I think about the future a lot. Just not the right bit of it.
I look forward to the weekend; to a drink with a friend; to a summer holiday involving a lie-in and a beach.
And, because I look forward to those things, they affect how I feel and act in the present. Think back to the week before you last went on a great holiday. I’ll bet work problems seemed smaller, irritating people seemed less irritating, tiredness seemed easier to cope with. You had a little skip in your heart, despite the usual issues of day-to-day life. Why? Because soon, you’d be on holiday. You weren’t there yet, but knowing it lay in your future changed your present.
Weekends, seeing friends, holidays… we think about those things a lot.
How much do you think about eternity? How much does your future in 200 years affect your day right now?... continue reading
Young Isaac enjoys getting some ministry perspective early on... You can too - whatever your age and stage.
Serving without sinking available HERE.
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’
John 14:1-4
What sometimes leaves you feeling unable to cope?
Perhaps it's disappointments or doubts. Possibly loneliness or grief or maybe just a lack of motivation.
Many things are capable of getting us down and casting doubt on our faith and our view of God. Where is our passion for the Gospel? How often have you asked (or thought) is God enough?
With honesty and humility, Ray Galea reflects in his book, God is Enough, on ten psalms that have helped him put God back in the centre of his life. Ray reminds us of the many reasons we have to join with the psalmist in saying, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you".
Read more and get the book HERE for just £5 using the code gie0114 at the checkout.
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Over the next couple of months, something really exciting will be happening on university campuses all over the UK: Christian Union Mission Weeks. Last year, 35 000 students went to mission week events. Some of those people were my friends at the University of Manchester; and it was a great privilege to be involved in organising our week.
CUs are engaged in a whole range of outreach activities all year round, which come with their own set of baffling Christian jargon: ‘bottle drops’ (handing out water to students coming home from nights out); ‘tea and toast’ (handing out tea and toast to the aforementioned inebriated students); ‘text-a-toastie’ (CU members deliver the toasties and answer questions about God); 'carol services' (which are… carol services).... continue reading
Lust (which for the purposes of this post, we’ll define as a strong sexual desire for someone other than our spouse) is a big problem but let’s face it, most of us don’t naturally talk about our sexual struggles over coffee after church. Every now and then, though, there’s a cracking sermon on Matthew 5:27-30 and someone quietly whispers … “I needed to hear that so much – I’m in a mess … “
In moments like this, how can we make sure our initial response is as helpful as it can be? Here are our top tips for things to say:... continue reading
“It doesn’t look like a church!” was the comment of a former Catholic coming to our church for the first time. (Admittedly, it was our old wood and asbestos structure, once thought to be a “disused woodyard” by a passer-by. We have re-built it since!). To her, a plain building, with no crucifixes, images of Mary, incense or candles was simply not ‘a church’.
Another Catholic who came to our church recently was very surprised at the Bible-centred preaching. “The Bible is never mentioned at our church”, they said.
We’ve all no doubt had comments from Catholic friends, family or work colleagues along the lines of “I go to confession, but I still feel guilty afterwards for the wrong things I know I’ve done – and I can’t seem to find any peace”, or “I go to Mass, and pray the prayers that are expected, but there’s something different about you and your church. You seem to have a personal relationship with God, and you study the Bible for yourselves”.... continue reading
1. Emotions ebook just £4.99 until midday Thursday
Get your e-book copy of Emotions by Graham Beynon for just £4.99.
2. Three Tips for Better Bible Reading
Andy Naselli looks at three ways to rethink your Bible-reading strategy.
3. A Golden Age in Christian Publishing
Tim Challies reflects on the current state of Christian publishing.
4. Should all leaders be readers?
An interesting article about reading from 20schemes.
5. 5 Ways to Pray for Your Church Family in 2014
Erik Raymond at Ligonier Ministries looks at 5 ways that we can be praying for our own church family and other churches as well.
6. And finally...
This week's video of the week, ''Explore: Timothy Keller on Judges':
Found something that you think should make it on to the On to a Good Thing round-up? Send it to: ontoagoodthing@thegoodbook.co.uk
In a short space of time, a day or maybe even an hour, we can experience a huge range of emotions. The ups and downs sometimes mean that life really does feel like a rollercoaster. Those emotions might range from anger to awe, disappointment to delight, or even outrage to a sense of being overjoyed. There can even be days when we feel as if our emotions have been erased, as if we’ve turned into a robot, numb compared to those around us.
There are some great things about emotions, but there are times when emotions can seem like the enemy. There have definitely been days when I’ve wished my feelings away, days when I’ve been convinced emotions are not good. But that denies how God made me, as a thinking, feeling, relational person.
Graham Beynon’s book, Emotions: Living Life in Colour, is a great read. It helps us to discover what it means to be fully human, putting our feelings in their right place as we seek to live and grow to be more like Jesus, loving our Heavenly Father.... continue reading
