I’m sure that you can look back on your life and see times of missed opportunity: times when you could have done something, but you waited, you waited, you waited, and then one ...

Have you ever heard of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone? It’s a system of two parallel faults that run around 2,500 kilometres through the North Atlantic, all the way from ...

I don’t think that there’s a single one of us who doesn’t have some scars on our soul from the things we’ve been through in the past. It’s just life. So why are so many ...

Like it or not, trouble will hit our lives from time to time. Just when things seem to be going along fine … whammo! Trouble strikes, almost always when we don’t expect it. ...

God is a God of love. There is absolutely no doubt about that – which is why He won’t let us rest on our laurels; why He won’t let us sit smugly in our comfort zone; why He ...

Over the years I’ve seen many people make mistakes – me included, definitely! Now, I don’t have that much of a problem with honest mistakes. But there are two things that I ...

Church – now there’s a loaded word if ever there was one. So many people carry around so much baggage about this thing we call “church”. And to be sure, you look down ...

There’s no doubt that all the junk food we’re eating today is killing us. And if it’s true physically, it’s also true emotionally and spiritually. We’ve walked away from ...

Sin. The same one seems to trip us up over and over again. It’s almost like you walk out the front door and step on the same banana peel in exactly the same place day after day, ...

These days, the line between right and wrong seems to be becoming much wider and much greyer. In fact, it’s easy to look at something and really not know any more whether it’s ...

You know how it is. The daily grind grinds away at you – day after day after day. You feel dry. You feel empty. You start asking yourself what it’s all about and why you keep ...

The last few days we’ve been poking around in God’s Word to discover how He wants us to respond to the rising tide of evil in this world. The answer? To fight evil with good. ...

In a world shrouded in evil – and make no mistake, that’s precisely the world we live in – the temptation for God’s people, for you and me, is to fight evil with ...

Evil’s running rampant in the world. In one sense, that’s nothing new. It’s always been the case. But in another, have you noticed how the dial’s been turned up lately? ...

Church – now there’s a loaded word if ever there was one. So many people carry around so much baggage about this thing we call “church”. And to be sure, you look down ...

A lot of people have a lot of problems with “church”. So much so that even with all the new innovations in technology over recent years, they’re staying away in droves. ...

So if, as we saw yesterday, peace isn’t something that we can conjure up, that we can fabricate for ourselves … if indeed, true peace only comes from Christ … then the ...

These last few days we’ve been chatting about peace, because peace amidst the turmoil of this world is perhaps the most sublime gift of all that comes to us from the hand of ...

Peace is a subject that I love to circle back to again and again because a life of peace has to be one of the greatest things that we can ever receive from the hand of God … ...

Let me ask you something: What burdens are you carrying around on your shoulders just at the moment? What is it that’s getting you down, as it were? What’s one thing in your ...

Over and over again in the Bible, we’re told to “be strong”. Yeah, right. That’s easy for God to say, but does He have any idea what we’re going through down here? Does ...

Courage is … well, the strangest thing. We admire it in others, we all want it, we’d all like to think that others think of us as being courageous, and yet it’s something ...

Seeing the faces of both young and old buried en masse in their smartphone screens has become one of the enduring images of our time. Yes, it’s frustrating, but when you think ...

There are so many things that shake our confidence in this life. Things from the past that haunt us. When we compare ourselves with other people. When things come at us ...

If there’s one thing that the whole COVID-19 thing has taught us, it’s that the future is far from certain. At the beginning of last year we all had plans that were completely ...

As any parent will tell you, obedience has its rewards. A rebellious child will suffer the consequences of discipline. That’s as it should be. An obedient child will be granted ...

I don’t know how it goes for you, but what I find in life – yes, even in a life of ministry as mine is – it’s easy to lose sight of God. To lose sight of His plans and ...

Peace is something that we all want in our lives: A life free from tension and stress. A life free from insurmountable challenges and threats. A life free from conflict and ...

So, just quietly … let me ask you, what do you have planned for the rest of your life? Most of us don’t really know how long we have left on this earth. So what do you want to ...

If there’s one thing a pandemic will do in putting pressure on societies, governments and individuals, it’s creating conflict and dissent. We’ve seen that over and over ...

Let’s be honest … in this day and age, the temptation to forsake the timeless truths of the Bible for the all-too-seductive ways of this world is very high indeed. God’s ...

We live in a world that’s changing so quickly. There are so many choices and challenges in life. And so many people find that all of the change and the uncertainty eat away at ...

A man or a woman of true character is a man or a woman of real impact. Think about the one or two people of amazing character in your life. They’ve had a real impact on you, ...

