What if God did know better? September 09, 2023 We’ve been living in this world a long time. We like to think we know how to get on with life. One of the things I find fascinating is that we are
Death Death is not for fun June 10, 2023 Recently I came across Scottish funeral directors who provide customised coffins. Not your standard oak or pine, or even eco-friendly wicker or sea-grass coffins—although they do all of those too—instead these
A Sexular Society April 08, 2023 (Sexular—coined by Australian pastor, writer and blogger Stephen McAlpine in ‘A Sexular Age’. This article was sparked by his use of the word.) We used to live in a religious world, where
Christian living On twirling spears February 11, 2023 We read that Saul nearly pinned David, or Jonathan, to a wall with a spear on at least four occasions. He was, to say the least, a man with anger management issues. And
Psalms The Saviour’s Jerusalem Playlist January 14, 2023 (A slightly condensed version of this article first appeared in the November/December issue of the Reformed Presbyterian Witness—reprinted with presmission.) Many of us have our favourite pieces of music pulled together
Musings Searching for Immortality August 13, 2022 Man is mortal. One day we will die. Some say it is natural, it comes to us all. Yet something in us rebels against the fact; something buried deep senses that we were
The Lowest Rungs July 09, 2022 I was preaching on Jesus cursing the fig-tree recently, and the challenge to bear fruit. In conjunction with Jesus’ parable about a fruitless fig-tree there really is quite a challenge. No one wants
Worldview What tree does the fruit grow on? June 11, 2022 Western Europe (and North America) is moving further and further from its moorings in a Christian view of life. Some are glad to see the back of what they might term ‘superstitious nonsense’
worship Activating our Spiritual Muscles for Worship May 14, 2022 I’ve been reading Stephen Charnock’s masterpiece, “The Existence and Attributes of God”. It is simply magnificent. Ancient Puritan prose, but glorious. Utterly thorough and profound, yet delightfully heart-warming and deeply pastoral
prayer An Ordination Prayer April 16, 2022 Almighty God, creator of Heaven and Earth You who spoke this universe into being by your powerful word, You who have given us a message of life for this broken world a world
An easy funeral sermon March 19, 2022 Tom Martin was a man who made it easy to preach at his funeral. Sometimes a minister wrestles trying to find the appropriate verse—not so for this funeral. There was only one
Books Two ‘must-read’ books February 05, 2022 I love books which help me understand what makes us tick as human beings—how we think, why we think the way we do, why and how our bodies and brains function (or
Psalms The Galilean Voice January 01, 2022 A new year often brings a plethora of articles about a fresh commitment to scripture. Maybe as you start a new year you are looking for something fresh—a fresh Bible reading plan,
The Lost Art of Humility December 18, 2021 I was watching a clip the other day about a 911 emergency call operator who twigged that something was up with a 911 call they received. Albeit it took them considerable time to
GUEST POST: THAT STUFF ABOUT ORIGINAL SIN SPEAKS TO WHERE WE’RE AT AS A SOCIETY November 06, 2021 (I don't read many blogs, but one of the blogs I enjoy dipping into is Building Jerusalem [https://buildingjerusalem.blog/] by Stephen Kneale. I find his commentary on where we are at as
Marriage For better, for worse… September 18, 2021 Last week I came across a remarkable story. Jean-Pierre Adams was a French footballer in the 1970s and 80s, and he passed away on the 6th September, aged 73. He was capped 22
Hope in a World of Brokenness September 04, 2021 “Do you have any sense of hope?”—Kabul had just fallen, and the news was full of imagery from the captured city. Airport besieged by people looking to get out; terror etched on
Don’t be ‘authentic’ August 07, 2021 One of the great buzz words of our times is ‘authenticity’—we are to be ‘authentic’. We are meant to express ourselves authentically— from “I’m just saying what I feel” to “I
Christian living The Problem of Distraction July 03, 2021 We live in what some psychologists have called a state of “Continuous Partial Attention”. We are at our desks writing a report or essay, and consciously and subconsciously we’re monitoring for WhatsApp
Christ in the Psalms The Cost June 19, 2021 We see the athlete atop the podium clutching their gold medal, a broad smile covering their face, eyes sparkling. Unless we personally know them (or others like them), we don’t see the
Christian living No U-turns allowed June 05, 2021 We live in a plastic world—I’m not referring to the avalanche of plastic which fills our bins, or litters our beaches. I’m thinking of the idea that we can be
preaching Fossilised Preaching? May 15, 2021 Most preachers are familiar with the diagnostic question: Could your sermon have been preached in a mosque or a synagogue? It’s a helpful question that pinpoints whether or not we have been
Of Pharaohs and Easter April 10, 2021 Last Saturday night, with great fanfare and razzamatazz, under tight security and the gaze of a television audience, twenty-two of Egypt’s Pharaohs were moved to their new home in the National Museum
Losing Forgiveness March 27, 2021 Maybe it has always been thus—the crowd baying in the arena for more gore, more death. The angry revolutionary mob laying hands on whomever and administering ‘justice’ with the zeal of victors
Grace The Tyranny of Merit March 06, 2021 What happens when you build a society on the idea that if you work hard enough you will be successful? I mean it sounds a good idea, doesn’t it? It seems to
