The case of the prophet who didn’t prophesy
There is no blueprint for prophets in the bible. There’s Jonah who runs from God, Moses who doesn’t want to speak and Amos who flatly denies being a prophet. There’s Jeremiah who is told to prophecy but also told that no-one will listen, Ezekiel who speaks to dry bones and David who sings his prophecies. Then there is Abraham, the prophet who didn’t prophesy.
Did you miss God in the battle?
A friend’s recent labour story provoked me to think back on my own and, in doing so, I realised something. I had missed something crucial in the battle.
The good God problem
Something funny happens when I talk to people about our current life. When I talk about how hard it can be, how angry I’ve been at God, how I know he is refining me, but how much it hurts every single day.
Coronavirus: a prophetic perspective
Namely: a reinstating of worship, healing and health to families and a transformation of homes to become places of miracles, of supernatural kindness, love and grace.
Faith in the face of a fight – Lucy Grimble on her song ‘Goliath’ and the God story behind it.
Lucy Grimble, London-based worship leader, talks to us about worship. Read on for a glimpse of how she partners with God to bring songs from heaven…
A fearless pregnancy
I met our children long before I got pregnant. It’s not the norm for many, I admit, but I’ve been practicing listening prayer for a long time now and sometimes that means meeting Jesus at a river or walking through a field with him, other times that means him asking me if I’d like to meet my children while we sit on a bench.
A straightforward guide to training your mind
Our minds are a battlefield. What goes on in them changes the course of our lives. Temptations, deceptions and wrong attitudes try to invade our thinking. If we consistently reject them, they will retreat. If we welcome them in, or just offer no resistance, they will dig in, hurting us again and again.
“I’m a single Christian woman in my thirties, here’s how I do it with joy”
I’ve been the third wheel more times than I care to count, I’ve countless times been asked why I’m still not married, I’ve endured the pitying, head-tilting looks…I’ve been there.
Four ways to shift your perspective and strengthen yourself in the Lord
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” I know that’s a brazen theft of a classic opening line, but for me it describes the situation we are in.
Did you celebrate Halloween over the weekend? Here’s why we didn’t
Jesus warned us that as the end of the age approaches, as the gospel is preached to all nations, the church will be targeted for persecution and deception. Our enemy knows his time is short and is doing everything he can to kill, maim and destroy not just Christians, but every part of God’s creation. Life, joy and peace he hates, and will attack until he meets his end.
Kingdom hunger: a study on fasting
It’s obvious why fasting isn’t popular. Deliberately not satisfying our hunger for hours or days at a time does not come easily. At the same time we know that Jesus, our example in all things, fasted and expected that we would too. The result can be that we see fasting as just an “ought to”. But fasting is much more than not eating. And while it will always demand self-discipline, if we see it against a wider biblical backdrop we will fast with a greater understanding and sense of purpose.
The battle is the Lord’s, but you’ll still have to fight it
This need to fight through to victory is not an alternative to trusting God, but the evidence of it.
Who even am I? And other urgent questions asked by a new mum during a pandemic
Over the last six months nearly every part of my identity has been challenged, destroyed or removed.
Being discipled through family
I remember feeling very alone in the dark and when I started to recognise the light of God, like a lighthouse beam searching for me, I thought how long a way back to Him I had to go. Without realising I had travelled deep into the darkness, His light, though warm, felt like a long way away from where I had spent most of my life.
The one question you need to answer before becoming a church leader
So, you want to lead. Do you like having people round? The early churches needed people who would keep a caring and compassionate eye on them. Paul responds to this need and in 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:8, he gives practical guidance about who to appoint. In both cases, being hospitable is a prerequisite.
A call to creativity
So, in my deconstructed state, I come to looking ahead, to what God might be building in the aftermath. I by no means have the answers. But, I do believe God is calling His people to creativity. In this next season, where so much rebuilding is required; creativity, innovation and craftsmanship will be indispensable.
Do you remember your history?
A recurring theme in the Old Testament scriptures is God’s people being asked to remember their history. The prophets repeatedly reminded them of where they had come from and how God had rescued them from slavery.
In Praise of Workers
If you have a bible handy, turn to Romans 16:1-15. I’m almost certain you’ve never heard it preached on. You may even have skipped over it in order to get to 1 Corinthians. But hold on, it’s a part of scripture so it’s there for a reason. Paul, dictating the letter to Tertius, is signing off. Before he does, he takes time to individually mention and affirm some of the people he knows in Rome. What catches my attention is what it is about these people that he affirms most often.
What happens when the wine runs out?
Jesus chose a wedding feast to demonstrate his miraculous power for the first time. This was no co-incidence. Such a feast points to the perfect culmination of this age when all creation will be gathered to celebrate the wedding of Jesus to his bride, the church. But on this imperfect occasion, the wine runs out until Jesus, at Mary’s request, steps in and turns water into wine.
Freedom for excellence
Think for a moment of the glorious liberty won for us by Jesus. Free from guilt, free from fear, free from slavery to sin. Like the Passover lamb his shed blood saves us from death. And like Moses he leads us out of captivity towards our promised inheritance. We have been released from a debt we could never have paid. The more we let it sink in, the more we instinctively turn to praise. But if we are free, what do we do with this freedom?