That lamentable wait for God to breakthrough The opening chapter of Habakkuk is not just a prophetic rant; it’s a raw, unfiltered cry of the human heart. It’s that “Oh God!?” deep-inside-you cry. It begins with a question, the kind of question we all carry, whether we whisper it in the dark or shout it into the void:… Read More »

Helping another person become fully themselves in Christ. Guiding Without Controlling Mentoring is an important work. It involves stepping into someone else’s story—not to rewrite it, but to walk alongside them as they navigate the twists and turns of life. It’s about being present without overstepping, offering wisdom without wielding control. True mentoring is less about shaping someone’s… Read More »

Don’t say you don’t know what God requires of you! If you are looking for a challenging text in Scripture that speaks of mercy in the face of poverty and injustice, then grab your phone, open your Bible, and bookmark Micah 6:8. (Paper versions are available!) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does… Read More »

Somewhere along the way, amidst the busyness of church structures and other “welcomed” distractions, we seem to have lost sight of some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and also of a simple but profound role that was birthed in the early days of the Church: the deacon. I wonder if it’s a challenge that we need… Read More »

Revival. The word itself crackles with divine energy, doesn’t it? Revival is God’s great unveiling—a manifestation of the Holy Spirit that strips back the eggshell-thin membrane between heaven and earth and shows us, in vivid clarity, both the glory of God and the utter depth of our need for Him. It’s like standing in a thunderstorm, drenched and… Read More »

I’m thankful to be part of a church where the “encouragement tank” is always full. This might not be the case for everyone, and perhaps it’s not for you either. Yet, encouragement is vital. We are told, urged, and even commanded to encourage one another, especially given the challenging times in which we live. You’ve experienced encouragement, so… Read More »

Fancy a Life-Changing Challenge? Towards the end of his epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul issues a profound call. It’s easy to gloss over it without giving it the full attention it deserves. But there it is, clear as day, in Galatians 5:25: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the… Read More »

Just one touch… It’s a well-known, quick story—you won’t fall asleep reading it. It’s the kind of story where there was this, there was that, and then it was all over. Perhaps the story before was more gripping, more exciting, but not if you were a leper. Matthew 8:1-5So, Jesus comes down the mountain. He’s just delivered what… Read More »

You don’t have to read the Bible. On the face of it, plenty of people seem to get by without it. With so much to do, so many demands, reading an ancient book doesn’t feel pressing enough. But the question is, is “getting by” really the aim here? Jesus didn’t live, die, and rise again so we could… Read More »

Where’s Your Treasure?  Not a box of gold or hidden stash—more like, what’s that thing, or those things, you place the most value on? I’ve got a very nice guitar, and a camera I don’t really know how to use, but beyond that, very little, if anything, by way of “treasure.”   Maybe, for you, it’s the job you’ve… Read More »

s you get a bit older, you start seeing the sense in not messing about with matches. It’s not that you can’t, it’s more like you shouldn’t. I find myself thumbing through the Bible for some down-to-earth advice and it turns out, there are some pretty clear pointers for living well. They aren’t exactly rules, but they’re for… Read More »

What do you do when God hides His face? Psalm 88 presents a similar challenge and, to be blunt, is one of the most jarring and raw passages in all of Scripture.  Our place is not to avoid it, though. There is no uplifting ending, no bright turn towards hope—just a desperate cry from someone drowning in darkness.… Read More »

We sometimes read the Bible as if we were cramming for an exam, only to discover, when we glance at the test paper, that we’ve missed key information—something I am all too familiar with! As we read the Bible, we need to bear in mind what has already happened and what is yet to come, while focusing on… Read More »

One of the first things you become aware of as a new follower of Jesus is the need to deal with sin. It’s not just that you need to understand and cherish that, upon repenting of your sin, a lifetime of sin is thoroughly dealt with by faith in the death of Christ in your place; the recurring… Read More »

It is about AD 33 on the Mount of Beatitudes, a hill in northern Israel on the Korazim Plateau. It is an unprecedented day, a day that will have priests poring over the sacred texts of Leviticus to remind themselves of what to do and what is required. Someone Needs Healing Unexpectedly, a man approached Jesus, his skin… Read More »

If you read the ESV, after pushing through the drama of the Gospels, you come to another book, authored by Luke, simply called “Acts”. It is best understood as the Acts of the Holy Spirit, but it also recounts the acts or adventures of the Church and key individuals in the early days of the Church. God was… Read More »

There appears to be a significant surge in church planting at this time across a wide spectrum of denominations and church groups, not just in the UK but also around the world, despite the difficult circumstances that everyone faces. There are a few challenges (actually, there are many!) leaders face in dealing with these challenges, but there is… Read More »

If you want God’s best in your life and desire to make your life count, you likely need to be prepared to travel a road that includes a measure of adversity. This road is ever-present, and it is incredible how God uses these challenging times to shape us, making us fit for His purposes. Adversity is a reality… Read More »

The Urgent Question of Christ’s Return As a new Christian in a Pentecostal church, I grew up with the regular question, “Can Jesus return at any moment?” It affected everything I did, including the terrifying prospect of what would happen if Jesus returned while I was at the cinema! Happily, things have changed now, but the former question… Read More »

“The task of every generation is to discover in which direction the Sovereign Redeemer is moving, then move in that direction. It’s a brilliant quote—often attributed to Jonathan Edwards; however, there is no evidence that he actually wrote or said it! (Somewhat akin to Smith Wigglesworth’s ‘Word & Spirit’ prophecy) It’s very possible that the quote is a… Read More »