I ordered some groceries online, including some unbelievably-low-cost-special-offer organic carrots, pre-cut into batons. But the unbelievably-low-cost-special-offer organic carrots were so unbelievably-low-cost-special-offer they sold out before my order was packed!
No problem - the supermarket provided a substitute at the same unbelievably-low-cost-special-offer price. I checked the list - it looked fine - so I said Yes to the driver.
Unpacking the bags was a bit puzzling - no sign of unbelievably-low-cost-special-offer replacement carrots. No orange vegetables to be seen. But there were some packets of snacks I didn't remember ordering. So I looked closer and found they were organic corn puffs aimed at babies above 7 months - carrot-flavoured. I ordered vegetables - they substituted baby food!
I'm so glad that supermarket wasn't in charge of the most important substitution ever made…
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53 v 5-6 - emphasis mine)
Moving on from a church is usually, to some degree or another, painful. And identifying a new church is often difficult too—trying to somehow balance all the factors while avoiding the opposite temptations of being, on the one hand, a consumer, and on the other, a martyr with a Messiah complex, doggedly set on a solo mission to bring revival to an ageing congregation of seven.
Having finally settled on a church, what about the next matter of settling in? After all that thinking, praying and heart-searching, you’d be forgiven for feeling exhausted at the prospect of round after round of small-talk.
I’ve fairly recently moved from Burnley to Surrey and have been both encouraged and challenged by the experience of becoming part of a new church.... continue reading
What do you prefer? The gospel, or controversy? No, really?
I mean, would you have read this blog if the title was just “Amazing Gospel: Do you know about it?” (And are you about to give up because you’ve realized there is no great controversy you’re about to find out about?)
Titus 3 is about the gospel—the gospel of God’s appearing in grace through Christ in the past, and of God’s appearing in glory through Christ in the future. And Paul tells us to “stress these things” and devote ourselves “to doing what is good … excellent and profitable for everyone”.... continue reading
I'm tired. It's been a tough day at work. The to-do list is calling. And the meal isn't going to cook itself. All I want is a quiet night. Every bone in my body is screaming for a few moments of peace. And just then, the phone explodes into action. I'm not talking about a pleasant "dinner invitation" phonecall - I'm talking "one of those" phonecalls. One of those circular calls of desperation.
It's not that I don't love my friends with severe mental health struggles - I am privileged to have them in my life - but the phonecalls, oh the phonecalls can be so hard. The suicidal intentions that are no longer an isolated act of desperation but a daily topic of conversations; the irrational arguments that involve dragging the reputation of others through the mud or the wild tangents that are almost impossible to follow - these are the fodder of the recurring conversations that can easily last an hour or more unless boundaries are put down (and a "you don't really care about me" rant risked).... continue reading
Is your value higher than you think? Or lower? And can it be both?
Here's part of a self-help email that popped into my Inbox this week:
"Unless we value ourselves enough to say no to certain people and situations, while even explaining why that is, we devalue ourselves. No one will place a greater value on you than you place on yourself."
After tussling with that for a while, I've drawn three conclusions:
... continue reading
As churches throughout the country prepare to get into high gear for their Easter outreach, a report by the Bible Society offers some sobering perspectives on how we need to share the good news today. The study revealed a generation of children with little knowledge of the most important stories forming the basis of Christianity, and parents who often knew little more. The poll of 800 children between the ages of 8 and 15, and 1100 adults found that:
Among my friends, it tends to be a toss-up: chocolate, alcohol or social media. They’re the three things that do the most noticeable damage to their waistlines or their ability to progress through their to-do lists and Lent is an ideal time to give them a break. Sometimes there are benefits: increased health, a few extra pounds in the wallet and a shift of emphasis from Candy Crush to quality time with elderly relatives, temporarily at least … Come the end of April they are usually back to multiple nibbles and the latest addictive game.... continue reading
“The most helpful thing anyone’s told me about evangelism is…”
How would you complete that sentence? I’ve been a Christian for almost fourteen years, and when it comes to evangelism I’ve felt in turns fired-up, complacent, defeated, useless, proud, guilty and privileged. I’ve read books, I’ve heard sermons, I’ve been to training days, I’ve drunk in new techniques. And in all that time, the most helpful, liberating and motivating thing anyone’s told me about evangelism is…... continue reading
The blogosphere (or at least the Christian bit of it) has lit up this week in response to Steve Chalke's latest pronouncement, this time on his view that the Bible contains mistakes and that sometimes when God is recorded as speaking, he in fact was being misheard.
This blog ends up with the serious matter of Steve Chalke and what the Bible actually is, but begins with the considerable hilarity around the office as several of us have taken an online test to see whether our actual beliefs match up to the policies of any particular political party.The results have been interesting.
Shock. Fear. Anger. Denial. Devastation. Panic. Emptiness.
Powerful words. Strong emotions. But that can be what happens when someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness. That moment when we learn a cancer or degenerative disease has passed the point of no return has to be one of the scariest moments any human can experience.
We know mortality will catch up with us one day. Unless Jesus returns within the next few decades, there is no getting away from the fact we will die. But most of us want to assume that day is a long time in the future. When the doctor gives us – or someone we love – the news that there are only months left, we can feel as if everything has been ripped apart. Our plans, our dreams, our relationships, our very beings torn in two.... continue reading
