I mentioned recently that I’m reading Pat Pattison’s book Writing Better Lyrics. One of the exercises he recommends doing is a 10-minute exercise known as ‘object writing’. You take an object, and ‘dive in’ to its ‘sense-world’ – what are the sights, sounds, smells, feels, physical responses, etc., that are associated with that thing, in particular, … More 10-minute Object Writing Exercise for 25 April
And Jesus said to them, “…whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one…” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.” (Luke 22:35-38) If Jesus’ affirmation that two swords were enough was meant to be a call to armed resistance now for the … More On Luke 22:35-38 and armed resistance
Poetry has always been the means by which human beings have creatively expressed that which is outside ordinary everyday speech. ‘Poetry’ in this sense encompasses poetry as we know it, but also plays, songs, and even some forms of prose; anything which seeks to use metaphors and similes, symbolism and imagery, hyperbole, creative contrast, rhyme, … More Theology and Poetry
I’ve just finished listening to the latest edition of Unbelievable, on the above subject. Representing the ‘Yes’ campaign, Joseph Cummings. ‘No’, Nabeel Qureshi. This was definitely one of the best recent episodes; the dialogue was respectful and enjoyable. The conversation hovered around the issue of what we would say about Judaism for longer than I liked. (The … More Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
I’m reading Pat Pattison’s wonderful book, Writing Better Lyrics. One of the many, many great things about this book is its inclusion of useful exercises to do as you go along. I have devotedly set aside a notebook for the purpose; it lives with this book, getting pig-eared and dog-chewed as I read and re-read … More Lyric writing: A window on a coffee shop
Or, “A helpful guide to the meaning of Bible translation acronyms” If you’re a newcomer to the world of the Bible and in particular are baffled, befuddled or generally bamboozled by the multitudinous proliferation of Bible translations out there (meaning: there are lots and you don’t know what they’re all about), then you’ve come to … More What does “NIV” stand for?
I recently posted my New Testament reading plan that orders material around the four Gospels. Corresponding to this I needed some kind of order in which to read the Old Testament. Naturally this is more difficult to devise because of the amount of material and the difficulty (honestly) of ploughing through some of the laws, genealogies … More My 2016 Old Testament reading plan
“I’m really looking forward to pouring burning coals on my enemy’s head. “That’s what Romans 12 says I’m going to do. (It’s in the New Testament, you know.) Even after he’s been oppressing me, if he’s hungry I’m going to feed him, and if he’s thirsty I’m going to give him a drink, because the Bible … More Pouring burning coals on my enemy’s head!
A gift for all my readers (all three of you). While not strictly about Christmas, this poem concerns something I have been reflecting on quite deeply for a while and may blog about (if I have time) next year. In the meantime, enjoy, and see what it speaks to you about. I give you: The … More The Three Strangers
One of the things I’ve been attempting for 2015 is the Bible in one year. I made an elaborate table and everything to mark off when I’d completed books, and additional columns for reading commentaries and completing study processes on each book. Well, reading the thing in one year has nearly happened successfully (naturally I’ve … More My quirky New Testament reading plan
Ben David Trigg 