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
- Saturday 26th August – Colossians 2 repriseRead more...
It’s been a big week! Colossians chapter 2 is one of the densest but also richest in the whole of Scripture. This weekend, take a few moments to re-read the chapter in one go. Pick out key words that inspire you, or a phrase that you hadn’t understood before but now brings you life, and soak in that for a few minutes.
For all life’s ...
- Friday 25th August – Colossians 2:16-23 ‘Adding or subtracting?’Read more...
After a week doing the hard theological yards, today is Paul’s practical advice to the little church in Colosse. ‘Therefore…. don’t let these frauds pull you off track!’ might be a candid paraphrase of our text for today. As we’ve observed, the church was struggling with teachers who insisted that the way to grow spiritually was to add lots of things to what they might call ‘basic’ Christian ...
- Thursday 24th August – Colossians 2:13-15 ‘Christus Victor!’Read more...
In 1931 the theologian Gustaf Aulen published ‘Christus Victor’, which persuasively argued that arguably the most overlooked dimension of the saving work of Christ is that he has conquered all the powers that hold human beings captive: sin, Satan and death. It’s not just that, on the cross, Christ paid the penalty on our behalf (which he did) – he also overcame our great spiritual enemies and destroyed ...
- Wednesday 23rd August – Colossians 2:9-15 ‘Joining God’s family’Read more...
Reading yesterday’s reflection, some of you may have wondered if I’d deliberately ignored the last couple of verses, and the really tricky teaching about circumcision. Well, maybe! Though actually I’d said plenty already, and this section of the letter is the hardest to explain, with the most technical theology. So, I’m going to pick it up today, and try to take you all through what Paul is teaching ...
- Tuesday 22nd August – Colossians 2:8-12 ‘Christ – all the fulness of God’Read more...
In modern life we’re familiar with the idea of add-ons. Maybe you buy something big, like a car or a holiday, and discover that only a basic specification is included in the listed price: to get the exact one you want, you have to add on this or that or the other – all at extra cost, of course!
It’s not just products, either, where ...
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.