blog

  • Just a thought... 28 Dec

    Let’s not forget: the Baby born in Bethlehem is God the son! This is the one whom John sees in Revelation ch 1: 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. We heard on...

  • Just a thought... 21 Dec

    There is much about the Christmas story as told by our culture that isn’t true: whether or not Mary rode a donkey, quite how many Maji there were (it only says 3 gifts in Matthew ch 2), etc… Yet the account the Bible describes IS true: Luke himself declares in ch 1 of his Gospel account that he has “carefully investigated everything from the beginning…” (Luke 1:3) including speaking to eye witnesses. The point is that when the Angels declared to the Shepherds this “good news that will cause great joy for all the people...

  • Just a thought... 14 Dec

    Well, here we go again? More challenges, more stress, less liberty, the military on standby, etc… The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes says “there’s nothing new under the Sun” and actually before the first Christmas they had a similar experience: though they didn’t know exactly when, many were longing for the Saviour to come just as was promised and suddenly He came! We are waiting for Him to come back a second time, just as He promised, and when He does it we’ll enjoy the amazing new creation! As we saw on Sunday morning from Rev...

  • Just a thought... 7 Dec

    As we approach the close of the year, the chaos has still not declined: from climate, to economy, politics, immigration and of course the ongoing pandemic. The world and sadly so often our own lives seem to jump from one issue to another in an endless stream of ‘problems’. Like the people in Isaiah’s day, our tendency is to find our own answers in the work we can do, standing by whatever is the latest ‘idol’ in thinking, politics or technology to ‘save’ us… but in the end they never can: as we heard on Sunday...

  • Just a thought... 30 Nov

    It’s all too easy to glance at both people and situations and quickly draw vague conclusions. Most of the time outcomes seem to be obvious and even if our assumptions and conclusions are wrong, it doesn’t make a lot of difference. When it comes to God’s Word however, the details are important. All scripture is ‘God breathed’ and He doesn’t waste His breath, the information is always there for a purpose! Last Sunday morning we moved from the ‘big-picture’ of Ezra Ch 7 and we ‘zoomed-in’ in Ch 8 to see...

  • Just a thought... 23 Nov

    It’s happens to all of us from time to time, so what do we most need when we find our hearts being hardened and distracted by the pressures and challenges of the broken world around us? We saw on Sunday morning from Ezra Chapter 7 that as God’s people were being pushed away from Him, the LORD sent them Ezra to teach them the ‘Law of the LORD’. Remember that ‘Law’ in the Old Testament isn’t just ‘do’s’ & ‘don’ts’ but the Wisdom of God revealed for human beings to respond...

  • Just a thought... 16 Nov

    These glum days of November always seem to drag, don’t they? Grey skies coupled with dismal news from the NHS, Covid 19 and Cop26 all conspire to dampen the mood! Add the fearful news about new legislation and a general sense of displacement that everyone has at this time of year and it’s no wonder that some feel like the grass would be greener somewhere (anywhere!) else! Yet as we saw from Ezra 5 & 6 on Sunday morning the Word of God is living and active to change our hearts and our circumstances! Haggai & Zechariah continued...

  • Just a thought... 9 Nov

    We don’t like being ‘told’ to do things – especially when the thing we’re told to do is inconvenient, uncomfortable or costly! The ‘rebel’ that’s at the core of our sinful human nature dislikes any demands put on our independence. Cries of “why should I’ go hand-in-hand with “who do they think they are to tell me?”! Yet when the Lord Jesus commands His first disciples at the end of Matthew chapter 28, there is no ambiguity of either why they should obey, nor of who He is: 18 Then...

  • Just a thought... 2 Nov

    We all tend to see ourselves as just ‘innocent’ Christians. What could possibly be the problem with loving and seeking to serve the Lord! Surely everyone can see that’s a good thing to do even if they don’t believe in Him?! Yet we should never forget that the MOST political statement that can EVER be made is: ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’! The exclusivity of His being Lord necessarily means that ultimately other things, or other people, are not. The reality is that as we seek to serve Him, those who won’t may well oppose us...

  • Just a thought... 26 Oct

    "David said to [Goliath], “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands ... and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands."" (1 Samuel 17:45...