With election fever gripping the country (or, at least, voting apathy not completely blanketing this land) it's good to take a moment on poll-day to stop and pray for those who are standing in elections today - maybe especially the many believers who are seeking to serve God in the political arena.
Whether we're true blue, passionately orange, profoundly red or any other shade on the political spectrum - whether we're avidly reading every piece of literature that each party posts through our door or recycling each leaflet without a second glance - we have a biblical responsibility to talk to God about those who lead us (1 Timothy 2:2) and when better to do that than the day the votes are cast?
So, why not take a moment now to pray that those elected will show:... continue reading
Evangelist John Chapman once remarked that the surest way to halt the conversation at a dinner party was to turn to your host and ask them: "Have you given any thought to your death recently?" People just don't want to talk about dying.
You Only Live Once! is a statement shortened to YOLO - a tag that Twitter user to justify anything at all. But a survey revealed last week that, while people are more than happy to talk about the upside of that statement, they are far more reticent to admit to the downside. After this one life, we die.
This is the theme of a campaign by the Dying Matters Coalition, set up by the National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) in 2009. This year’s theme is ‘You Only Die Once‘ – Twitter users are being asked to tweet with the #YODO hashtag during the awareness week that has just finished.... continue reading
If you live in the south east of England, we hope to see you at the Christian Resources Exhibition this year. Held at Sandown Park in Esher from May 13th - 16th, it's a great opportunity to find out what's going on in the Christian world and get some great, free training.
So why not plan to come to one of the Good Book seminars? Or visit us on our stand?
Tuesday 13th May:
11am - Dealing with Difficult Disciples
Tim Thornborough gives some top tips for home group leaders.
12pm - New Self
Helen Thorne looks at how people change and the wonderful privilege it is to be involved in pastoral care.
3pm - The Great Bible Bake Off
Join Alison Mitchell and Susie Bentley Taylor for an inspiring and tasty time looking at how to teach children the big picture of the Bible through cookery.
4pm - Dealing with doubt in children and young people
Tim Thornborough helps parents, youth leaders and Sunday School teachers to get to grips with how to listen and respond to children's doubts.
Wednesday 14th May:
11am - Changing Hearts
Helen Thorne takes a second look at how we can all be involved in the exciting process of helping people change to be like Jesus.
Thursday 15th May:
1pm - Purposeful Paperwork
Ideal for Christian administrators everywhere, a chance to reflect on how we can keep Jesus and his Kingdom at the centre of our administration - with Helen Thorne
Friday 16th May:
1pm - How to answer children's questions about God
Alison Mitchell gives some top tips on handling the tough questions that come from under 11s in ways that are biblical and helpful
And do please drop by the stand in the Esher Hall any time (E53,54 and 59). We'd love you to come and introduce yourself, enjoy some of our exhibition deals and take a peak at our new evangelistic course: Discovering Jesus through Asian eyes.
We look forward to seeing you there ...
The horror of the girls abducted in Nigeria can barely be quantified. The plight of those trafficked across the world as domestic slaves or tools for the sex industry continues each year. Individuals mysteriously disappear each month, even in the safe suburbs of the developed world, despite the best efforts of the authorities to track them down. And in the wake of such tragedy there is pain and desolation in the lives of individuals, families and communities.
If we live nearby we can help search, we can encourage those affected through visits and cards. But, for many of us, the only way to help is prayer - geographically we are in the wrong place to do anything else, except maybe sign a petition or two. But all too often words fail us. All too often we allow our busy lives to crowd out the pain of others across the world. So why not take a moment now to bring their plight to the Lord, in the [slightly adapted] words of the Psalmists...... continue reading
It's been kept shrouded in secrecy for years. There have been hints and wild rumours - whispered speculation in dark corners. And there have been those who have made wild speculations about the timing and nature of this return. It will be soon; it will never happen.
But now we know it's definitely soon. Star Wars is coming...
The new movie is about to start shooting in Pinewood Studies, in North London, and at last the details are beginning to emerge. The new movie, to be made by Disney, will feature the same trio of actors that were propelled to world fame through the original movie: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher - plus the original actors who appeared "costumed" as C3PO, R2D2 and Chewbacca - the big hairy Wookie.... continue reading
If you live in the south east of England, we hope to see you at the Christian Resources Exhibition this year. Held at Sandown Park in Esher from May 13th - 16th, it's a great opportunity to find out what's going on in the Christian world and get some great, free training.
So why not plan to come to one of the Good Book seminars? Or visit us on our stand?
