There’s a haunting phrase in Scripture that describes the fall of Babylon—the symbol of humanity’s most corrupt economic systems. Revelation 18 lists the luxury goods of that empire: gold, silver, fine linen, and spices. Then comes the final line: “...and slaves, that is, human souls.” — Revelation 18:13, ESV

John Morgan was born in Dublin, Ireland in the early 1800s. He became a missionary with the Church Mission Society, CMS, in 1931, and arrived in New Zealand in 1933 after about half a year of travel by sea.

Most of us recognize the famous Star Trek line: “To boldly go where no one has gone before.” It captured the spirit of exploration—a willingness to leave safety, cross uncharted galaxies, and discover new worlds.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7, NIV). The 34th Summer Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles in July 2028. For two weeks, the eyes of the world will be fixed on athletes competing for gold.

Have you ever imagined living 117 years? María Branyas Morera did. Born in 1907 in San Francisco, she lived through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and even COVID-19—surviving the virus at 113. She passed away peacefully in 2024 as the world’s oldest living person.

What if the biggest barrier to solving poverty isn’t a lack of generosity—but a lack of imagination? My daughter just graduated from high school. She’s not a high-schooler anymore, but she hasn’t started college yet either.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant when He said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms… I go to prepare a place for you” ? It’s one of the most comforting promises in all of Scripture—the image of Jesus, the Carpenter of Nazareth, still building, still creating—this time, a place for you and me to dwell with Him forever.

Recently, my family purchased my childhood home, and we inherited more space, more land, and more responsibility. Our property now includes rows of perennial beds, a sprawling lawn, and a sizeable vegetable garden.

There’s a powerful scene in The Greatest Showman where P.T. Barnum secures a bank loan by using shipping manifests from vessels that had already sunk. The cargo was at the bottom of the ocean—but on paper, it looked valuable. The banker, impressed by the documentation, extends the credit.

When divers discovered a 19th-century shipwreck off the coast of Sweden, they didn’t find gold or treasure—they found joy bottled up. Dozens of unopened cases of vintage sparkling wine lay hidden beneath 150 years of darkness, sealed tight and perfectly preserved in the cold Baltic Sea.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once warned that the greatest danger to the church is cheap grace. He described it as “grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ”. Cheap grace assumes God’s forgiveness costs us nothing—not even repentance or obedience.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He began with a simple phrase that reaches deeper than we often realize: “Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9, NIV). To hallow means to make holy, to set apart, to reverence.