The strength of steel comes from the fact that it’s been forged in a furnace. And true strength of character comes from the exact same thing. We know that’s true. Look into ...

As much as we don’t like to admit it, God develops our character mostly during those tough times. We know that … and yet, when the going gets tough, all too often we want to ...

With all the ups and downs we’ve been through over these past months –  disruption and turmoil the likes of which most of us haven’t seen in our lifetime – the old, ...

There are times when God calls us to do something that, quite honestly, we don’t feel qualified to do. And then when we do step out in faith, it’s amazing how the critics come ...

Right now, right in this moment, perhaps you’re going through some difficulty, some challenge, some trial, and what you need is God to help you in your day of trouble. Well, ...

For each one of us there are times in life – situations, circumstances, relationships – where we simply don’t, in and of ourselves, have what it takes to get through. And ...

The Bible tells us to put our trust, our faith, our confidence in God. That’s a great bit of advice. But when we’re in the middle of adversity in our life, it’s just not ...

When you’re carrying a heavy burden, the best thing you can possibly do is to share it with someone. We don’t always feel like doing that. Sometimes our instinct is to curl up ...

When you’re completely at the end of your tether, where do you go? Where do you turn? You’ve prayed and prayed and prayed and … nothing. Dead silence. Where is God? Why ...

When someone else is hurting, a natural tendency (especially, let me say, for us men) is to try and fix the problem – to come up with a solution – and if not a solution, then ...

There are some truly nasty people in this world; people who’ll take advantage of another person’s misfortune, people who will go out of their way to rub salt into another’s ...

How do you respond when someone else is suffering? It’s not easy, is it? On the one hand you feel helpless, and yet pitching in and helping often demands a personal commitment ...

God is a God of blessing, amen? Absolutely. We can all chime in with a hearty AMEN to that one. And yet, sometimes God withholds His blessings. And sometimes the withholding of ...

“If only the whole world would revolve around me.” Isn’t that, all too often, our heart’s desire? We know it’s unrealistic, but honestly, what we really want is for ...

The Bible tells us to put our trust, our faith, our confidence in God. That’s a great bit of advice. But when we’re in the middle of adversity in our life, it’s just not ...

The Bible tells us to put our trust, our faith, our confidence in God. That’s a great bit of advice. But when we’re in the middle of adversity in our life, it’s just not ...

In my neck of the woods, today is Father’s Day. If that’s not the case where you live, bear with me. We celebrate Father’s Day on different days in different countries. But, ...

No doubt you, like me, hate it when you stuff up; when you fail God, when you fall short in your thoughts, words and deeds in responding to His amazing love; and the guilt of our ...

We all have enemies. We wish we didn’t, but we do. There are people out there who are perhaps jealous. There are people out there whom we’ve perhaps wronged. There are people ...

Whenever you set off on a journey – you know, one of those good journeys – eating healthy, losing weight, dealing with something in your life that you know needs dealing with ...

The most difficult time, I think, to cope with fear is when the thing that’s causing it is of our own doing. When our failure, our sin, has created the situation of which we are ...

There are many things that happen in our lives that we find unsettling. And, on occasion, there are some things that happen in our lives that we find downright scary. Then what? I ...

There have been many times in my walk with Jesus when I’ve become ever so painfully aware of my inadequacies, of my complete undeservedness of His love. How about you? In a ...

Jesus, when He began His public ministry started saying something about God that was completely radical – many thought … heretical. He started calling God, His ...

People these days talk about their “forever home”. Young couples are out there with a growing family looking for their forever home to bring up their family and then retire ...

We tend to think of sharp knives as being dangerous – and they are. But there’s one thing that’s even more dangerous than a sharp knife, and that’s a blunt knife. One of ...

It’s easy to get the impression that the Bible – the thing that we Christians call God’s Word – is all about spiritual stuff. Nothing could be further from the truth, ...

It’s so easy, isn’t it – whether you’re rich or poor – to imagine that money can solve all your problems? We know that’s not true, but we cling onto that lie all too ...

I never cease to be amazed by my own propensity to be spiritually thick, dull, and unresponsive to the powerful, life-changing wisdom of God through His Spirit and His Word. That ...

Do you know what I find really, really scary? It’s the people who call themselves Christians, who pretend to be Christians on the outside and yet on the inside they are rotten ...

The behaviour of people these days seems to be getting worse and worse. In the name of individual rights, many governments around the world are legalising abortion up to birth. ...

Jesus, when He began His public ministry started saying something about God that was completely radical – many thought… heretical. He started calling God, His ...

Yesterday we looked at the complete and utter worthlessness of religious rituals in and of themselves. That might offend people, but hey … that’s God Word, not mine. So on the ...

