by Susan Barnes | 24 Aug 2023 | Short Devotion
“I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 This reminds us of God breathing on Adam and imparting life (Genesis 2:7). The disciples have many encounters with God through his Spirit. Initially, they respond to...
by Susan Barnes | 21 Aug 2023 | Devotions OT
“He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.” Deuteronomy 32:10-11 After one of our many moves, I was looking...
by Susan Barnes | 14 Aug 2023 | Book Reviews
New Christians are often told to read the Bible, pray and fellowship with other Christians to grow in their relationship with God. Often it’s implied that these are the only valid ways to encourage spiritual growth. Sacred Pathways seeks to offer nine other ways to...
by Susan Barnes | 5 Jul 2023 | Articles
When I was a child, my mother would tell me she was looking forward to the shortest day of the year because the following days would start to get longer. I thought it odd at the time because I knew it would be several weeks before there would be a noticeable...
by Susan Barnes | 19 Apr 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“Dada, dada. Dada, dada,” practised my 10-month-old. When our babies say their first word, we’re delighted and often record the date. As toddlers begin to talk we don’t criticise them for incorrect pronunciation or bad grammar. We’re so thrilled to hear their...
by Susan Barnes | 13 Feb 2023 | Short Devotion
“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy … lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2...
by Susan Barnes | 8 Feb 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“Look what I can do!” says my young child, swinging from the monkey bars. As parents, we’re delighted with our children’s first attempts at doing something new, whether that’s new vocabulary, new skills or a new level of understanding. As they grow, we’re proud...
by Susan Barnes | 1 Dec 2022 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
Children often expect that their Dad can do anything, fix anything that’s broken, solve any problem, meet any need. As children grow they gain a more realistic view of their Dad and realise that mostly there are no magical answers and few quick-fix solutions are...
