The Bible begins with a story – but what does that tell us? There are stories, and there are stories! If your grandmother begins, ‘once upon a time, there lived…’ you know what to expect. Or if she begins, ‘when your great grandmother was a little girl…’ you also know what to expect. Both are […]
1) Story, Myth, History Read More »
Who doesn’t love a good feast? We might think of Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, perhaps a wedding or a graduation feast with friends and family. Personally, the image from ‘The Grinch’ always drifts into mind, where ‘He, he himself…the Grinch…carved the roast-beast!’ Biblically though, feast is one of those words that doesn’t mean what we think
The Feasts of the Lord Read More »
We all know that Christmas is celebrated differently around the world – and sometimes we mistakenly think that the Jewish celebration of Hannukah is simply their variation of Christmas; it falls at the same time of year. But of course the great majority of Jews never accepted Jesus as Christ, so they don’t celebrate Christmas.
The Meaning of Hannukah Read More »
If COP27 passed you by unnoticed, you’re not alone. Last year one could hardly escape the tremendous build-up and media noise around COP26 in Glasgow, while this year’s COP27 in Egypt (‘Conference of Parties to the UN Framework on Climate Change’) was a comparative whisper. These ‘interim’ COPs are less dramatic, but equally important. A
God’s Justice and Climate Injustice (COP27) Read More »
As my plane descended into Gatwick on the morning of the Queen’s funeral, the lyrics of an old song kept playing in my head: ‘Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name.’ The name of course was Jesus. The song was a 1970s Gospel tune by the Bill Gaither trio.
A truly inspirational figure passed away in September this year, age 94 – the man known to Christians around the world simply as ‘Brother Andrew’. His real name, Andrew van der Bijl, was not important, in fact he preferred it not be known. It could only lead to trouble. I first encountered Brother Andrew
Make Seeing Eyes Blind – Tribute to Brother Andrew Read More »
This picture is an honest to goodness wild male turkey (or tom) that wandered from the nearby woods into my parents’ back garden last Autumn. He had at least 2 hens with him, but they were far less captivating. Before you ask, no, my parents did not shoot or eat this beautiful creature. They merely
Thanksgiving – and Giving Thanks Read More »
Warning: this topic is pure speculation, but here we go… Humans are uniquely philosophical creatures: ‘Why am I here? What’s the purpose of life? Not to be flippant – but the Bible gives a pretty straightforward answer in Gen 1. We were made to ‘rule over the whole earth’ as his image-bearers, to ‘fill the
God Doesn’t Work Alone Read More »
Exactly two weeks ago at this moment, I was scrambling to get the final touches ready for the GTS 5-Year Anniversary Celebration. If you were there – what a wonderful celebration it was – thank you once again to all who joined in by making cakes, setting up, laying the tables, serving drinks, clearing and
Wrapping Up the first 5 Years Read More »
How shocking would it be if I said I don’t believe in miracles? We’re conditioned as Christians to believe in miracles – so much so that if we don’t, it’s highly questionable we’re truly Christian. But there’s a problem with miracles. They don’t actually exist in the Bible! Let me explain: There are several biblical
The Problem with Miracles Read More »
