Jumpers for goal posts Taking one for the team, but what if someone cheats? In playing any sport or game one of the first things to learn is that there are rules. We then accept that rules are there for guiding, informing and enabling us to familiarise with the standard of the game, building balance […]
God’s grace and our character Through this series of blog posts we’ve explored something of the seven deadly sins, what they can do to us, what they might look like in everyday life, where the world might reflect or even celebrate them, and some encouragements from the Bible as we deal with them. For there […]
From sloth to passion It has been said that if you aim for nothing you might just hit it. Set low expectations and be confident of meeting them. Hardly a message of ‘going for it’. I can’t imagine Nike selling quite as many trainers if their logo had the strapline ‘Just … whatever’. Apathy and […]
From anger to peace In August 2017, more than 60,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Frankfurt after an unexploded bomb was uncovered during construction work. The 1,400kg device– codenamed ‘Cookie’ by the RAF– was dropped by a British wartime bomber in WW2. That’s quite some cookie. The evacuation was one of the biggest such operations of […]
From gluttony to self-control Have you ever realised just how ‘pro-food’ the Bible is? Read through the Old Testament and God frequently turns up over a meal, or calls people to have a meal (Passover being the most famous but certainly not the only one). The land given to the people of Israel is famed […]
From envy to contentment “I wish … I had their car.” “I wish … I had their house.” “I wish … I had their fitness.” “I wish … I had their ministry, popularity, kids, teeth, status, pension, hair …!” Why are we not content? In spiritual terms, we have something wrong with us. Even as […]
From lust to love When an unexploded bomb is discovered in one of the many harbour and dockyard areas which operate around the English Channel, such as an old WW2 mine or a payload from a bomber, the Royal Navy will often tow the device out into the Channel before dealing with it safely at […]
From greed to generosity The experience of Britain in the early 1940’s demonstrated again and again how an unexploded bomb (UXB) in an oil refinery, a railway yard, or a factory could create wider chaos in the transport links. It would disrupt the network of communications – railways especially – and significantly impacted alternative supply […]
From pride to humility When you do a good job, it’s nice to get the appreciation, the praise; just a simple “thank you” can make a difference to the whole day. That might be from solving the missing number on a spreadsheet, bringing a team member up to speed on recent plans, fixing the wonky […]
Dealing with the Seven Deadly Sins When I look out of the kitchen window at home, I marvel at how prolific and healthy the garden is. Not the good stuff (flowers or shrubs which we might actually have chosen and planted) but the weeds – they seem unstoppable! Every nook and cranny of soil or gaps between […]
