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Once, when asked how he made decisions about church life and leadership, a well-known Christian leader replied: ‘I look to see what God is already doing and then try to follow that.’  If you’re anything like me, it’s easy sometimes to lose sight of the literal meaning of the word ‘follower’: it automatically implies the … Read more

If I was to ask you to name any of the great confessions of faith in the bible, I wonder which you might recall?  Perhaps it would be Solomon’s great prayer at the dedication of the Temple; or David’s poetic psalms; or Isaiah’s encounter with the living God; or Peter’s and Thomas’ impassioned recognitions of … Read more

Back in the days when my knees still worked properly, my weekly delight was 5-a-side football.  Every Wednesday evening, I would let off steam for an hour.  As we were an ad-hoc bunch of blokes who were old enough to know better, we didn’t have organised teams, we just made up the teams from whoever … Read more

The births of each of our children were two of the best days of our lives.  I’m sure most parents would say the same!  We do remember, though, arriving home from hospital the following day with our new-born daughter (our first child), and experiencing a moment of sheer terror: here we were, with this beautiful … Read more

In 2022 we celebrated the 70 years’ reign of Queen Elizabeth II.  It was an extraordinary life, and most of us probably still think we’ll never see another monarch like her: who combined length of life with a quiet moral authority which set her above most of her peers.  I first wrote this reflection at … Read more

Today’s reading ought to have shortened the bible by about 65 pages – and there you were, wondering why it got so long!  As we arrive at Numbers chapter 13 the Israelites have also arrived: at the borders of the Promised Land, a few months after leaving Egypt. God has kept them safe as they’ve … Read more

Immature fruit can taste a little sharp.  That’s true in gardening – it’s also true in the spiritual life.  We’re all called to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit: but often in young believers those qualities which eventually prove to be wonderful assets for the kingdom can be a little, well, prickly. Take Joshua, for … Read more

Today we begin a new series looking at the major Old Testament book of Joshua. It’s a story of faith, of courage, of leadership, but also of a real human being, who has spent decades as Moses’ understudy and is awed by the responsibility. Joshua’s story begins a lot further back than most of us … Read more