Below you’ll find previous entries for Daily Inspiration – or to see them arranged by theme, head to this webpage.
Autumn 2024: The Book of Acts, chapters 1-14: how God’s Spirit changes the lives of Jesus’ followers and begins to change the world, too. May we too be inspired afresh in our generation!
Summer 2024: The Book of Daniel – the life of Daniel and his friends is a story for our times: how to live with faith and integrity in a different culture. This series unpacks both the iconic stories and also the powerful prophecies!
Spring 2024: Daily Inspiration in John: our reflections on John chapters 1-10 can be viewed via this link, either to read on-screen or to download to your device:
New Year 2024: ‘The Shock of the New’ – Isaiah chapters 40-55. One of the great prophetic visions, as fresh today as ever. Thirty days of amazing promises, and renewed hope!
Autumn 2023: ‘Good News!’ – The Gospel of Mark. History changes for good as Jesus arrives – fast-paced and full of practical, life-transforming wisdom: we can never tire of what Mark has to teach us!
- Tuesday 28th November – Mark 9:42-50 ‘Stumbling blocks’Read more...
The great Christian leader and writer John Stott once wrote a book called ‘Christ the Controversialist’. The basic point of the book is that Jesus said many hard things. Much as we like to picture him as ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’, we also have to acknowledge that Jesus upset a lot of people, and challenged ungodly attitudes – even among his own disciples – very directly at ...
- Monday 27th November – Mark 9:38-41 ‘Not one of us’Read more...
This might sound a bit obscure, but let me begin today by talking about ‘Bounded Sets’ and ‘Centred Sets’. What are those, you may be thinking? A bounded set defines clearly who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. A certain set of beliefs or behaviour draws a clear line around the set to determine who gets to be ‘in’. Fans of a sports team would be a great ...
- Saturday 25th November – Mark 9:33-37 ‘Meeting Jesus unexpectedly’Read more...
The Christian writer and activist Shane Claiborne – whose book ‘The Irresistible Revolution’ is a great read, and highly recommended – tells the story of his time working with Mother Teresa’s charity in India. He used to help regularly with the lunchtime food project which provided a hot meal for the destitute of the city, and was struck by the behaviour of one of the other helpers, who ...
- Friday 24th November – Mark 9:30-34 ‘Get the message?’Read more...
‘For those of you watching in black and white, the yellow is just behind the blue.’ That famous piece of commentary usually finds its way into TV blooper shows, and highlights how easy it is for something that is clear to the speaker to be veiled to the listener.
Today, Jesus tells the disciples a second time what is going to happen to him. The ...
- Thursday 23rd November – Mark 9:14-29 ‘I do believe – help my unbelief!’Read more...
‘There are moments, sure, when you think: is there a God? Where is God? …I love the psalms, if you look at Psalm 88, that’s full of doubt.’ It may come as something of a relief to know that this quote comes direct from the Archbishop of Canterbury, at an interview in Bristol Cathedral in 2014. At the time, the media got into a bit of a lather ...
Summer 2023: The Book of Colossians – Christ is all we need! Let’s be encouraged by the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus in this remarkable letter: Colossians – Daily Inspirations day-by-day
- Monday 11th September – Colossians 4:12-18 ‘Continuing the ministry’Read more...
And so we come to the end…. The Book of Colossians is an amazing portion of scripture, and you won’t be surprised to learn that it’s one of my favourite books of the bible. Reading Colossians is like enjoying a bar of rich, dark chocolate – an intense experience, best enjoyed in small mouthfuls to savour. Each bite has so much packed into it, so many layers to ...
- Saturday 9th September – Colossians 4:7-11 ‘Personal connections’Read more...
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that ‘the church’ is made up of individual people. Everyone has their own story, and their own connections. This little section in the letter, when Paul – whose piece of papyrus is probably running out of space – is firing off some quickfire messages, is a great reminder that what we are dealing with here is not just ‘an apostle’ and ‘a church’ ...
- Friday 8th September – Colossians 4:2-6 ‘Maximising every opportunity’Read more...
In 1873 Thomas Edison approached the British government – then the most powerful government in the world – asking for investment in his new invention, the lightbulb. The Committee which assessed it turned him down, saying this new-fangled idea was ‘okay for our transatlantic friends…but unworthy of the attention of practical or scientific men.’ The lightbulb went on to transform society – no doubt later government committees which ...
- Thursday 7th September – Colossians 3:22-4:1 ‘With all your heart’Read more...
This passage is not a defence of slavery. It’s worth stating that at the start; as we saw yesterday, Paul is acutely conscious of the perceived danger of Christ to the social order – putting the church itself at risk (more widespread persecution is beginning, indeed may have already begun, by this time).
