Sorry there’s no blog this week – we’re in Keswick, enjoying the lovely lakes! As part of the week I gave a 4 minute testimony, and it’s airing along with a fab sermon (and some rousing hymns) on Radio 4, this Sunday. If you fancy listening, (and even better, praying since it’ll go out to many people), then go here. Thank-you! Share…FacebookTwitterTumblrPinterestStumbleUponDiggemail
Sometimes I get asked to do talks, especially for women. (Scares the life out of me, but I’m very grateful to be invited). The topics can differ, but as often as not, the issue I’m asked to speak on is ‘self-esteem’. Like it or not, this has been tagged the big issue for ladies; or at least, one that we’re interested in. (I suspect men have the same questions, but they get butch wrapping, like; ‘Going for God’, ‘Stepping Out …Read More
The book of Judges. Is it really meant to be in the Bible? Or did someone just forget? I’m told that it’s very funny if you’re an Israelite. But I don’t get the joke. And it’s weird. Sex and the City meets The Killing; but not in a good way. (Check out Judges chapter 13-16). Samson sounds like the sort of bloke who stands too close when there’s plenty of space. In between protein shakes, he’s chasing women, or setting foxes on fire. …Read More
“A silent epidemic of anorexia is sweeping through the country’s top independent schools, affecting thousands of teenage girls, experts say. Girls from aspirational families are the “fastest-growing” group using mental health services as they struggle to cope with the pressure to achieve top grades, according to psychologists. Mental health charities say that many of the top private schools are in denial about the scale of the problem because they do not want to damage their brands”. The Times, 22 Feb …Read More
Guest Post from Glen on the story of Job: So here’s the story: Job loses his wealth, his health and his family in a series of extraordinary calamities. The reader is aware – though Job is not – that the whole thing began in heaven with a kind of wager between the LORD and Satan. The LORD is proud of His servant Job and so permits truly diabolical attacks which He knows Job will endure. But the suffering is intense. …Read More
What makes a good church leader? My first thought is of some sort of expert, poised and capable, expertly scattering wisdom, like crumbs before pigeons. Certainly, knowledge is a good thing – but on it’s own, I’m not sure it’s enough. Like the teacher whose brains you admire because they make their subject incomprehensible… do I really want to leave a sermon thinking, ‘Man, I would never have worked that out alone?’ No – the great teacher is someone who …Read More
As you take steps of faith, depending on Me, I will show you how much I can do for you. If you live your life too safely, you will never know the thrill of seeing Me work through you. When I gave you my Spirit, I empowered you to live beyond your strength. That’s why it is so wrong to measure your energy levels against the challenges ahead of you. The issue is not your strength, but Mine, which is …Read More
Ever feel like you’re too thick to take on the arguments of Dawkins, Hitchens et al? Well, my friends, I bring good news – Francis Spufford has got there first. You can read his actual defense here, but here’s the opener to an article he wrote for the Guardian: My daughter has just turned six. Some time over the next year or so, she will discover that her parents are weird. We’re weird because we go to church. This means …Read More
Today has been spent fighting old voices. Voices I hadn’t listened to in a while. You’re useless. You’re ugly. You’re a fraud. Voices I thought I’d silenced. You don’t belong in church. Voices that keep me hidden in the darkness. You’re making a fool of yourself. Voices that tell me to lie and hide and give up and turn inwards. You’re weak and you’re rubbish and you’re not even a Christian because a real Christian wouldn’t struggle like you. …Read More
Sometimes the Bible feels like an enormous Rubix Cube, impenetrable and locked-up. You reread the same verses but nope – it may as well be in Hebrew, ( it’s all Greek to me). Or maybe it’s more like one of those fiendish baked-bean jigsaws where every piece looks the same. Rebellion, death. Rebellion, death. Bad king, bad king, bad king, bad king…you’re stuck in a Chronicles loop and there’s no end in sight. But other times, it’s completely different. The …Read More
