Seeing the glory of God in the nose of a puppy November 16, 2018 After thinking about it seriously for at least a couple of years, our family finally decided to get a dog. And so last Saturday a 12 week old Cocker Spaniel/Collie cross was
The Icing on the Cake! October 19, 2018 At 10am last Wednesday morning, the UK Supreme Court handed down its decision on the appeal by Ashers bakery. Four years ago gay rights campaigner Gareth Lee ordered a cake from the Belfast
How Contented Are You? September 21, 2018 On 28 September, this Friday, P&R are bringing out a new series of Bible reading aids called '31-Day Devotionals for Life’, edited by Deepak Reju. Reju introduces these devotionals by comparing
My Times are in Your Hand August 17, 2018 On Wednesday of last week our family returned from our vacation feeling refreshed and looking forward to being back in our own home once again, meeting friends and family and settling back into
Three Marks of a Faithful Minister of Christ June 15, 2018 It’s so easy to skim over the ‘minor characters’ in Scripture, isn’t it? Men and women whose names are mentioned only once or twice – about whom very little is said. Epaphras
A desperately ill baby and the secret plan of God May 18, 2018 We have a baby in our congregation who was born very prematurely – at just 27 weeks – and in the few weeks since his birth he has had many serious problems. A rampant bowel
Christian living God is holding on to you March 16, 2018 Over and over again God reassures his people that he is holding on to us by his right hand. In Isaiah 41.10, for example: ‘…fear not, for I am with you; be
Trusting God in the Face of Tragedy February 16, 2018 Last Wednesday morning one of the wisest and most gracious Pastors in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland collapsed and died suddenly and unexpectedly. Rev Knox Hyndman had retired after a long and
God has a plan for you January 19, 2018 The beginning of a new year brings all kinds of emotions with it. Maybe it’s just the excitement of a new start, or the anticipation of some new venture in the year
Peace on Earth December 15, 2017 ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’ (Isaiah 26.3) Do you long for peace? Do you feel stressed and anxious, burdened by
What's wrong with the Occult? November 17, 2017 I'm giving a talk this evening to some of the young people of our Presbytery about the Occult, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone today... Eastern Presbytery CY members
Love your (Transgender) Neighbour as Yourself September 15, 2017 The decision this week by English parents Nigel and Sally Rowe to remove their 6-year old son from primary school and homeschool him instead has started a media storm. Why the fuss? Because
Discovering God's Love Together August 18, 2017 In Ephesians 3.18 Paul prays that God would give his readers the strength they need to comprehend something of the limitless dimensions of the love of Christ, but he tucks a little
Do you Refresh the Hearts of the Saints? July 21, 2017 “You have often refreshed the hearts of the saints.” So Paul wrote to his good friend Philemon, as he thanked God for his love for all the saints. The church at Colosse met
Guilty! June 16, 2017 Two weeks ago a close member of my family was sentenced to a three and a half year prison sentence for drugs related offences. Although it wasn’t a complete surprise, nevertheless the
assemblies Fidget Spinners, the Gospel and School Assembly May 19, 2017 I’ve just come home from taking the assembly at our local primary school and it struck me that the American readers of our blog in particular might be interested – if not downright
A Caution to Heresy Hunters April 21, 2017 Recently I came across the following surprising quotation from Charles Hodge, professor of Princeton Seminary from 1820-78: ‘It is not enough that a doctrine be erroneous, or that it be dangerous in its
The Screensaver of your Mind March 17, 2017 What's your computer's screensaver? You know – the picture that comes up after a few minutes of inactivity. In the olden times there were only a handful of stock pictures to choose from, but
Martin Luther on Prayer February 17, 2017 No doubt we will hear a fair bit about Martin Luther in the coming months, but I don’t think he’s featured too much on Gentle Reformation so far, so perhaps I
The Greatest Inauguration Day Ever January 20, 2017 It’s unlikely that anyone reading this post today needs to be reminded that it is Inauguration Day in the United States of America, when the 45th President will be sworn in and
Man Up! December 16, 2016 What does a real man look like in today’s (western) culture? A macho tough guy who never cries; he doesn’t let anyone tell him what to do – not his wife or
What Does Good Preaching Look Like? December 09, 2016 I heard a while back of a course on preaching at Greenville Seminary in South Carolina where the students spend a semester working through some sermons of men generally regarded as the best
I believe in the (cryogenic) resurrection of the dead November 18, 2016 I just heard on the news this morning that in a landmark ruling a judge in England granted the dying wish of a 14 year old girl with cancer to have her body
‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ October 21, 2016 I’m sitting in Terminal C in Newark airport waiting for the (increasingly delayed) departure of my flight to Belfast. I have earplugs in my ears and an iPad on my lap as
Why kiss your bride through a veil?! September 16, 2016 I’m in the middle of teaching an intensive introduction to New Testament Greek for the ministry students at our seminary this month. It’s a pretty heavy month (though moreso for the
