Lamentations How do you feel about change?  You might respond by asking what form of this is being referred to – there are obviously many dimensions of change that we encounter in life, both personally, within ourselves, and externally.  Maybe you have heard older members of your family bemoaning things that are different to how they used to be, or … Read More

Heresy? In posing such a question, you may wonder if I have strayed into heresy – I can assure you that this isn’t the case!  I am not asking the question theologically.  Evangelical Christians recognise and assent to the statements of the various creeds, some even reciting them as part of a religious litany at Sunday services.  No, what I … Read More

Outworking Over breakfast this morning, Jean and I found ourselves discussing spiritual motivation and ministry.  God works through us both in very different ways, but this isn’t unusual, as we are all unique human beings.  We are called to conform in the area of character, but not personality, and certainly not in terms of the outworking of our spiritual motivation.  … Read More

Ownership I wonder what would go through your mind if the preacher on Sunday used the expression “My gospel”.  Have you ever noticed that this is exactly what the apostle Paul has done in his letters?  This doesn’t seem to be an accidental turn of phrase because we find that he has used this same expression in three places: Romans … Read More

Deceipt We live in a world where deceit is rife.  Perhaps this is most apparent in the political sphere, where many seem to have the view that if something is stated often enough, then this will make it ‘true’, that is to say, it will become generally accepted as valid, even though it has little, if any, basis in fact.  … Read More

Perspectives When I began writing for this blog, I had no thought that I would be commenting on current affairs, but it seems to me that the present situation requires this.  The news has been heavily focused on the killing of an American political activist whom I, for one, have not previously even heard of.  Christians have been commenting on … Read More

Encouraging My wife, Jean, very clearly has the spiritual gift of encouragement – I don’t, but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be encouraging towards others.  Being encouraging is something that I have tried to foster over the years, although I am somewhat hampered in this in that I am scrupulously honest, which means that I am unwilling to say … Read More

Contemplation Glancing out of my study window early this morning, I saw the sun shining through an impressive cloud formation.  This sight was both beautiful and awe-inspiring; it is good to lift our focus from the day-to-day concerns of our busy lives to contemplate something of the vastness of what is ‘out there’.  I queried within myself how the vision … Read More

Frustration Most people would consider me to be a keen gardener.  I populate tubs and hanging baskets with flowering plants, grow several different types of vegetables, and aim to keep the shrubs and lawn in good order.  Despite all this effort, I am often frustrated at the results.  This year has been especially bad due to the weather conditions; cool … Read More

I always look to buy things of the best quality I can at the lowest price I can; I love a bargain.  While she was growing up, my daughter Elizabeth was often my shopping companion, especially at Sale time, and through this learned how to obtain the best value from limited funds.  Ever since she moved away to university and … Read More