Upward, & Onward
The Tudor period in England was of course dominated by the colourful figure of King Henry the Eighth. This was when the concept and practice of the “the divine right of kings” was at its height, where the king determined the workings of government, society, and the courses of individual lives, absolutely. There’s no doubt […]
Under The Knife
We will all have those unpleasant experiences at one time or another in our lives when we have to go “under the knife”. Thankfully in most instances when we have appointments with a surgeon, we get to be asleep at the time. That helps… a bit! Jesus said that God our Father is the Vinedresser, […]
All Things Bright & Beautiful… Forever!
Louis Armstrong sang, “It’s a beautiful world”. It’s true, it is. Even in face of all the horror, injustice, pollution, disaster, evil and death! There is an irrepressible beauty that can still be seen following, and even in the midst of, all of these things. God originally declared of His whole creation, “It is very good” […]
Love & War
The Miracle on the River Kwai, written by Ernest Gordon, is one of the most remarkable stories of the Second World War. The conditions for Allied prisoners in the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp on the River Kwai were so abysmal, and the mortality so high, that the men became almost bestial in their selfishness. They did […]
Who’s To Blame?
The Times of London once invited readers to write into the newspaper on the theme, “What’s Wrong with the World?”. A brave invitation to a general population of human beings! Amongst the many contributors was one from Christian novelist, G.K. Chesterton. In answer to the question his letter read, “Dear Sir, I am!”. Basically, we are responsible […]
You Can Get Out of The Grave
How would life be different if we knew that we could get out of the grave? Think of that…. that following our present life and death, that we could be raised to life again, with our recognisable body, yet transformed with strength and made glorious beyond our dreams, never to sicken or die, but to […]
A Matter of Death, and Life
We can’t have life without death. Obvious, I know! From one point of view, we would consider this a great curse (which it is – Gen 3:19), but, from another point of view, it is a great mercy; the fact that we die confronts us with our sin (Ro 6:23), which is because we have […]
Salvation = Humility
The Bible says, “blessed are the meek (or humble), for they shall in-herit the earth” (Mt 5:1-5). And, as Monty Python said, “Oh, that’s nice isn’t it? I’m glad they’re getting something, ‘cause [the meek] have had a hell of a time.”!! But no, blessing has never been the payment for being humble, like compensation […]
Hating Grace
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result works, so that no one may boast. [Eph 2:8,9] In this famous verse, St Paul succinctly states the Christian Gospel: we are saved from sin and death, and saved into […]
Losing Your Salvation
Is it possible to lose your salvation?… Some say yes, some say no. If yes, it’s a scary prospect! As well as having eternal ramifications, it’s also an intensely practical matter. Being assured that our lives are ultimately loved, judged as “ok”, approved and accepted by God, and eternally secure in that truth, affects our […]