I always cringe when someone calls me a religious person because the rituals of religion, by and large, leave me cold. And actually “religion” is a word that only appears a ...

Freedom means being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want, right? At least that’s what we thought when we were growing up. But it turns out that there can be no ...

How often have you read something in God’s Word … say, in the morning … and thought to yourself “Oh, yeah! Absolutely! That is so good. That is so right!”? But then, by ...

So you go along to church, sing the songs, hear the sermons, enjoy the coffee and fellowship afterwards, and then you leave with that “holier-than-thou” glow in your heart. ...

Yesterday we read about God’s powerful advice for reducing conflict in our lives. But none of us likes to be told that we’re wrong – not at all – which is why sometimes we ...

When was the last time you blurted something out at someone without thinking – something that did some damage, something that you wish, on reflection, you could unsay, undo, ...

Families today are under attack from all directions. A lot of it has to do with the relentless march of the armies of individualism and materialism across the globe. There are ...

What a bloomin’ mess the world seems to be in right at the moment. I don’t think society has ever been more divided. The gap between rich and poor has never been greater. ...

There are times in life when we need a refuge, a sanctuary, a safe place that offers protection and the space we need to recover, to heal, to get over the stresses that have been ...

It’s a sad thing to see a beautiful pot plant wilting, drooping, dying, because someone forgot to water it. It’s even sadder still to see a person whose life looks a lot like ...

You can’t read the Bible for any length of time without coming to a very unpleasant conclusion. God expects us to be patient. And the getting of patience involves a lot of ...

They say that the world needs adventurers. And we do – people who climb mountains, sail seas, blast off into space, go places and do things that stretch the boundaries way ...

What’s life all about? Is it just about getting up and doing the same thing day after day, waiting for the inevitable end to come? Some people actually live their lives that way ...

That sense of self-importance that some people have is so… well… ugly, isn’t it? They act as though they’re always 100% right and everyone else just has to fall in line. ...

Families today are under attack from all directions. A lot of it has to do with the relentless march of the armies of individualism and materialism across the globe. There are ...

Families today are under attack from all directions. A lot of it has to do with the relentless march of the armies of individualism and materialism across the globe. There are ...

The sense of emptiness that we sometimes feel – that sense that “I’m not fulfilled, I’m not content, there must be something more,” – let me tell you … it’s not ...

The negativity of other people has a habit of dragging us down with it. I mean, you started your day with the best of intentions, happy and content – but then that one person ...

Have you ever felt locked into a situation or a set of circumstances to the point where it feels as though there’s no escape? You’re completely at the end of your tether, and ...

Without a doubt, it’s nice to receive a pat on the back for a job well done. We all love that because just a bit of recognition is a good reward. The problem is though, that not ...

When things aren’t going all that well, when we’re facing adversity, when there’s conflict – say, with a difficult boss at work – it’s amazing how our view is ...

One of the most frustrating and even hurtful situations that we can face is having a difficult boss or at least someone in authority over us – be it a parent, or a boss or ...

There are times in life when people, circumstances, storms and even our own emotions come against us. We call those times ‘times of adversity’ – and whilst none of us go ...

We all want to have a fruitful life. But sometimes – we get to the point of wondering – what fruit is my life actually bearing? Am I making a difference? Does it all make ...

Have you ever had that thing going on where you love God so much, where you want to please Him so much, and yet your foibles, your weaknesses, your failures – your sin – ...

Yesterday, we explored the difference between perfectionism and excellence. Perfectionism is excellence mixed with a not so healthy dose of arrogance and self-delusion. Not ...

Excellence is one thing, but perfectionism … that’s quite another. We all have that one perfectionist in our lives who irritates us, who drive us crazy … and yes, who many a ...

As we saw yesterday, when you and I operate in a spirit of excellence, it has the habit of agitating the demons of mediocrity in some of the people around us. That brings its ...

When we operate in a spirit of excellence, the shocking truth is that not everyone is pleased. It seems that our spirit of excellence has a habit of rubbing the demons of ...

People who operate in a spirit of excellence are exceptionally rare these days. You know the sort I’m talking about – those who do their very best at whatever they turn their ...

Excellence: The more commoditised the world becomes, the more choices we have, the less common it becomes. And so the temptation is for you and me to cut corners, to sink down to ...

We all want to have a fruitful life. But sometimes – we get to the point of wondering – what fruit is my life actually bearing? Am I making a difference? Does it all make ...

One of the incredibly inconvenient things about God is that His ways aren’t our ways, and one of the ways that tends to play itself out in our lives is that sometimes He calls ...

Some people are rather good at quoting half-truths; “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” is one of them. That’s only half a truth, it’s only half of what God says ...