In 1995, the writer Cheryl Strayed hiked a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, aged twenty-six, alone. Four years earlier, Strayed’s mother had died of cancer at forty-five, just seven weeks after her diagnosis. The young woman’s life fell apart in the wake of her sudden loss. Her marriage disintegrated, her Read more…
Jesus’s character does not change over time. So, we know what Jesus is like now because we know what he was like when he was living here on earth. As we read the Gospels, we discover not only what Jesus was like but also what he is like now. We Read more…
This week we are focussing on Jesus and what he has done for us. We can think of Jesus as being ahead of us. Jesus is leading the way for us to follow. Jesus asks everything of us, but he asks nothing of us that he himself has not first Read more…
The term kindness can be really helpful when thinking about God the Father. Let the word play on your imagination. God is kind. He shows us kindness. Substitute it for other words you might use. Instead of saying, “God answered my prayer” say “My Father has been kind to me Read more…
It’s easy to see how the good things of life might be opportunities to enjoy God. But what about the hardships? What about traffic jams? Screaming babies? Chronic illness? Sleepless nights? Unreasonable bosses? Personal conflict? Broken promises? Unfulfilled hopes? In Hebrews 12 v 7-8 we are told that we should Read more…
Through Christ’s death we have been forgiven, redeemed, and justified. But that’s not all. We have also been adopted into God’s family. Paul says in Ephesians 1 verse 5: “In love, God the Father predestined us (chose us) for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure Read more…
Do you want more of God? Often there are other things we would prefer to be doing rather than spending more time with God. Do you even like God? We are generally pretty good at making quick decisions about whether we like someone or not. But with God it can be harder. Read more…
This week we are thinking about how we can know More of God. There can be a certain pleasure in knowing about something. But that pleasure is usually nothing in comparison to experiencing that same thing. For instance, reading a sheet of music doesn’t evoke the same excitement as actually Read more…