I love Psalm 107. It recounts various ways in which God’s people got into a mess- often as a result of their sin. In each situation the people cry out to God for mercy. The Lord hears and rescues. The intended response is repeated throughout the Psalm: “Let them give thanks to the LORD for […]
Occasionally I am tempted to wonder if there is a limit to the number of Christmas sermons that can be preached. However, by Sunday, I will have given six talks in and around the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke and I still won’t really have touched on what is, in many ways, the big […]
Often I agree to speak on topics that I know nothing about. It is the best way to get me to do the reading to plug holes in my knowledge! That’s why earlier in the year I consented to doing a presentation on three second century church leaders- Ignatius, Polycarp and Irenaeus. Most of my […]
Our Relationships Series has come to an end. On this blog over the last few weeks my main focus has been on the subject of homosexuality. However, I think our time considering friendship was as important. I am convinced (and I made this point again on Sunday morning) that close relationships, where anxieties, temptations and […]
I mentioned in an earlier post that I am not particularly keen on political campaigning on this issue. There is a reason for that- in 1 Corinthians 5:12, the apostle Paul asks this question- “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?” I don’t particularly want to preach to the non-Christian […]
Each year at the church we have a vision verse. It is an opportunity to focus our minds on one specific aspect of living as a Christian and we tend to explore it through a number of sermons across the year. Last year our focus was 1 Corinthians 10:31- “Whatever you do, do it all […]
Last Sunday evening we held the second in our series considering Relationships and Sexuality. I spoke on the subject of homosexuality and then was interviewed. Since my teenage years, I have been exclusively attracted to other men rather than women. So the question we pondered in the interview was this- what does it mean for […]
I enjoy preaching and leading services at Woody Road- but I am always thrilled when I simply get to listen to God’s Word and the wisdom of God’s people without having to think about how to introduce the next song! I’ve had two opportunities to do this recently- at the FIEC Leaders’ Conference and the […]
Ukraine. Gaza. Iraq. The last few weeks have brought chilling news on a regular basis: pictures of grieving families with children being massacred. The persecution of Christians and other minorities in the Islamic State has mostly happened away from cameras but the reports of beheadings and crucifixions are hard to read and comprehend. A number […]
A couple of weeks ago I spent three days down in London at the Evangelical Ministry Assembly, organised by the Proclamation Trust. I’ve not been to this conference for a few years and it was good to catch up with old friends. The theme was “Removing the veil- the glory of God and the preaching […]