And it won’t be because of you I’ve been musing over the beatitudes recently, as you do, and one verse got me thinking, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” It’s Jesus speaking. And standing there on that Galilean hillside were men and women who knew their own contradictions. Quick tempers. Hidden lusts. Petty… Read More »

Jesus. Justice. And why grace never carries a clipboard. People watching. It’s therapeutic. Have you ever sat in a coffee shop, people watching, and noticed someone outside with all their belongings in a plastic bag-wondering what brought them there, and what keeps you from being in their shoes? Local councils want nice, tidy streets. The old saying is… Read More »

God can put you pack together. Today. I loved English lessons at school. Even at fifteen, when a poem of mine, Plastic Tomorrow, was passed around other classes by my teachers, what really hooked me was learning how to read properly. Pulling texts apart. Asking what was actually being said. To whom. Not who. By whom. Where. Why.… Read More »

Three things you forget when everything hurts. I think you will find this useful… I wanted to write something that would be practical. We’re going to walk through three things that help faith hold together when life starts pulling it apart – when the future’s unclear, the prayers fall flat, and nothing moves. You know the moments, you… Read More »

It’s later than you think. One question we rarely hear asked today, but as an Elim pastor, it was in the air every Sunday evening: “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” I loved end-times preaching! It’s the question the disciples asked, gazing up at the massive, immovable stones of… Read More »

God’s strange way of building a church This is about me not you, but welcome to my world. I’m not very tolerant. Yes, I’m aware of it, and working on it. Let me explain. Every once in a while God seems to move someone across my path who is being a bit… weird. Not dangerous. Not heretical. Just… Read More »

This is not the story we expected. A few days ago I read John 3 in my ‘Bible in a Year’ plan – and having recently walked through Numbers again, I was struck by the connection Jesus makes. You might be too. You’ll probably guess where I am going when I ask how you feel about snakes. I… Read More »

If you are sitting, get ready to stand? I’ve got a brilliant scripture to think about – maybe it’s way out of our culture, or the way we do things, but, simply put, the instruction is out there; so how do we respond to it? Before you reach for your bible let me tell you, this is one… Read More »

You’re the guest! “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” (Ps 24:1) That’s not just a nice verse for a fridge magnet, it’s a line of ownership. Of authority. God isn’t circling above like Air Force One, waiting for someone to give Him access. He reigns. Always has. And… Read More »

Night language for day assignments There are moments in the night – just before waking – when something stirs. A flicker of something meaningful, encouraging, holy. You can’t quite name it. Maybe a phrase half-heard, the weight of a warning, or simply a presence you didn’t invite. Then it’s gone. I’ve laid many times one minute before the… Read More »