God to forgive me as soon as possible.

I want his Grace for myself, and yet I withhold it from people around me.

"God please save me from my own double standards!"

I pray that we can all do some soul searching this Easter. And may we all find our capacity for giving and receiving Grace on the increase.

The Lord be near you all this Easter.