It's a busy time of year. It's an incredibly busy time of year for us here at The Good Book Company. And we would really appreciate your prayers over the next week or so.
We're going to be running 8 big bookstalls at 8 events across England and Wales in towns from Cwmbran to Southampton and London to Manchester. And there are going to be some brilliant deals along the way ...
We're going to be launching fantastic new books like A Man's Greatest Challenge, Purity is Possible as well as Engaging with Hindus and Engaging with Atheists.... continue reading
It was an unpleasantly hot autumn afternoon on the London underground. Having read all the adverts and glanced one too many times at my neighbour's newspaper, my eyes settled on the man opposite. His t-shirt was blue, slightly grubby and bore these words: "You are what you watch"
I imagine it was a commentary on film or TV watching. If so, that would make me James Bond or a character from NCIS - for better or for worse. But the concept intrigued me - a deeper truth lurked in those crumpled words.
Where we put our eyes impacts our Christian walk:
I guess, in part, that's why the writer of Hebrews encourages us to live our Christian lives with our eyes very carefully positioned:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
It's an inescapable fact: you are what you watch.
It's a subject that's taboo. A reality that many find shocking. A fact that some would prefer to deny. But the truth is out there: women use porn too.
Accurate statistics are difficult to source but a quick trawl of the web seems to suggest that about a quarter of those who visit internet pornography sites are female. Some pages suggest that up to 60% of women have used porn at some point in their lives. And while we might prefer to think otherwise, it's fairly safe to assume that some of those surfing such sites will be Christians who are confused, ashamed, addicted or desperate. Indeed over the last decade I've had quite a few Christian sisters confide in me - each convinced that they are the only one. Far from being a solely male pastoral issue, porn is something that affects women too and those involved in women's ministry need to be addressing the subject proactively.... continue reading
Are you looking forward to getting older?
Not the aches and the pains or the more serious bodily deterioration. Nor the reduction in energy. Those things are no fun at all. But the wonderful benefits of age - are you looking forward to them?
We live in a culture obsessed by youth - looking young, living young, feeling young - but the Bible has a different perspective.... continue reading
I’ve just come back to the office after having spent two months in South Asia with Serving in Mission. Here I tell the story of one of the believers I met there—I’ll call her T. As I sat in her living room eating the traditional sweet dessert she’d served me (like many things there, it was made from rice), I asked her how she had become a believer. This is what she said:
“It all started with my husband.”
As a young woman, T had an arranged marriage. This would have been very normal, except for the fact that—unlike herself, her family, and almost everyone else in the region—her new husband was not the Muslim T had assumed he would be. It was only after she married him that she discovered, to her alarm, that he was in fact a Christian.
Her family advised her to get divorced at once, but T knew she would have no hope of getting married again. In any case, her husband seemed like a good, caring man. “I was on this path”, she told me, “so I thought I might as well see where it led.”... continue reading
Where would we be without our weekly notice sheets? They’re an invaluable hub of communication. But all too often they don’t get read or they don’t get read with joy.
The problem is, church notice sheets tend to be quite good at setting out what is happening or needed. But they are often very bad at focusing us all on why such things are happening and why our involvement is so vital. Week after week, they invite us to ‘do things’ rather than encourage us to reflect, pray and function as the body of Christ is called to do (1Cor 12:12-31). They encourage us to become burdened instead of inspiring us to serve.
It’s time to put Jesus back at the centre of our notice sheets!
Next time you are advertising a service or event, try to avoid merely saying where and when it’s happening. Remind people why it’s happening. And how it fits with the overall mission and vision of the church. Is it an exciting opportunity to get to know Jesus better? Or an event that is great for introducing non-believers to Christianity? Let people know how it will enhance their personal relationship with God or equip them to serve him more.
And the next time you are looking for a volunteer, be clear that you’re not just looking for someone to do a task, but that the role is a chance to serve our heavenly Father, using Spiritual gifts in ways that glorify Jesus. It’s an opportunity to be part of the mission of God and the mission of the church. And prayerfully getting involved will help both personal growth and progress the gospel.
With Jesus right at the centre, we might just find that people start reading the notice sheet that little bit more enthusiastically!
This blog post was originally posted on The Good Book Blog on September 28th 2011.
Atrocities in the world flash across our screens daily. Newspapers detail the horrors of terrorism, torture, murder and injustice. People around us crumble under the weight of relationship strife, bereavement, illness and more. Our own lives too, at times, plunge to the depths.
And sometimes, just sometimes, the question crosses our mind: has God really got everything under control?
Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, couldn't have been more convinced about the answer.... continue reading
For years the word stuck in my throat. The six letters that Jesus used so often, seemed unimaginable to me. Father. A term worse than a swear-word - a title that made my skin crawl.
For years my father hurt me. For years his words blighted my life. "I wish you'd never been born" - "You disgust me" - "I hate you" - "Why can't you do anything right?" - "Just get out of my sight". It's not what a father is supposed to say but it's what he did say. What he said most days. It's what he meant from the depths of his heart.
Soon I learned to shudder whenever I heard the word, "father". I couldn't say it. I couldn't think about it. I couldn't love it - couldn't love him.... continue reading
A Christian need never feel harassed, nor experience helplessness. Never.
Why?
Because a Christian is never without a shepherd.
Life is full of harassed-inspiring challenges and busy-ness, and helplessness-inducing events and unknowns. It’s what Jesus noticed about people as he travelled round, preaching and healing; it’s what aroused his compassion for them:
“He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9 v 36)
If you don’t have a “shepherd”—someone to rely on who is in control, who knows what they are doing, and cares about you as their own possession—then you’re going to know the feeling of being harassed and helpless, because you’re thrown back on your own abilities, and life is so often too big or confusing for our minds and strength to handle. If you don’t have a shepherd, you will be harassed and helpless.... continue reading
If you go to a church where the teaching is sound then you will know some great truths about God. You will be able to articulate something of his love, his mercy, his grace, his sovereignty and his immense kindness and provision towards humans in general and you in particular. And amen to that! What a privilege to know such amazing facts.
However, if you are like many other Christians, these facts don't always make it from your head to your heart. They certainly don't always make that 7 inch drop in my life...
Yes, the doctrine of God's sovereignty is exciting but when a job is lost, a relative dies, accidents happen, then a deep sense of life feeling out of control creeps in. And, if we're honest, it doesn't always need to be something that major to engender those feelings ... a bad day at work can do it. Or kids that just wont obey the curfew or do their homework.... continue reading
