I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:5–6 In some of the more traditional churches, advent is celebrated using a wreath of 5 candles: one each...
It was a small group of people, just four volunteers, all from different churches, drawn together by a desire to help elderly people in Vietnam. This was ten years ago when I was in Vietnam with my previous organisation, a Christian non-profit that brought international expertise, volunteers and...
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders; and He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father...
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV) When you start thinking about what you should do to grow in your...
If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. Luke 9:23–24 Fear is a catalyst that drives people to make certain decisions. At...
I have always loved this time of year. In the last month, my family has enjoyed carving pumpkins, watching Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, digging out school sweaters and jackets from storage, and dressing up in princess and superhero costumes. On Halloween night we even went out and...
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 Most of us are creatures of habit and we are resistant to change. It is easy to tread the well-worn path and do what we’ve always done...
As a church, we want to reach out to the world with the good news of Jesus but many of us don’t know where to begin. Prof. Alister McGrath has had a great deal of experience in presenting and defending the faith publicly and has also written extensively on this topic. It’s our...
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! Galatians 2:21 I remember a story I once heard about a man who placed biographical books on a bookshelf. The ‘better’ the people, the higher up on the shelf they...
Recently, I have been fascinated by something that I read, something that points to a common fallacy that we easily fall into but also something that few of us are willing to admit. Author Stephen Covey describes this type of thinking this way, “We judge ourselves by our intentions and...