Aug 25 2024
The woman at the well in John 4. Who is she? A harlot who goes through men like water? A victim of cruel men who either die or get bored of her? The underlying reasons for those questions are important. But what if we are simply coming to the story with 21st century concerns …
Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/woman-at-the-well/
Jan 25 2024
Hi Friends and Readers,
A turtle on the way to a finish line once said, “Slow and steady wins the race.” It’s also what I keep repeating as a book project drags on. As for a prediction of when I’ll cross the line…Nah. I’m learning my ‘depth perception’ isn’t always the same as God’s!
Meanwhile, …
Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/upping-the-torch-flame/
Jan 28 2021
As an addendum to the last post that connects Song 2:4’s “wine bar” to the “upper room” of the Last Supper, I’d like to share this short, yet lovely piece by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) that connects it to the “upper room” of Pentecost!
Something I believe the Spirit revealed to me recently, is that there are many “spices” that make up the recipe of spiritually understanding the Song of Songs. Each spice adds its own uniqueness, and some spices are for a specific season. But each person’s part in this “recipe,” if true and fresh, will cause us to hunger and thirst for more of Christ, who is the completion of ALL the parts.
I hope to share more of these “spices” in the days to come.
Meanwhile – here is the one by Bernard.
Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/the-banquet-continues/
Jan 20 2021
When the hour had come…Jesus said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you…” – Luke 22:14-15
Recently my husband and I have been sharing a weekly “communion” meal together. We use this set-apart time as a way of remembering Jesus’ life and death in the picture of a shared glass of wine, some bread, and a simple meal of soup or stew. It’s a little awkward still, as we try to make it meaningful and special. But it’s always a sweet time to me, and during the week I find myself eagerly looking forward to doing it again.
It doesn’t compare, however, to the longing that Jesus has to commune with us, in our hearts. He brings us there, and invites us to feast on Him. In Song of Songs 2:4, it says:
Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/song-2-4/
Oct 14 2020
“Well hello there,” I whispered, gently touching the paper-like head that balanced precariously atop a long, skinny stem, “I certainly did not expect to see something like you in here.”
It seemed to nod, the bright splash of red peeking out of the thicket in my hedgerow. A poppy. A single, lone poppy. How in the world did it get here?
In a neighbor’s yard there is a flower garden with poppies, but with the distance and obstacles in-between, it seemed unlikely a seed blew this far. Maybe it was carried by a bird, or got caught on the fur of a stray cat?
More importantly though, how did it grow in such a hostile environment?
Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/poppy-in-the-prickers/
Sep 29 2020
Unshakeable satisfaction in human love is illusive, and an illusion, and needs to be put in its temporal place. The romance of the Song of Songs is not given to make us focus on human relationships, or long for a lover we don’t have, but to point us to the eternal substance of our inner life with Christ – and spiritual relationships, which are unshakeable.
Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/flowers/
Aug 18 2020
There is something about the innocent, carefree season of childhood that I think we all long to reconnect with. But it’s not easy. I saved a meme that read: “Children smile an average of 400 times a day; adults 15. Children laugh about 150 times a day; adults 6. Children play between 4 to 6 hours a day; adults maybe 20 minutes. What happened?¹”
When a spiritual father was on his death bed, I asked him what he would wish for me to do more of after he is gone. His response? “Play more.”
That was not the answer I expected! But the truth is, play (and its twin, “rest”) is …
Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/can-you-come-out-to-play/
Mar 22 2020
Believe it or not — the coronavirus is in the Song of Songs! We’ll have to jump to Chapter 3, to a part that always puzzled me until now.
But first, it will help to know how this virus was named. Corona means “crown,” and it was named for its spike-like appendages and encircling shape when viewed under a microscope.
But there’s more to a crown than meets the eye! A crown is worn by someone, specifically a king and/or queen, and so a crown also represents a kingdom and its authority. Basically, if you serve a crown, you serve whoever wears it.
Think about this: There is a spiritual reason why a virus named after a crown has recently been…
Permanent link to this article: https://intimatekingdom.com/coronavirus-clash-two-crowns/
The Woman At The Well – She’s Not Who You Think She Is
Made Perfect in Love
THE SONG – By Guest Author Cheryl McGrath
Esther in Ephesians – For Such a Time As This!
A Tour of a Secret Garden
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