Many once knew me as Blind Bartimaeus; my story is told in the most famous book. But I’ll tell you what happened after my sight was restored. How, from my perspective, it has been for me. When Jesus restored my sight, I moved immediately from physical darkness to vibrant clarity, looking first at Jesus' face. There was no slow adjustment period or blurry recovery. After years of relying on sound, touch, and smell on what is known as my corner (Barney's corner) in Jericho, c

One day, Lazarus fell ill. Martha could see how quickly her brother was deteriorating, and it broke her heart. Together, they had been through a lot in life, and many times they had almost given up, yet they held on to a hope that never died, even when it came close. The hardest time came when Martha got herself into trouble and was deceived into letting bad things into her life; before she knew it, she was enslaved to darkness and had almost lost it all. But along came this

There was nothing wrong with his hearing; that was for sure! He heard the farrier's hammer hit the anvil as he shaped the horseshoe. He heard the market sellers call out their deals of the day. He heard exhausted mothers reprimand their boisterous children, He heard the unpleasant sound of desperate rats scratching the dry, dusty ground, hoping for crumbs or scraps of food that people may drop. He was glad of his other senses t The smell of the fresh bread on the barrow that

Jack Black was a stunning, black Friesian workhorse. All he had ever known was work. He used his strength to pull carts that his owner would attach to his harness. Jack Black would obediently pull anything that was asked of him. He was strong but also gentle. Even when working, if a child came near and wanted to pet him, he would lower his head so they could stroke his soft, velvety nose. At the end of the day, he loved it when his harness and cart were removed, and his owner

The farmer gets up out of bed. He's weary. As he splashes cold water over his face, he thinks to himself, " Who would want to be a farmer nowadays"? He struggles into his overalls; they are stiff with hardened mud. He leaves his wife sleeping, as it's 5.00 am. The weary farmer walks down the stairs and starts the fire to heat the pan of water for a cup of tea. He knows that later, when his morning chores are done, he will come home to a steaming bowl of porridge with fresh ho

And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so. God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.’ Genesis 1:14-16 ‘Stop the world, I want to get off.’ Came the deep, desperate cry. But the world continued to spi