Dr Paul Allen

Sparrow (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Attention is one of the most powerful forces in the world. Along with food and water, a baby needs the attentive gaze of a human face . A baby lies in the crib and smiles, the face smiles back, and the baby realizes that someone is watching, is responding, that what the baby does counts. The baby’s joy or anger or sorrow is reflected in the face of another. Psychologists speak of this as attunement. The baby realizes it is possible to be somehow connected to—in tune with—another human being. This face becomes the mirror through which the child learns whether it is a source of delight or disappointment. A child simply cannot survive without the face. The face is what tells the baby that it matters. One of the great miracles of life is that God pays attention to us. This is partly why the writers of Scripture speak so often of God’s face. This is the hope of the great priestly blessing that God himself taught the people of Israel : The LORD bless...

Image via Wikipedia "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father." ( Matthew 10:29 )   This fascinating bit of first-century pricing information, seemingly so trivial, provides a marvelous glimpse into the heart of the Creator . Of all the birds used for food by the people of those days, sparrows were the cheapest on the market, costing only a farthing for a pair of them.  In fact, they cost even less in a larger quantity, for on another occasion Jesus said: "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God ?" ( Luke 12:6 ). The "farthing" was a tiny copper coin of very small value, so that a sparrow was all but worthless in human terms.   And yet the Lord Jesus said that God knows and cares about every single sparrow! God had a reason for everything He created; each kind of animal has its own unique design for its own intended purpose.  Modern biol...