It’s also worth bearing in mind that Christians numbered a tiny percentage ...
- Wednesday 6th September – Colossians 3:18-22 ‘Christ and the social order’Read more...
One of the thorny questions that the church has always faced – and individual Christians, as part of the church community – is how followers of Jesus relate to the social order around them. Where do they conform and where do they stick out? Or, to put it another way, what do they challenge?
It is hard for us to get a sense now of ...
Spring/Summer 2023: Psalms 1-43. Day by day, ‘a psalm a day helps you work, rest and pray.’ Daily Inspiration in Psalms 1-43
The week after Pentecost. A mini-series of 6 reflections in Acts 2:1-41, taking us from Pentecost to Trinity Sunday. Daily Inspiration for the week after Pentecost
Ascension Day. A mini-series of 3 reflections on the importance of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven. Ascension Day Inspirations 2023
Holy Week 2023: Reflections in the Gospel of Mark, chs 14-15: Holy Week Reflections in Mark
Lent 2023: ‘Let your light shine’ – The Church of England’s Lent Series for 2018, written by John Kiddle – a lovely exploration of the work of Christ in the gospel of John: Let Your Light Shine_Daily Notes_2018_JohnKiddle
December 2022: Advent. Telling the story chronologically across the gospels, 24 days waiting expectantly for the coming King! Daily Inspiration for Advent
September-November 2022: The Gospel of Luke ‘The King of kings’. In a season when our nation mourned the loss of a great monarch, and the start of a new reign, let’s be inspired by Luke’s portrait of the greatest King of all. Daily Inspiration in the Gospel of Luke – The King of Kings
July-September 2022: The Book of Deuteronomy (chs1-19). On the threshold of a new home, let’s listen in to one of the great sermons of all-time, as Moses addresses God’s people and reminds them of his covenant of faithful love – enduring to this day! Daily Inspiration in the Book of Deuteronomy
May-July 2022: The Book of 2 Corinthians. Reflecting deeply on the day-to-day paradoxes of faith – suffering and comfort, joy and trouble, spiritual treasures held ‘in jars of clay’ – this heartfelt gem of a letter is less well-known but full of rich treasure. 2 Corinthians Daily Inspirations day-by-day
Jan-Feb 2022: The Book of Joshua – a rip-roaring tale with lots to inspire us. Never an ‘easy read’, but with echoes of grace throughout. Above all, God keeps his promises: Daily Inspirations in the Book of Joshua
November 2021: The Book of Esther – a wonderful story of faith and courage lived out in the ‘real world’: Esther Daily Inspirations day-by-day
Oct-Nov 2021: Hebrews 11-12 ‘The Cloud of Witnesses’ – a short series on the heroes of faith and how they can inspire and energise our lives today: Cloud of Witnesses_Inspiration day-by-day
May 2021: To revisit our lovely 9 days of prayer (Novena) in the Psalms for Thy Kingdom Come: Thy Kingdom Come 2021 Psalms (Novena)
Easter Week 2021: Reflections on the traditional readings for Sundays in Easter Season: Easter Week Reflections 2021
Holy Week 2021: Reflections in Matthew 26 and 27: Holy Week Reflections 2021 – Matthew 26 and 27
February 2021: The Book of Philippians – journey through this wonderful little letter over 13 days: Daily Inspiration in Philippians
New Year 2021: The Psalms are songs for the journey. To paraphrase a well-known ad: ‘A psalm a day helps you work, rest and pray.’ Let’s be nourished with the humility, the honesty, and the heartfelt faith of the psalmists, and may we find a voice to draw near to God each day: Daily Inspiration in Psalms 90-106
Looking for Light: a great tonic when the days are short and the nights are long! A series of reflections on the theme of light in the bible can be viewed via this link, either to read on-screen or to download to your device: Looking for Light – Daily Inspirations
Remembrance 2020: our short series from Isaiah and the Psalms for the season of Remembrance can be viewed via this link, either to read on-screen or to download to your device: Remembrance Season 2020 – Daily Inspirations
‘Wildfires – the Spirit in the Bible’: our summer 2020 series of reflections on the Holy Spirit can be viewed via this link, either to read on-screen or to download to your device: Wildfires (The Spirit in the Bible) Day-by-Day
‘Hidden in Christ’ – our spring 2020 series of 33 Reflections based on James Bryan Smith’s wonderful book – also made available for Advent 2020 by MK Mission Partnership – can be viewed via this link, either to read on-screen or to download to your device: Hidden_in_Christ_Reflections_2020
Prof. Smith’s excellent podcast, ‘Things Above’, can be accessed here.
Our reflections for Easter Week 2020: Easter Week Reflections 2020
To revisit our reflections for Holy Week 2020 – the 7 words from the cross – click here.