Posts Tagged: ‘Proverbs’

And The Rest

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2026]

All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest.
Ecclesiastes 2 v23 [NIVUK]

We have all, at some time or another, had the experience of lying awake when we want to be in the land of Nod. Sleep eludes us, to be replaced by persistent worries or mental gymnastics beyond our daytime capabilities; our only consolation is that we are not sharing the experiences described by the Lord Chancellor in ‘Iolanthe’.[1] Even Job started to lose his patience:

I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.
Job 3 v26 [NIVUK]

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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Do You Have Difficulty Hearing?

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2026]

There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
Mark 7 v32 [NIVUK]

Being hard of hearing is not a pleasant experience. For those whose affliction is temporary the impediment to social interaction comes as an unexpected challenge. Conversation becomes difficult and we soon begin to feel that we are missing out on what is going on around us. Image, then, how disadvantaged the man brought to Jesus would have felt without the modern aids to hearing.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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A Hot Topic

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during June 2026]

And when the south wind blows, you say, “It’s going to be hot,” and it is.
Luke 12 v55 [NIVUK]

In the northern hemisphere the longest daily period of daylight hours has passed and, although we may not notice it yet, the evenings are starting their slow transition to winter darkness.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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The Hand That Wasn’t There

[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 07/Jun/2026]

Some of you may have seen a recent video from the United States in which a police officer pulls over a female driver whom he suspects of driving without due care and attention. He asks her to wind down her window and tells her that he saw her holding a mobile phone in her right hand.
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Contributor: Martin Shorey
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Shipping Included

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during April 2026]

Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
With a cargo of ivory, and apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.
John Masefield (1903)

Does this cargo manifest sound familiar? Those of a certain age may have learnt John Masefield’s poem at school but its inspiration is much earlier. King Solomon had a fleet of trading ships modelled after those built at Tarshish for the equivalent of global trade within the then-known world. They were the container vessels of their day.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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How’s Your Enemy?

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during April 2026]

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5 v43-44 [ESVUK]

These words come from Matthew’s account of the teachings of Jesus collectively known as the Sermon on the Mount. He was speaking in the context of a nation under occupation at a time when there was no shortage of enemies and persecution.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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