There was a time not so many years ago when I was weary and jaded toward church, but even then, I could have given you a lengthy checklist of what a healthy church should look like.... continue reading
One morning during corporate worship, I leaned toward one of the little girls in our church, Summer, who was trying to read the lyrics and sing along, and asked her, “Do you like church?” She replied, “Not really, but I like the singing.” I appreciated her honesty! ... continue reading
2,000 years after the church began, in the increasingly post-Christian West, it’s tempting to wonder if secular voices are right when they claim that Christian churches are passé, on the wrong side of history, or even downright damaging.... continue reading
Perhaps your church is made up of a few dozen, a few hundred, or a few thousand people, meeting in a school hall or an ancient building or a bespoke auditorium or under a tree. It doesn’t matter how numerous the people or how impressive the building—your church is God’s household, dwelled in by his Spirit, built upon his Son.... continue reading
If you lead or are a member of a Bible study group, you'll be familiar with some common difficulties. How do you explain difficult words and concepts? How do you lead a group towards the same objective? What are the best questions to ask? And crucially, how do you arrive at suitable applications from the passage for yourselves in good time to really think through what God's word is calling you to? ... continue reading
While teaching Crosslands students a course on discipleship, I couldn’t find a resource that allowed the students to apply the principles they were learning on the ground - something that was a gospel-centred which they could use with new believers or weary Christians. So I had a go at writing a workbook that would fit the bill! The result was Life With Jesus. ... continue reading
Genuine happiness is to be found in following the pathway of obedience.
This is not the way the world sees it. In 21st-century Western culture, personal happiness and obedience to an authority are held to be mutually incompatible. But the Bible is clear: it is by obeying that we find ourselves “blessed.”... continue reading
The famous Puritan writer, Thomas Watson, reminds us of some of God’s promises that will encourage our hearts as we start the new year. ... continue reading
Can you believe it’s almost 2023? We certainly can’t. Whether you spent 2022 reading The Big Wide Welcome with your Sunday School class, studying a God’s Word For You with a friend, or walking through a Hope Explored course at your church, we want to say thank you for partnering with us to dig deeper into God’s Word this year.
But before we head into the new year, here’s a little celebration of this year’s bestsellers!... continue reading
One day, while passing the food processors in Bed Bath & Beyond, I came across a large piece of wall art that said, “Dream until your dreams come true.” I stopped mid-aisle and stared at those words. We encounter some version of this message everywhere we go: “Never give up on your dreams!” Indeed, one of the loudest messages in the Western world is for us to dream big and do all we can to pursue our dreams.... continue reading
