John Becker's Blog (22)

Saying yes when the Lord calls is the first and most important response we need to learn as we walk the Jesus road. When Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down and welcome him to be a guest in his house, Zach didn't hesitate, he came down and from that moment everything changed (Lk 19). When Jesus' Spirit…

"Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram's horn, and all the people proclaimed, "Long live King Solomon!"

All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth split open from the sound." 1 Kings 1:39-40

  I try to imagine the…

Jesus promised that it was to our advantage that he return to his father because by going away he would send us the Spirit, the Helper. Jesus said, "When he comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement." (John 16:8)

My question this morning in light of all the heartache our world faces because of terror, hatred, injustice,…

Hi SOIL. It has been a long time since I have posted an article. Mostly because 2014 was insanely full. It was a highly productive year, and also a very costly year for many reasons.  I am sure you are like me and take time to reflect on the passing year as you face a new one. This is a holy and helpful exorcize because it is humbling and sobering and also gives room for…

Sitting in my hotel room in the early hours of the morning here in Chiang Mai, I was ministered to the core of my being by these words written by Eberhard Arnold, founder of the  Bruderhof Community, in an article called Das Gluck, published in 1921. With several different emotions and conflicting struggles in my heart and mind, this is exactly what I needed to…

I found the theme again this morning in Isaiah 2:3 "And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths."

Years ago I memorized Ps. 86:11 after hearing a devotional by Gary Casady - "Teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in Thy…

This week I have been meditating on Luke 13. A chapter full of hot encounters and bold teachings of Jesus. All pointing to the new reality of His Kingdom come upon the earth and old paradigms and bondages broken!  The stakes are high and there is the promise of surprise.

Jesus continues to confront the false teachings, erroneous beliefs, and oppression brought on by…

Yesterday our pastor challenged us to have a "barn perspective" in relation to our possessions and giving. Many of us operate with a "bag perspective".  We treat our possessions as our private reserve, like a bag of seed with a hole in it. We are always seeking to fill our bag to get ahead, and yet we struggle to find enough as our seed spills out here and there. There is…

Today in considering Jesus' proclamation that "you are the light of the world" in speaking to his disciples, I found a deep perspective from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship.

He asks, "What sort of light is to shine from the place where only the disciples have a right to be?  How are we to reconcile the obscurity of the cross of Christ with the light…

As Maureen and I have been taking the past two days to pray and fast regarding our future home (where the Lord is leading us to set up home and our ministry base in light of having to move house by 1st May), we reviewed our values re-reading the SOIL manifesto.  These twelve values were birthed out of a journey towards our last transition from Bristol, England to Redwood…

A Biblical Look at Diaspora People

 Greek word: A scattering, dispersion (e.g. Acts 8:1).

Refugee, Stranger, Alien, Marginalized, Minority

Acts 17: 26 “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he…

You might be interested in connecting with Evangelicals for Social Action and their magazine called PRISM.

Find it at this link: PRISM

Attached is an article I wrote for their Sept-Oct 2011 Issue.…

Hi SOIL. Recently I helped a few like minded organizations meet in Nairobi to work towards a sustainable, locally led, collaborative effort to respond holistically to the current famine in the Horn of Africa. This effort is just a small part of a much bigger effort that is underway. However, the need is huge and begs all of us Jesus followers to care and respond. One thing…

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you...How much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?"  Matthew 7:7,11

Do I believe this enough to ask, seek and knock?  I asked myself this question today. I want to take a fresh stab at faith and put this promise to the…

I have been struggling recently with a sense of failure. I have this suspicion that I have been working hard at the wrong things. Quitting is not a natural thing for me - all my life quitting has never been an option.  But in all honesty, I have recently been flirting with quitting - not life or discipleship - but some of my leadership responsibilities. Is God asking…

One of my problems is hastiness. I have often started out on a journey, so eager to begin, that I left without some important things, or proper directions.  This applies to my work and responsibilities too. In the midst of the busyness, it is so easy to get into the stuff without being properly prepared. When this becomes chronic it is easy to lose my center.  Busyness so easily becomes about me. In my meditations today I was struck by the selfish nature of taking on too much - If I lose my…

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The Evidence in a Smiling Dog

“By their fruit you will…

I was reminded again last week how important it is to respond to the nudge of the Holy Spirit. I was flying back from Orlando and I knew I was supposed to talk to the woman sitting next to me. Even though

it was late, I was exhausted and had long flights ahead of me, I obeyed.

Monica had left the Catholic church for lots of reasons. She had just come from a conference that left her…