StephenBarkley.com

Bartender, please Fill my glass for me With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free After three days in the ground — David J. Matthews, “Bartender” from Busted Stuff © 2002 For the renewed presence of God, there is a new set of rules. Just like Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai, [...]

Confession is a divine sadness which leads to divine joy. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer Repentance. It sounds very religious. Somewhat medieval. Definitely uninspiring. We’re told daily to look to the future, to move on, to leave the past behind. But God challenged Israel to take the past seriously. It wasn’t as simple as moving on for [...]

Every Harlot was a Virgin once. — William Blake, “To The Accuser Who Is The God Of This World” Last Sunday I preached an awkward message.  I’ve been preaching through Revelation, taking every image and symbol as it comes.  Last week was chapters 17-18. The Whore of Babylon. To compound matters, our junior church program was over [...]

Let us then put off our shoes, and draw near, and bow the head, and kiss those feet that bear forever the scars of our victory. — George MacDonald (Unspoken Sermons) There’s nothing worse than a plot thread left unstitched. When it happens in a movie or a novel, you anticipate a sequel. When it [...]