The Best Me January is a very confused month. On the one hand, ‘time to treat yourself! Book a holiday! Schedule in time-out. Nurture, regroup, recover.’ On the other, ‘Time to discipline yourself. Rein in all the excess. Work harder, achieve more, be The Best You.’ So what is ‘The Best Me?’ Our culture traditionally offers two answers to this question. The first is to focus on physical change aka Getting A New Body (through fitness, diet, surgery or whatever). …Read More
1. “You are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42). Look at the context of this passage. Martha is wrapping presents, stuffing turkey, decorating the tree, baking mince pies and keeping the whole show on the road. She’s feeling neglected and stressed – but her solutions aren’t helping. She doesn’t need a spreadsheet – or even a special reading plan. Just one thing matters – time with Jesus! Whatever our surroundings, the Lord …Read More
It’s the last in our series on the Trinity. And to round it off, here’s a wonderful guest post from Glen… “Remember guys,” said the youth leader, with wide-eyed, hyper-Haribo, youth-leader enthusiasm, “the Spirit is NOT an it. It’s a He!” The lesson the youth leader wanted to teach is the lesson he needed to learn. He knew that the personhood of the Spirit was important. Technically. But that didn’t change the way he related to the Spirit. He knew he should call …Read More
Out of all the members of the Trinity, God the Father is the one I’m most wary of. Sure, He’s called Father. But my mind runs to some authoritarian Dad from the Victorian ages. Perhaps He doesn’t want relationship. Instead, He looms behind His friendlier Son; Don’t make too much noise. Obey the rules. Go through the proper channels. And always, always refer to me by my proper titles: Creator, Ruler, Enforcer. Dad…? You must be joking. In some ways, this …Read More
Thank you Sharon, for another great post – this time on depression. Make sure you look out for her powerful book, “Wrestling with my thoughts” (A doctor writes about her own mental health struggles), which will be coming out in January, published by IVP. Autumn Days Comfy hoodies, pumpkin spice lattes, cosy evenings indoors, rustling leaves, spectacular colours… For some people, autumn is a favourite season. But others have a different experience. The darker mornings and earlier sunsets squeeze …Read More
I’m reading a great devotional for busy mums. It talks about the importance of coming before God in silence and stillness. Yes, I think. Yes. But how? Noise is the tapestry of my days. Toys that sing when you step on them. The hum of the washing machine; car horns honking; the chatter and clatter of dishes and children. No breaks and no off switch. No time for anything else. That’s not quite true. It is possible to carve out …Read More
Glen has a new book OUT TODAY! It’s 6 months of undated devotional thoughts that take you through the Old Testament. (In the new year, they’re bringing out the New Testament volume). Each day you get a little taste of the goodness of Jesus and over the course of a whole year you can see the bird’s eye view of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. If you’ve been watching Reading Between the Lines on Facebook or YouTube you know …Read More
I’ve always thought that there are two sorts of people; those who believe in miracles, and those who don’t. But reading 2 Kings 5, I’m starting to think it’s a little more complicated. Maybe there’s those who believe in their kind of miracle; and those who believe in God’s kind of miracle. As the story of Naaman shows us, there’s quite a difference. Naaman is an accomplished professional but suffering the most devastating affliction: leprosy. We get a sense of what a …Read More
Imagine a whole nation in slavery. What a terrible situation! Now…imagine that they need to be persuaded to escape. Their rescue is guaranteed by a God who won’t let them down. But still, they waver. There’s a big part of them that doesn’t want freedom. They know their place in Egypt, and there’s comfort in their chains. God says, “Come with me! I’ll set you free!” But they shrink back. Too dangerous. Too risky. So how does the Lord persuade them …Read More
My default setting is ‘fear,’ not ‘faith.’ How’s my friend’s baby doing? Will she recover; and what can I do? Why did God let this happen? Will I be able to meet up with Y; and if so, what will I say? Why is the car making that noise? Is that a dodgy mole on my leg? What will happen to my family if I get sick? On and on it goes; and the list gets longer the more I …Read More
