English Language Christian MissionIn the armed forces across the world we are used to delivering and receiving commands. They can be delivered by word of mouth, but also in writing. A command, however, no matter how it is delivered, is still a command and if lawful, those under authority must obey without question. When the command to “jump” […]
Some years ago I attended a day long course run by our local Stadtwerke which not only supplies our gas, water and electricity, but also offers home and garden improvement courses. The course I took part in was to learn about the maintenance and pruning of fruit trees. We learned about the shapes of […]
Mark 11:1-11, Zech 9:9-13 Have you ever had something of value stolen from you? For the first six years of my ministry in the Church of England, the Lord called me to serve in a part of England renowned for vehicle crime during which my car was broken into 7 times and actually stolen once. […]
1 Sam 1: 20-28 This time last week I was in Romania at the end of a fantastic week of teaching the bible to young officer cadets and officers and also teaching them how to ski. One morning while I was sharing a chairlift with the girlfriend of one of the officer cadets, we were […]
I remember very clearlysitting on my father’s lap inmy kid’s bedroom in HongKong at the age of five beingtold about Jesus for the first time in my life. My dad usedto refer to Jesus as “Hisfriend the Carpenter.” I amsure that my dad believedthat Jesus was more than justa carpenter, but his simplefaith centred on […]
I wonder who landed the firsthuman kiss and why?Kissing is a universal sign ofaffection between humans.In British society kissing is anactivity largely reserved forshowing intimacy amongstfamily and friends, butelsewhere in the world social kissing is a part of everydaylife even amongst those lesswell acquainted. I mustconfess rather prudishly that Ihave always been slightlyuncomfortable with socialkissing […]
When have you had yourmoment of glory? Was it inthe sporting arena when youwon an olympic gold for the 4x 100 m hurdles? Or themoment you received yourfirst class honours degreefrom Cambridge? Few of usare world champions oracclaimed academics, but wewill all have had the momentsat sometime in our life overwhich we can be justifiableproud, […]
In our world today with itsreadily accessible portable digital technology a new nounhas arisen in our vocabularycalled “Doomscrolling” whichthe Collins online dictionarydefines simply as being “theactivity of searching webpages for worrying content.” Most of us will have portablemobile device, Smartphonesor iPhones with a plethora ofnews apps from which thelatest depressing news ispiped direct to our […]
I wonder have you everborrowed something andeither lost it or broken it? Itdoes happen, but what I amsure that you don’t do is topretend it hasn’t happened by hiding the evidence andhoping that the owner hasforgotten about it, or worsestill beat up the owner or killhim when he comes toretrieve his property? Jesus’s parable of […]
No one likes a cheat apart from the cheater who prides themselves on their cunning ability to circumvent the rules to their own advantage. I have been watching a TV fishing competition recently called Kingfisher. The show comprises three different professional anglers from vastly different parts of the world who in turn host the other […]