A strange title, perhaps, but words do have roots, and we should take care to appreciate what these are.  My wife, Jean, told me this morning about something that she listened to on social media, where the speaker was talking about God’s readiness to forgive – a good subject for a talk, obviously.  However, he stressed this by stating that … Read More

Earlier this week, Jean and I made one of our infrequent trips to a plant nursery that I particularly like to buy from.  This is several miles away, and on previous visits we have taken the motorway to travel there.  Last year, however, I realised that there was a more direct route that would be preferable, and so this time … Read More

Although the feast of Pentecost relates to the Jewish faith, it is clearly referred to in the book of Acts as a significant date for Christians too (Acts 2:1ff).  It was while the Jews were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost that the Holy Spirit came in power upon those early disciples.  As Christians, this is certainly something worth marking.  … Read More

That might seem a strange title for this post, but please bear with me.  I talk a lot about the importance of the lordship of Jesus in the life of Christians – if he is not Lord of all, then he isn’t Lord at all.  Submission That is to say, if we are not willing to submit to his purpose … Read More

The school exam season has arrived for our eldest grandson and granddaughter; for him, it is A-levels and for her GCSEs.  One might imagine that things are about to get a little fraught in their household.  Our granddaughter has perfectionist tendencies, where she views anything less than excellent as some sort of failure.  Over the past two days, she tackled … Read More

My wife, Jean, received an unusual gift chosen by our daughter-in-law on Mother’s Day – a cactus plant in a ceramic pot.  You may wonder if this prickly offering in some way reflected how Jean was thought of, but I assure you that it did not.  She is known in the family as someone who struggles to keep pot plants … Read More

I wonder how you view change.  Perhaps you think of it in terms of circumstances that you need to handle, to cope with.  Maybe you imagine that change is something that needs to be applied to other people with whom you struggle, or to those who are not yet Christians and need to respond to the gospel message.  Perhaps your … Read More

Do you have paintings on the walls of your home?  For many years, we didn’t, mainly because we lacked the spare money to afford such things.  But, more recently, we have been able to acquire quite a few from house clearance auctions.  I am particular about where to display these, such that after last redecorating our dining room, the walls … Read More

I wonder what comes to mind by way of an answer to this question.  Maybe your first thought is to try to figure out where I am coming from in posing it, or perhaps you have a sense of purpose such that you are very conscious of a particular target that you are aiming for now – an aspiration or … Read More

The original Greek word for the gospel is represented in English as ‘evangel’, from which are derived the familiar terms evangelist, for a preacher of the gospel, and evangelical, as theology that is centred upon the need to receive personal salvation.  The word gospel is generally understood to mean ‘good news’; we refer to the good news of the gospel.  … Read More