Hosea 1- Acclimatising to the Mess (& the wonder)

The book of Hosea is full of a kind of beauty that will take our breath away…if we will let it.

I’m taking Chapter 1 today, solo, just to set the scene, then 2 & 3 together next week and then a couple more posts to cover the remaining 12 chapters. Boom!

1:1

  • Remember in verse 1, crucially, the context has been set like some kind of historical GPS for us. (More detail here).

1:2

  • Then verse two begins the first of two prose/narrative sections that act as book ends on the more poetic middle of the book that we’ll come to in another post.
  • We’re assured straight away that this is the LORD speaking – as though we needed reminding – bringing to mind 2 Timothy 3:16 that “…all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful…”. This is Hosea speaking but it is the Lord of all creation who is speaking through Him.

In order to speak prophetically to a Nation and to achieve redemption and righteousness for them, God invades, exposes and demands the masculinity of Hosea’s ego, his social and spiritual reputation, his lineage, his peace, his joy, his sanity, his sexual satisfaction and purity and, most ultimately, the emotional bed of his heart.

Continue reading “Hosea 1- Acclimatising to the Mess (& the wonder)”

Hosea: History, Style, Theology (Intro)

Letters on a Page

Thinking/praying about the historical, theological and literary contexts of biblical passages is pretty darn important if your hope is to grow in love for God.

How come?

Well, have you ever thought why it is that God decided to make the primary medium of His Self-disclosure to us to be through specific details and letters on a page (yes, pixels on a screen) rather than numbers or code of some kind? Or that He even chose to have a Book at all?

Perhaps God chose words because they convey thoughts and personal information which, in turn, hold potential to convey emotion and therefore form relationships?

Numbers can’t do that.

Whatever the reason, I figure that it’s good to start a study by recognising that words forming different styles of literature, as part of this, history and theological motif, are a big deal to God and packed full of meaning.

So, coming to study Hosea needs thought in each of these areas to really delve into its ‘riches’ (Col.3:16), otherwise it’s like buying a top-of-the-range DSLR camera for thousands of pounds and then only using it for selfies! Continue reading “Hosea: History, Style, Theology (Intro)”

Hosea: The Left Ventricle of God

Whispers of Love

Do you have a favourite bible verse, a favourite biblical character or a favourite passage that means everything to you following Jesus – something like a life verse, maybe? Continue reading “Hosea: The Left Ventricle of God”

The Supernatural Glory Of God in a Single Gnat

Have you ever imagined what the world looked, smelt and sounded like during the time of Moses? Have you imagined what it must have been like to witness the plagues that God sent on the land of Egypt…the splitting of the Red Sea, the colossal pillars of fire and cloud and the armies of locusts so vast that anything similar was never seen before or since? Continue reading “The Supernatural Glory Of God in a Single Gnat”

Our Soul Aim

Hurtling as we are towards the bridge between the end of one year and the beginning of yet another new one, our “reflective, creative, dreaming” hat is firmly in place. 

As just one part of this, clarifying our ‘soul aim’ will help us to help you as much as possible.

So, what is the soul aim of Firebrand Notes? Quite simply, to:

“Help every viewer to love Jesus as they should“

We have some mega news coming up in the New Year about our latest media resource that, more than two years in the making, promises to smash up any form of spiritual boredom or apathy or confusion or illiteracy about how to live an effectively Jesus-riveted life for the glory of God.

  • Do you have a smart phone?
  • Do you love crisp, digital media?
  • Do you want to live for the glory of God?
  • Do you want to be as fruitful as you’re supposed to be?
  • Do you want to help people to grow in faith?
  • Do you want to read Matthew 28 and have inner peace that you’re doing what Jesus wants you to be doing?

It’s our soul aim this coming year to help you ‘tick’ each of these ‘bullets’ as your next 12 months begin to unfold towards another ‘year wiser’…all by awesome design not lazy default. 

We’re praying that we’d all learn to love as we should

Would you be up for tracking with us? 

*Sign up to the blog*

In the mean time, check out our eschatalogically epic drone film from 2015:

 

Be Born In Me

Happy Christmas, Everyone!

Especially if your experience of life going into Christmas (*Festival of the Christ*) this year is one of ‘manger mess’ be encouraged by this supreme song.

With love & blessings

Nick & Mairi

“Be Born In Me”

Everything inside me cries for order, everything inside me wants to hide
Is this shadow of an angel or a warrior? If God is pleased with me, why am I so terrified?

Someone tell me I am only dreaming, somehow help me see with Heaven’s eyes

And before my head agrees, my heart is on its knees…

Holy is He; blessed am I.

Be born in me, be born in me

Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You chose me

I’ll hold You in the beginning, You will hold me in the end

Every moment in the middle, make my heart Your Bethlehem

Be born in me

All this time we’ve waited for the promise, all this time You’ve waited for my arms

Did You wrap yourself inside the unexpected, so we might know that Love would go that far?

Be born in me, be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You chose me

I’ll hold You in the beginning, You will hold me in the end

Every moment in the middle, make my heart Your Bethlehem

Be born in me

I am not brave
I’ll never be

The only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy

I’m just a girl

Nothing more

But I am willing, I am Yours

Be born in me, be born in me
I’ll hold You in the beginning, You will hold me in the end

Every moment in the middle, make my heart Your Bethlehem

Be born in me

 

Cold Feet? Beautiful Feet – A Theory of Holiness and Balance

So far this Advent we have focused on Isaiah 52 verses 1-4. How come? Because we wanted to spend time responding to the series Look At The Lamb by getting practical and by getting bold. Continue reading “Cold Feet? Beautiful Feet – A Theory of Holiness and Balance”