Simon Skidmore
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A God who lays down his bow
Ancient warrior imagery gets reworked into a symbol of divine peace, reframing a violent flood story into one about lasting mercy.
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An “eye for an eye”?
A path away from retaliation. Revenge, whether personal or national, only breeds more bloodshed.
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The rainbow’s real meaning
Beyond a sign of beauty, the rainbow is read here as a retired weapon, a divine vow to set violence aside.
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When life seems unfair
Clinging to a sense of being wronged narrows our world. Letting go of resentment isn’t weakness — it’s the first step toward growth.
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Waiting through life’s transitions
Noah couldn’t rush the forty days or control the waters. He could only trust, and wait. When modern life traps us patience becomes our ark—the vessel that keeps us afloat through destructive forces. Waiting, remains essential to spiritual transformation.
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Noah floated above carnage by refusing to join it
While the flood consumed all flesh around him, Noah was insulated from the violence — not by walls or weapons, but by his refusal to participate in it. His survival is presented as a direct consequence of his uniquely righteous conduct amid a generation bent on mutual destruction.
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Selfless living lights darkness
Real change begins close to home. Radical forgiveness and generosity are not weakness — rather they are the very thing that turns ordinary lives into lights, lights don’t just illuminate a room but rather lead the way out of the darkness entirely.
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Stop chasing status
Ever notice how competition creeps into everything? We copy people we admire—and then fight for the same spotlight. Philippians calls that out, and offers something better: trading rivalry for relationships built on care, not comparison.
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Dehumanisation fuels violence
Once hatred is sanctified as duty, violence can masquerade as obedience to God rather than rebellion against compassion. Scholars have tried to suggest the text was hyperbolic. Yet, these verses reveal the deep mechanism by which fear and faith intertwine in acts of exclusion.
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Ritual exile — modern stigma
Who do we cast out today—those we fear, those we blame, those who differ from us? The ancient story still asks how far we go to preserve purity, and what kind of holiness demands exclusion.
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