Pentecost Sunday was a powerful moment for us in the presence of God. From the youngest to the oldest, we invited the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh, and many people experienced a fresh touch from Him. When we experience the presence of God in this way in the gathered Read more…
God has been doing something quite profound in us as a church over these last few weeks, and it was wonderful to be together in His presence as we concluded our short series on the three phrases God spoke to us at the start of the year. He must increase, Read more…
While we were away on holiday, I finished reading a book that I’ve been working through over the last couple of months. It’s called The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith. It’s all about getting to know God the way that Jesus knows God, challenging the narratives that Read more…
We all love a good advert don’t we? Even if you find the ad breaks on TV annoying, there’s something about a well-made advert that connects with us on some level. Whether it’s old classics like “For mash get Smash” or gentle puns like “Big on quality, Lidl on price,” Read more…
After Paul’s berakah introduction in Ephesians 1:3-14 (see last week’s post for more on that), he shifts his attention to his normal format of prayer for the church to whom he is writing. Just like vv3-14, this section from vv15-23 is one long sentence. Again, we get the sense of Read more…
Ephesians is probably my favourite book in the whole Bible. It’s so full of rich, theological truths that shape our identity as followers of Jesus! Even just in the opening chunk of the letter (v1-14), Paul throws in nine massive theological ideas as part of his scatter-gun introduction. The section Read more…
Have you ever had the feeling that someone is only interested in you because of what they can get out of you? It’s not a nice feeling is it? Nobody likes to feel that someone is taking advantage of them. Ultimately we all want people to want to know us, Read more…
“Will you pray for me?” It’s a common question among Christians. When we’re going through something difficult, or we have something coming up which is uncertain (after all, what isn’t uncertain in life?) we ask our brothers and sisters to pray for us. When we pray for others, our tendency Read more…
There was an atmosphere of tense awkwardness. Feet shuffled noisily, people coughed nervously, and nobody said anything. Each person looked around, trying to get a cue from someone else without catching his eye in case he called on them. This kind of moment is all too common, and its cause Read more…
I’ve always believed in God. That belief has evolved throughout my life. I’ll freely admit that my belief in God began with my parents. As a child, you believe what your parents tell you is true. “Eating too many sweets will damage your teeth,” “You have to look before you Read more…