Kerina Hall Blog

“O cross that liftest up my head,                                 I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the tree there blossoms red Life that shall endless be.                                         ( George Matheson) I am a lover of contemporary Christian songs.   Yet, I can appreciate beautiful hymns.   “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” is one of them and a favourite of mine. But, what’s so special about this song?   To begin with, the poetry is ‘arresting’; it captures you. Secondly, the imagery is quite vivid and is sustained throughout the hymn.   For example, you can feel the ‘dust…’   You can see the ‘tree’ which ‘blossoms red’? It really engages your senses, doesn’t it? But, apart from engaging your senses it also engages your mind and emotions when you consider that suffering is inevitable – we all have and will be visited by this unwelcome guest at some point in our lives.   But, it doesn’t have to end there.   Ther

Being different is not always viewed in a positive light.   (And all the creative people out there say “Amen!”) Difference can sometimes be viewed as very negative.   If you are a professional delinquent such as a seasoned criminal or some other law breaker, that is not a good and acceptable difference.   I suggest you find legitimate employment. The difference I refer to is one which leads you to live a life pleasing to God; where your distinctiveness comes from pursuing good and avoiding evil in whatever form it presents itself. In Numbers 14:24 listen to God’s testimony of someone with a different attitude: “But my servant Caleb, because he had another [different] spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. ” This is a difference to be celebrated. But what made Caleb different?   He, along with Joshua believed God and was able to do what He had promised – bring them to the P

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord ,   the Maker of heaven and earth” ( Psalm 121:1,2 ). Is life getting you down?   Well I would suggest it’s time to look up. It’s also time to change your perspective.   Keeping your gaze on the horizontal can be wearying and depressing.   And what’s on the horizon?   Persistent problems that seem to be stuck in concrete!   We all have them.   How we wish they would go away. Well, from reading Psalm 121 I’ve discovered that there is relief from such problems, and it’s found in looking to God. This Psalm is realistic.   The relief is not in the removal of the problem, but in the protection from the effects of the problem. It tells us in vv3-7 that God is a protector or “keeper” and He will offer us protection 24/7. We will be protected from the damaging effects of external forces – sun and moon (v6).   We can’t stop the sun but we can wear sun-block! As v7 tells us, we wil

  “…My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!”    ( Zechariah 8:2 ). Wow!   Talk about real love.   This is no ordinary affection.   As soon as the word passion is mentioned, love takes on an explosive element. God, the ultimate lover, is declaring this deep commitment and strong emotion for His people. If you’ve ever wondered about the depth of God’s love for you, wonder no more!   It is a love which is unconditional and eternal.   He loves us and is committed to us in spite of… Romans 8:35 – 38 tells us about a number of things that can possibly separate us from the love of Christ.   However, they are dismissed as unable to actually do this. Let’s consider the passage: “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or cold, or in danger, or threatened with death?... No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory

An army of beautiful creatures converged on my tree.   However, their activity was less than beautiful.   They were, as we say in Barbados, “tearing loose in” (destroying) my tree. This is an eyewitness account: I actually saw one ‘gobbling’ up a leaf!   Yes, it happened before my very eyes. These beautiful creatures had to be destroyed.   So, armed with a bottle of fungicide, I launched an aerial attack after dawn next day. Now the new leaves have started to appear at the base of the tree. This incident reminds me of the allure of the forbidden.   Yes, sin may seem beautiful, inviting.   But like those creatures it is harmful, very harmful.   The Bible says it succinctly.   “ For t he wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)   In other words, there is a payday coming. If you indulge in sinful actions you will be rewarded in kind.   For example, people who indulge in risky behavior put their lives in jeopardy.   It has been shown that habitual smoking can lead to can

Elections in Barbados have come and gone. One X next to one name in one day has caused one party to retain the reins of government for one five-year term, and the other to remain in opposition. Such is the power of democracy; and when we lose the privilege to exercise freedom of choice as seen in the right to vote we are in serious trouble. One of the troubling and lingering concerns, however, is the disillusionment of our young people.   This has resulted in some of them abstaining from exercising their democratic right.   They cite broken promises by politician as the major reason for abstaining. Despite reminders about the fact that this privilege was denied their fore-parents they remain quite adamant.   Broken promises, double-speaking and a perceived insincerity may have become features of the politico in some cases. However, this point to the need for someone or something greater for which our young people are seeking.   Something of lasting value that they can beli