If youāre anything like me, you struggle with besetting sins. Those sins that rear their heads on an irritatingly regular basis and that you canāt seem to conquer no matter how hard you try.
They might be very obvious to those around you. They might be hidden away far from the sight of those you love. But theyāre there. Repeatedly reminding you, reminding me, that weāre rebels at heart.
The trouble with besetting sins is that they all too often encourage us to believe things that arenāt true. They encourage us to doubt our status as Godās precious children, doubt Godās grace and doubt the possibility of change. Something that brings Satan much pleasure ā something that can leave us inert and languishing in guilt. But Godās word tells a very different story. And as Christians we are called to focus on that truth today and everyday:... continue reading
I can still remember Elenās first Christmas, though I have to confess that this is mainly due to the fact that for the first time in my life I wasnāt the one getting all the flashy presents ā she was!! At the time she was just a dribbling 7month old who didnāt even know how to use all the super-cool stuff her doting relatives had lavished upon her. Myself on the other hand had to suck it up and get used to the idea that I had been relegated from the designer clothes and tech gadgets league to the box of chocolates and budget socks league!
Gutted!!
Truth is I wasnāt really that bothered at all. After all it was Elenās first Christmas and I wanted her to be blessed to the max. Plus I quite like budget socks!! She might not have remembered much of that Christmas, but her second one ā now that was a different matterā¦... continue reading
I wasnāt there for this particular episode, but Michelle insists it was one of the funniest moments from Elenās frequently hilarious toddler-hood. Hereās how it went down:
We had just moved to a new area and were still finding our feet, meeting new people etc. So you can imagine Michelleās joy when she was invited to join a bunch of young mums and their little-uns on their weekly pilgrimage to Wetherspoons (a chain of low-cost English pubs), for an early morning breakfast and a natter! Before long she was loving the warm friendship (and reasonably-priced toast) and the Wetherspoons jaunt soon became a regular fixture for the Hankey girls.... continue reading
One of the one of the best investments we ever made for Elen was a magnetic Etch-a-Sketch pad that we got from Tesco for Ā£2.99. It might not sound particularly impressive on the surface of it, but trust me the hours of pleasure she got from doodling and creating were worth so much more than Ā£2.99! In fairness to Elen she also loved to share her āsketchyā with her parents and would regularly let me have a go on it. The thing is she only ever wanted me to draw one thing ā a duck!... continue reading
I run a Sunday School for 3-7 year olds. A privilege and a joy in itself.
But it's occasionally made all the more glorious when a child misunderstands something in a revealing way.
Last Sunday, we were finishing a short series on the book of Jonah. An interesting exercise in itself, because most kids bibles miss the point. They do the running away, the storm and the boat, the fish, Jonah's prayer, the preaching to Nineveh and the repentance bit, but fail to do chapter 4 - which is really the whole punchline of the story.
But the moment came at the start when I was reviewing the story so far... "What was the name of the prophet?" I ask. Lots of hands shoot up. "Jonah!" comes the enthusiastic reply:
"Where did God tell him to go?" Silence. One hand raised tentatively... "Vinegar?"... continue reading
"How did you find you way round the traffic jam?"Paul asked.
I was delivering my daughter to summer camp and I was chatting with the old friend who was running it. We'd been delayed and had to find a route down country lanes to get round the a jam on the M4.
"More by luck than judgement" I repliedā¦ and instantly checked myself.
I had found my way more by luck than my own intelligence. Not knowing quite where to go, I took a guess at a crossroads and it turned out to be right. But the phrase reflects a worldview where God is absent. It was just "luck". Whereas the Bible tells us that our sovereign God is intimately involved in our world, and that the providence of God is at work even in what we might think are irrelevant details.... continue reading
It was a day that stands out in my memory above nearly all others and not for a good reason. Elen was around 9 months old and had been suffering with a virus for several days. Her temperature had been gradually creeping higher and higher, until one afternoon it reached crisis point and she started to convulse uncontrollably on the floor. We rang 999 and within minutes a medic was on the scene. Moments later Elen was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.... continue reading
Many of us have mixed feelings about our jobs. And rightly so!
Work is good (Genesis 2:28): We're created to be workers. And doing a job (whether that's paid or unpaid) helps fulfil our purpose, our humanity.
Work is fallen (Genesis 3:17-19): Our jobs are not as they are supposed to be. We live in a work where colleagues hurt one other; good things too easily become idols and our activity - and the activity of those around us - often becomes self-seeking rather than God-honouring. ... continue reading
Elenās first Christmas passed her by with minimal fuss. By the second time round, however, she had really started to get her head around the whole Christmas thing ā loving the bright lights, the cheesey songs and of course ā all the presents. Bizzarely, however, it was a small cloth bag stuffed with soft nativity characters thatĀ she got most excited by.
It contained shepherds, a sheep, three wise men and some dodgy-looking angels. Mary and Joe were obviously in there too, but it was little baby Jesus who really captured Elenās imagination the most. She couldnāt get enough of himĀ as she cuddled him, talked to him, danced with him and invited him to join her at every family meal. All she would talk about was ābaby Jesus thisā and ābaby Jesus that.ā
It really got me thinking about Jesus in a fresh way...... continue reading
It's Olympic fever here in London.
And yesterday, Lin Qingfeng stormed to Gold in the men's weightlifting (63kg category) . The combined total weight he lifted was a massive 344kg!
But here's a question for you...
How many "One Life - What's it all about?" books weigh 344kg?
A free copy to whoever comes closest. Post your guesses in the comments box below....
