asadmin Who’d be a leader? As General Hopper declares in the great animated film ‘Ants’: ‘The first rule of leadership is – it’s always your fault.’ And we are all too painfully aware of the damage that can be done by leaders who are corrupted by power. Which is why the Christian perspective on leadership is … Read more
When I was training in my previous role in the commercial world, an old colleague once said to me: ‘If ever you feel intimidated in a meeting, just imagine them all sitting in their underpants.’ It’s a fairly comical strategy, but many will testify that it works! This idea of finding ourselves in the presence … Read more
In the last 12 months we’ve witnessed the accession and then the coronation of our new king, Charles III. The pageantry and drama of the ancient ceremonies has captivated many of us, not least because the long reign of his mother meant that much of the country has never witnessed this in their lifetime. One … Read more
‘Wisdom is proved right by all her children.’ These words of Jesus are beautifully turned into prayer by St Paul in verses 10-12 of this marvellous passage, which we return to today. Yesterday we looked at how Paul encouraged us to pray for spiritual wisdom and understanding as the first priority of his prayers for … Read more
I wonder what you like to pray for? If any of us took a good look at the content of our prayers, we would likely find that most of us – me included – focus a lot on practical requests. And that’s fine: Jesus encourages us to ask God for what we need today (our … Read more
The Church is a very big thing. Very big. It’s hard for us to get a true handle on just how many people claim to follow Jesus. Think of a big crowd that you’ve been part of. One of the biggest for me was the crowd of 80,000 in the Olympic Stadium in London in … Read more
Yesterday we looked at the foundations of our good news: the two pillars, if you will, of grace and peace. God’s gift of undeserved mercy, which in turn brings shalom to our relationships in every dimension. God’s grace, our peace. These are the twin foundations on which our walk with Jesus rests – and as … Read more
Not many of us write letters anymore – at least not by choice. Emails, texts, posts, tweets, blogs – but a letter? Only for formal replies to institutions: and even then, usually typed on a computer and printed out. To receive a handwritten letter nowadays is a rare and beautiful thing. However, whilst it is … Read more
We’re blessed to be able to worship in a beautiful, inspiring building. Despite being made with wooden scaffolds, rudimentary tools and makeshift mortar, it has stood for hundreds of years, and is likely to for hundreds more. Most of us sucked in our breath and felt a sense of thrill when we first stepped inside … Read more
‘Red and green should never be seen with nothing in-between.’ I don’t know if you’ve ever received that fashion advice – I don’t set much store by it myself, as my weekly emails attest: the more red and green, the better! It comes from the idea that a strong contrast is off-putting: we like things … Read more