'"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."'

'Throughout this book I have sought to show the importance of Jesus’ call for us to become like little children; for I truly believe that a childlike approach is key to us living a life of faith within the kingdom of God, and key to us becoming the people and the church that God wants us to be. Given that you have stayed with me thus far, I trust that you have not completely discounted what I’ve had to say. Even if you don’t agree with it all, I hope that it has at least stirred within you a desire to become more childlike. If so, perhaps the question that you’re now asking is, "How? How can I become like a little child now that I am an adult? Surely I cannot simply roll back the years and think and act as if I am young again?.…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening

'And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.'

'The word "bless" literally means "speak wellness", and is a declaration of goodness and prosperity upon someone (or something). The original Greek has within it the word logos, meaning "speech" or "word" – which is also the title given to Jesus by John at the start of his gospel account. Thus, when Jesus blesses, we have the Word of Life speaking words of life. However, whilst blessings are given by word, they are also imparted by touch. This is something that we see in the gospel accounts, and also that we feel instinctively. Indeed, we often speak of seeking "the touch of God" upon our lives.…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening,

'"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."'

'The scene for this exchange was, according to Mark’s account, a house in Capernaum. Jesus had been with his disciples in Judea, on the other side of the Jordan river, healing and teaching the large crowds that flocked to see him. It had doubtless been a long and tiring day, and now his disciples just wanted a bit of peace and quiet and rest and relaxation after the day’s exertions. They also wanted to quiz Jesus about the answer that he’d given to some Pharisees who’d come to test him with a question about divorce. All told, they doubtless just wanted to be left alone and have a little time to themselves. Instead of which there’s a seemingly never-ending stream of people coming to the house, bringing their babies and little children to be touched and prayed for by Jesus. Perhaps the disciples didn’t mind too much at first, but after a while they begin to get more and more agitated and irritated, and just want the people and their children to go away and leave them in peace.…'

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch via the contact page on the As A Child website - or even send me a voice message. Thank you for listening,