The Deacon's Bench

As a parent there seems to be an unwritten rule. When someone does something nice for your children, we tend to make a mental note of it and remember to do something nice for that person. We the parent, feel responsible for repaying others when they do things for ourContinue Reading

I am often reminded of the comment made by Gandhi that is often quoted at Christians by those who disagree with them. I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. The materialism of affluent Christian countries appears to contradict the claims ofContinue Reading

Most Christians would agree that we don’t know how many wise men there were. Likely there were more than three, but over the years our nativity scenes have included those three men to indicate the number of gifts recorded in specific detail in the nativity story. And going into theContinue Reading

 There once was a billion dollar corporation which had just opened a new branch in a country that was in the middle of an economic depression. Thousands upon thousands of men and women applied for the jobs, thousands for every single position. In the end there was only three positionsContinue Reading

One of the questions I think very apropos to us during Advent, is how do we respond to Jesus in our lives? As we prepare for His return and celebrate His birth; do we often think about the many ways He is right here with us? One of the thingsContinue Reading

Lolium temulentum. That’s a big word there, but it’s one we need to understand as Christians. Many people in other countries already know this plant, but it’s called by a more common name. Darnel or cockle. It’s also called false wheat. Why is this important to us as Christians, andContinue Reading