blog through the bible | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Using God’s Gift of Our Talents: A Path to Joy and Abundance

Anita Mathias — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 17:14:50 +0000

Jesus, in his Parable of the Talents, memorably illustrates how human life and God’s kingdom work. Our life is a story we co-write with God, who hands us plot outlines: geography, gender, genetics, socio-economic position, creativity, health, personality, temperament, as well as our unique, innate gifts. God, considering our abilities, assigns us varying […]

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Christ’s Great Golden Triad to Guide Our Actions and Decisions

Anita Mathias — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 18:03:54 +0000

Andrei Rublev, The Trinity Here’s a meditation on Matthew 22: 34-40. Do press the green button to listen. So, an expert in the Mosaic law, a Pharisee, tests Jesus: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” A mined field, a trap, for the question implied: “And which of the 613 commands in […]

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Do Not Be Afraid, but Do Be Prudent

Anita Mathias — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 21:58:13 +0000

“Do not be afraid,” a dream-angel tells Joseph, to marry Mary, who’s pregnant, though a virgin, for in our magical, God- invaded world, the Spirit has placed God’s son in her as long foretold by Isaiah. Call the baby Jesus, or The Lord saves, for he will drag people free from the chokehold of their […]

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For Scoundrels, Scallywags, and Rascals—Christ Came

Anita Mathias — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 18:05:58 +0000

For Scoundrels, Scallywags, and Rascals—Christ Came Jesus came for everyone, offering us joyful life in its abundance. And he descended from many nations, tribes, peoples and languages. From Abraham, from Ur in Iraq who, impatient at God’s unfulfilled promises, raped his slave, Hagar. From tricky Jacob, who scammed his brother, Esau, out of his […]

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The Spirit Helps Us Speak Creative Words of Energy and Life

Anita Mathias — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 19:29:16 +0000

The Spirit Helps Us Speak Creative Words of Energy and Life Matthew tells us: Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” Matthew 12: 22-24 […]

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When, For a Season, God Himself Blocks You

Anita Mathias — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 11:09:50 +0000

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to save many lives,” Joseph quietly tells his brothers. (Genesis 50:20) Oh they did; they sure did, first throwing him into a disused well, then uncaringly selling him on for thirty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, not caring what became of him. And what […]

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Oh, Let it All End in Worship

Anita Mathias — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 21:36:01 +0000

And Jacob worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff (Gen. 47:31). And so it ends, Jacob’s long busy life of intrigue and wrestling. Ever has he schemed, manipulated and deceived to get the blessings which God intended to give him even before he was born (Gen 25:23). And his intrigues backfire–disastrously. Quite […]

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When Sarah snorted, but God had mercy on her, anyway

Anita Mathias — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 22:24:55 +0000

Arent de Gelder 1645-1727 Three white-clad men walk out of the desert, out of the shimmering sands. Calm holiness. Abraham, the Patriarch, “very wealthy in silver and gold, sheep and cattle and camels and male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants” runs to meet them, bows low to the ground, and offers him his most lavish […]

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In which Christ Desires Mercy, not Sacrifice

Anita Mathias — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 14:16:21 +0000

Jesus was always getting himself into trouble with the Pharisees, the stern keepers of the law, for his common sense and practicality. When his disciples were hungry on the Sabbath, he let them glean. (Matthew 12 :1). When he saw a man with a shrivelled hand in the synagogue on Sunday, he healed him. Furiously […]

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In which Failure can be a Greater Blessing than Success

Anita Mathias — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 08:28:17 +0000

Image Credit I would like to have been successful in everything I did the first time round. Sure, I would. And some things I have failed in, yeah, sure, I would rather have been successful in. However, what failure has taught me is to learn to lean. In that way, ironically, it has brought me […]

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