Questions and Answers about Pastoral Ministry August 16, 2019 A couple of months ago a young man considering pastoral ministry sent me (and several others) a list of excellent and searching questions about ministry. I thought the answers might provide useful insights
Perfect Peace in the Face of a Loved One’s Cancer? May 17, 2019 In February my father was diagnosed with primary liver cancer. The diagnosis was bad enough to begin with, but since then an inoperable tumour in the bile duct has also been discovered. The
…was Crucified, Died and was Buried… April 20, 2019 The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the foundation of the Christian faith. Christianity stands or falls on these two great historical realities. So it’s understandable, perhaps, that what happened in
The Goodness and Pleasantness of Community March 15, 2019 A few weeks ago I was reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers and was struck by the story with which he introduces the book. It’s about a little town in Pennsylvania called
Opportunities in the Local Public School February 15, 2019 Every other Thursday morning I have the privilege of teaching the Bible to a class of 11 year-olds at our local public primary school. I have half an hour to use however I
Better Late than Never – Thoughts on Deathbed Conversions January 18, 2019 In the last couple of weeks I have come across two men who professed faith just before their deaths, which has prompted me to think about the subject. Here are some thoughts, in
Millionaire Slumdog: a Riches-to-Rags Story December 21, 2018 Perhaps you’ve seen the hit film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, which tells the rags-to-riches story of Jamal Malik, a boy from the slums of Mumbai who wins the top prize on the game show
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
