Paul says, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”. (1 Cor 11:1) In many churches we have a rightful expectation that the preached word and the word studied will lead to changed hearts and changed lives. The word has that power to do this and we depend upon the “living word” – Jesus – to grow […]
“Reality is a cocktail of fantasy” Micah Purnell. We lie to ourselves all the time. I lie to myself about how good-looking I am. I like to imagine that ‘I’ve still got it’. And then I walk past a reflection of myself that I wasn’t expecting to see, and before my brain has chance to […]
I was sorting the garage out the other day and realised something really important – you know you’ve turned into your dad the day you put aside a thin piece of wood specifically to stir paint with! This was quite comforting, however, as I can think of no better compliment than for someone to say […]
Following on from his previous blog, Ian Bartlett unpacks his journey to show how God has moved powerfully in his life in relation to the hold gambling had on him. I gave my life to Jesus on 31st March 2010 and I was baptised on May 30th the same year. I did not gamble at […]
While on holiday in Malta we were sitting having a coffee opposite the island where St Paul was shipwrecked on his way to Rome. A desolate place, yet a stopping off place for him. He must have considered what and where he was going to next? We often find ourselves at those cross road situations […]
Sometimes as a bit of a break I have to read a biography. I am privileged to be able to spend much of my time researching theology but every now and again I need to drop the intense stuff and read a tale of the sort of courage and against-all-odds endeavour that inspires me. I […]
It’s too simple, any fool can understand. It’s only meant for fools – who realise That it’s to stop, see and take the stand Of a fool’s what starts the walk of the wise. It’s too deep, too off-the-wall for any mind To completely grasp the how and why – The central tangle I need […]
Good Friday. The day of Jesus’ death. The day an innocent man received an unjust sentence and a guilty man got off scot-free. The day a man lost his friends, his family, and his dignity. I wonder who on that day would have imagined it would ever come to be revered, to be called ‘good’. […]
Ian Bartlett kicks off his first blog on the theme of gambling and shares from his experiences about the danger it can be to us. Growing up I never went to church and my parents were not Christians, My fathers church was the pub and the Bookmakers and like father like son I was to […]
Following on from the first post on the question of “Why doesn’t God do incredible miracles today?”, this second thought builds on the fact that although we think an “undeniable” miracle would provide rock-solid evidence for faith, there is much to suggest that it would not. If our hearts are set against belief then no […]
