Author: Anthony Delaney

I speak, I write, I lead.

‘Won’t Get Fooled Again.’ (My thoughts on Syria)

Won’t Get Fooled Again? In March 2003 Tony Blair made a liar out of me. I was leading a church in Surrey and we had great links with the local comprehensive school. They would call me in for pastoral care for some pupils, and I regularly did assemblies, too. They called me in after 9/11 – one of the children lost a family member when the twin towers went down. So the head called me in as it was announced that we were going to invade Iraq and air strikes were beginning, because a lot of the kids were understandably scared, could I talk to them? My problem was – what would I say? I am not a political animal, but I had taken the time in one or two midweek prayer meetings around that time to indicate that I was very wary of Britain being part of the hastily dubbed coalition. I could not see how invading Iraq would have any connection to ‘The war on terror,’ or in fact how you could go to war against terror at […]

Nick Duffy at Ivy Manchester – ‘As We Forgive’

Matthew 18:22-35 The parable of the unmerciful servant – Jesus called him Wicked! Because he wouldn’t forgive from the heart. More than anything else, God wants us to be more like Jesus. And Jesus knows if we don’t get forgiveness sorted out, we will have a lot of trouble. Because as we do life with people closely, there’s always friction! The nations demonstrate the cycle of hatred and unforgiveness fester. That’s the macro. What about the micro – who have you crossed off your Christmas list? We miss what God wants us to have because of bitterness and resentment that ‘defiles many.’ Do you play the scenario over and over Do you react to a name when you hear it We are a loved nation aren’t we? Just watch Eurovision – see how many nations hold grudges against us A little girl prayed ‘forgive us our bins as we forgive those who bin against us.’ How many times? 70 x 7 = You’ve missed the point if you’ve done the maths It’s so easy to pick and choose Defriend on […]

How much does God love you?

As I’m preparing for another Ivy wedding, looking at their chosen reading from Ephesians 3, I  just read this, by Francis Chan –  on GETTING the love of God. Let me ask you: How much do you think God the Father loves his Son? Try to imagine that. How much does God the Father love Jesus? It’d be a pretty perfect love, right? That’s why John 15:9 is a difficult passage for some of us to embrace. In John 15:9 Jesus says, “Just as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” Did you catch that: Just as? In so much as, in the same way as the Father loves you, Jesus, that’s how much you love me? Come on. Shouldn’t the verse read, “Just as the Father has loved me, cut that in half, or a third, and that’s how much he loves you.” That’s the way it feels sometimes, right? Some of you get the love of God, and praise God for that. I’m so grateful for you, and I learn […]

Alan Taylor @alantaylor82 Matt 7 ‘A House Built On’

Jesus says if you want to get what I have for you, this is the most important thing now, so lean in. And the disciples want to learn -so they want to be more like him…. 24-25 “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. 26-27 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” 28-29 When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was […]

Have You No Bread? Have You No Fish?

I had a great dream the other night. I was with Zoe (and our son Joel) at a grand house which seemed like some kind of hotel. There was a very kind scottish porter who was showing us our room and asked, ‘Do you now the motto of the house?’ Joel said, ‘It’s written above all the doors!’ I looked at the large patio doors and above them were brass plaques with the following writing; HAVE YOU NO BREAD?  HAVE YOU NO FISH?  The porter laughed, ‘Of course the Master has provided the bread and the fish!’ I looked to the corner of the room where a huge table groaned with all the food you could ever want to eat, including of course lots and lots of bread and fish. Our host, still chuckling, loudly declared, “There will always be enough, and an abundance of leftovers – basketfuls of leftovers!” I looked out of the windows and seemed to be looking from the north at London. Somehow I could see the whole of the city at once, the whole River […]

The Biggest Challenge Of My Life So Far – Please Help Me Out!

I’m WAY excited! Carl Brettle from UCB recently challenged me, “If you wrote an evangelistic resource that will connect to 21st Century people, I think we could make thousands of copies available to give FREE to churches.” Woah. I met him a week or so after to see if he was serious or whether that was just a rush of blood. We discussed an idea I’d had about a year before that I’d been thinking and praying about and following that I’m just about to start writing and producing what will be at least two resources. I can’t give you the titles etc yet but there will be… 1) A short, punchy booklet and DVD resource linked to a website full of amazing testimonies challenging people to follow Jesus Christ 2) Another free resource for those who have done so (or are still on the edges of it) to help disciple them to make disciples. Both resources will have dedicated websites to really help people who engage with the material at every level and we are planning on having tens […]

‘Pack Your Bucket And Spade To Dig A Trench In Egyptian Warzone.’ Thomsons Holidays have a very strange sense of humour.

Thomsons have repeatedly sought to reassure me that they are ‘monitoring’ the situation in their private emails, while churning out emails like this and sending us e-tickets as with no reference at all to what is happening there!
Meanwhile Egypt is described as on the brink of civil war.

No Such Thing As Private Morality.

Tomorrow we finish a series I have loved us going through at Ivy, all about David. We’ve been in his life for months and learned a lot. But as we draw a close on his life, I’m left wishing he finished better – and praying that I will finish well. David was a man after God’s own heart. But as we track through his life we know that David’s heart was often broken. All of our hearts are broken by sin. By wrong things we’ve done and things done to us. Last week we saw how at times, temptation won and sin reigned in David’s heart and controlled him. If you want to check out my video teaching on that fall with Bathsheba it’s available free on ‘Ivy Player’ on www.ivymanchester.org now Now while David was forgiven of that because he turned to God in repentance, consequences came back to bite him. That’s something we often forget ahead of our sin, or even post confession. Consequences. There were consequences with regard to how much God could bless him, because that […]