This month's most popular posts

  • Pete Greig: Prayer that’s Faithful, Faith-Filled, and Fully Awake. I was privileged to attend this year's Wildfires event. My first reflection is no wonder it's grown every year. I was invited in previous years and thought 'it's too far from Manchester' but I've realised it's not going to get ... posted on July 28, 2025
  • Leading Like Jesus Not Jezebel: Recognising the Spirit That Destroys From Within I see a lot of posts floating around about 'The Jezebel Spirit', many of which don't seem to have a clue. This is not a definitive word on this terrible assignment the enemy loves to send but looking back on ... posted on July 18, 2025
  • 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

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 Life; The Care of Sheep and Goats SHEEP IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL LARGE NUMBER OF SHEEP IN PALESTINE From the days of Abraham down to modern times, sheep have abounded in the Holy Land. The Arabs of Bible lands have largely been dependent through the centuries upon sheep for their living. The Jews of Bible times were first shepherds and then farmers, but they never abandoned entirely their shepherd life. The large number of sheep in the land can be understood when it is realized that Job had fourteen thousand sheep (Job 42:12), and that King Solomon at the Temple’s dedication, sacrificed one hundred and twenty thousand sheep (I Kings 8:63). Fat-tailed sheep the variety mostly in use. The fat tail provides reserve strength for the sheep, much like the hump does on a camel. There is energy in […]

OMG! My talk from our last baptism service, and a BIG resource for free next year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U5cYL6oUqk You’ve heard people say OMG a lot. You’re going to hear a lot more about OMG in 2014. Thanks to the amazing people at UCB there’s a mini-book in preproduction I’ve written which will see 50,000 copies handed out next year, together with multiple thousands of FREE booklets, a DVD, a website full of OMG moments – and a FREE follow up course and book to help people who change their minds about God through it learn what it it is to follow. You can get a free sneaky peek at the content by watching this talk which a lot of it came out of. Let me know what you think, please.

Leadership Network Interviewed Me…

about our experience of connecting to their High Capacity peer learning group for Europe, which has been fantastic; their notes from our telephone interview have just been posted widely and I reproduce it below.   In September 2014, Leadership Network will launch a High Capacity peer learning group in Europe. Anthony Delaney, Team Leader of Ivy Manchester (UK), tells his story of participating in Europe’s Rapid Growth Leadership Community. When Anthony Delaney took over as leader, Ivy was known as ‘Ivy Cottage’ and he reflects, “I saw great potential, but we needed to move out of the cottage and into the city.” With the help of Leadership Network, that’s where Anthony has been leading Ivy over the past five years. In this time they’ve planted three churches and started several missional projects. For Anthony it began when his friend Andy Hawthorne (founder and director of The Message) invited him to join a Leadership Network Leadership Community. Within a few months Anthony was at his first meeting. It was at these meetings that he began to make great friendships and was introduced […]

Jessie Jo Jacobs – Revival of love

Everything we want to do comes out of love. Jesus sets a very high bar; don’t look at her with lust, she’s your sister Don’t look at him with anger; he’s your brother The fasting he requires is feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, loving those that have nowt. He asked Simon Peter: do you love me? Yes Feed my lambs then If you love me – love them What else can save the world, our cities, but this love. A people caught up in love. The bible is a love story Not a rule book Matt 13:3-9 parable of the sower 19-23 unpacks and explains it. Jesus is sowing seed on planet earth Some – hard ground; ‘I just don’t and won’t believe that love story.’ Some had no root; shallow relationship. The first joy of the first date. No depth to the relationship. And some – it’s wealth that gets in the way. The cares of this world, consumerism is choking out the gospel in the world. Britain is full of rich young rulers who won’t give up […]

Rib Ticklers…

Just been preparing for next year’s series January to March at Ivy, where we’ll be beginning 2014 at the Beginnings looking through the book of Genesis.  As I am known for my ‘Dad jokes’ – here are a few terrible Old Testament rib ticklers (sorry Adam) that if I get out of the way now I have no excuse for using then… Q. Who was the greatest male financier in the Bible? A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation. Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible? A. Pharaoh’s daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.   Q. Who was the first smoker in the Bible?  A. Rebekah lighted off her Camel   Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married?A. Ruthless   Q. Who was the tennis champ of the Bible?  A. David served in the courts of King Saul.    Q. What kinds of motor vehicles are in the Bible? A. God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in […]

Infinity – Nick Duffy at Ivy Didsbury

Small is big if God is in it It only takes a mustard seed of faith but God can do miracles from that Mk 8:22-end Are we living with eternity in view? Today is Remembrance Day How would you feel to go into conflict like that People’s determination has determined our destiny ‘Our actions today echo in eternity’ (Gladiator) Society dismisses heaven – until someone dies then we say ‘there must be more to life than this.’ We talk about trivial things and say YOLO – you only live once; So if this is all there is, live fast & die young But then there are glimpses of the eternal where we sense ‘this is transcendent’ Moments God uses as a glimpse of someone saying ‘You think this is beautiful, you should see me’ Lives lived apart from Jesus are just moment to moment ‘The fact that our hearts yearn for something earth cannot supply is proof that heaven is our home’ CS Lewis Jesus says ‘lose your life – gain your soul!’ We have that imprint of God in […]

Infinity – Sid Williams at Ivy Sharston

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘infinity’? Toy story Space Forever Bt broadband Eternity Galaxies Nhs waiting lists How long coronation street has been on tv We find it hard to get our heads round because we all have a birthday God didn’t have a birthday Apart from Christmas God doesn’t have a start and an end He just IS the Alpha and Omega What else has no end? No such thing as an everlasting gobs topper! We like the beginnings But then there’s an end How do we cope with that? 1) connect to the infinite God 2) let that impact us now God is the only uncreated thing Many scientists acknowledge ‘a creative power’ kicked it off Who’s that then?! If we have a relationship with God he offers us not only his presence with him now – but forever And then we won’t be worrying about council tax We will have a different viewpoint God says ‘you’re like a blade of grass’ Is there any reason anyone will remember you in 100 years? If […]