Tuesday 13th May
11am - Dealing with Difficult Disciples
Tim Thornborough gives some top tips for home group leaders.
12pm - New Self
Helen Thorne looks at how people change and the wonderful privilege it is to be involved in pastoral care.
3pm - The Great Bible Bake Off
Join Alison Mitchell and Susie Bentley Taylor for an inspiring and tasty time looking at how to teach children the big picture of the Bible through cookery.
4pm - Dealing with doubt in children and young people
Tim Thornborough helps parents, youth leaders and Sunday School teachers to get to grips with how to listen and respond to children's doubts.
Wednesday 14th May
11am - Changing Hearts
Helen Thorne takes a second look at how we can all be involved in the exciting process of helping people change to be like Jesus.
Thursday 15th May
1pm - Purposeful Paperwork
Ideal for Christian administrators everywhere, a chance to reflect on how we can keep Jesus and his Kingdom at the centre of our administration - with Helen Thorne
Friday 16th May
1pm - How to answer children's questions about God
Alison Mitchell gives some top tips on handling the tough questions that come from under 11s in ways that are biblical and helpful
And do please drop by the stand in the Esher Hall any time (E53,54 and 59). We'd love you to come and introduce yourself, enjoy some of our exhibition deals and take a peak at our new evangelistic course: Discovering Jesus through Asian eyes.
We look forward to seeing you there ...
Banter and the Bible
A great time at the London Men's Convention on Saturday - the last in its current format. The theme was the resurrection of Christ, and the day started with a terrific session with Welsh whirlwind Graham Daniels. He encouraged us from the story of the disciples on the Emmaus Road by showing us how Banter led to Bible and then Belief. Same process with us as we proclaim the risen Lord - engaging in normal, ordinary, everyday conversation, can lead us to opening up the Bible with people through which the Spirit can bring about the miracle of belief.
Seminars: Greening the workplace...
Mark Green of LICC gave one of three stimulating seminars on offer - on being fruitful for Christ in the workplace. Excellent and thought-provoking session that got us thinking more about being a disciple wherever we are. Got everyone talking. Other seminars were led by Pete Woodcock and Dan Strange.
Vaughan and the future
A crackling last session in which Vaughan Roberts pointed us to the future - our resurrection hope in Jesus. Richard Coekin (pictured) finished the conference by pointing the way to the future. This was the last LMC in its current form, and the organisers are considering a different kind of event for the future. Watch this space.
A new report this week showed that “violent crime is continuing a long-term fall in England and Wales”. Data from hospital emergency departments shows a 12% fall in injuries from violent crimes, with 32,800 fewer victims than the previous year. With just one exception, violent crime has fallen every year since 2001. It’s not an isolated trend either. One expert is quoted as having said: “Violence is falling in many Western countries and we don’t know all the reasons why”.
There are a number of possible reasons. The experts link the fall in violence to declining rates of binge drinking. Disposable income has fallen as the price of alcohol has increased—and, intriguingly, the cultural attitude to alcohol among young people appears to be changing. Perhaps all those TV adverts and tedious PSHE lessons in schools spelling out the dangers of excessive drinking have proved effective.... continue reading
Dear David,
Thanks very much for putting Christianity back on the front pages of the papers by claiming, as our Prime Minister, that this is a Christian nation. I notice that you’ve been getting some flak from people who don’t think this is, or should be, a Christian country.
And the thing is, David, that they’re right.
This isn’t a Christian nation. And it never has been. There’s no such thing as a Christian state, with borders and land and law enforcement and so on. There was once a nation that collected all God’s people into one place, with civic laws and a penal code and so on. It was called Israel, and it existed until Christ came, and explained that his kingdom is not of this world, recognizes no borders, and whose only land in this world right now is the hearts and bodies of his subjects, what he called 'his church' (that's not the same thing as the Church of England, David, though part of that denomination's membership are included in it). It’s only because Christ came and turned the centrifugal force of Old Testament Israel into the centripetal force of the New Testament church that our nation has any of his people living in it at all. While Israel was to be a light to the nations, now the church is to be the light in the nations.... continue reading
Did you know that yesterday was Charlotte Brontë's 198th birthday? I didn't. But Google kindly told me when I logged in.
Did you know that today is Earth Day? Again, I didn't - but Google came to the rescue again, with an animated doodle this time. I enjoy those ones - do you? They keep me on the Google page for longer, and reinforce whichever special day it is. My favourites are the games - especially when they reinvented Pacman, a game I spent far too much time on as a student…... continue reading
