This month's most popular posts

  • Sheep and Shepherds Preparing for next Sunday's Video talk, which we're filming later today, I found a great deal of interesting detail from this source, reproduced at www.baptistbiblebelievers.com Manner And Customs of Bible Lands by Fred H. Wight Copyright @ 1953 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Shepherd ... posted on December 10, 2013
  • Why Paul told Timothy he was so FOR women leading, and I want to be too! Why would Paul name two men getting it wrong then apparently write ‘so the answer is don’t let women teach?’ Writing something which for 2000 years since has been used - by men - to clobber women into submission at ... posted on March 19, 2021
  • Curses and Blessings, Balaam & Barak It's not just the strange tale of a talking donkey. Numbers 22 has a lot to tell us about blessings and curses and how words work God's way. posted on February 11, 2023

Mark Bailey at The Message Prayer Day @Markbailey_

Prayer is not overcoming God’s unwillingness. Prayer is the engine room of the church. Ministry is tough – but hang on and you will see God do great things. There are opportunities for spiritual entrepreneurs all around us. Churchill said ‘planning is important but plans are useless’ You actually have no idea where you are heading. God is predictably unpredictable. The Celts called the Holy Spirit the Wild Goose. We are on a wild goose chase! If you’re born of the spirit, you want predictability but you can’t chase anything. His church policy on a reserve policy is to have no reserves Because that keeps you on your knees You have to risk if you want to please God. That’s faith – faith makes the adventure. Oswald Chambers ‘We do not know what a day will bring forth’ Why? Because he is ordering your steps The simple things are the important things. Jesus was great at simplifying complexity ‘Whats the most important commandment?’ Simple! And he lived a simple life. The early church had a simple creed, ‘Jesus is Lord.’ […]

Problem – People – Plan. Acts 6

Great input from Chris Willard  @Chris_willard at Leadership Network @leadnet Retreat.   In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”  This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large […]

How honesty helps you get through ministry without ruining your life

Discussion started following teaching from Billy Kennedy @BillyK5562 at Leadership Network Retreat   Too many people get taken out of the fight.   No accountability structure will work without being really honest with yourself about where you really are at.   We need to be as honest as possible with a few people we can really trust.   We have to develop a culture of transparency and honesty, not just talking vision, growth and targets. We need to be able to say, ‘I am struggling.’ If we don’t have that at the front end we will have to be honest about it when the crash comes!   Our insecurities, driveness, low self esteem etc has to be dealt with and engaged. We ALL have stuff! Become more self aware.   Work at your marriage/ relationships. Continually invest in that. Men get attracted by a woman who takes an interest and if there’s a deficit at home are on very dodgy ground.   Work at extended family. Other people who are close, so we’re not seen as the isolated leader. Do […]

‘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 […]