From The Heart

This year we’re going to be hearing a lot about welcoming. In a seminar we recently hosted on the topic, the consultant highlighted that it’s the 15 minutes after the service that have the most impact on whether new people decide if your church is friendly or not.  What this…

Pastor Sam preached last week on how to (not) judge others within the church family. We saw that we must first humbly examine our own lives, before pointing out sins in our brothers and sisters. But what about when it comes to those outside of our church family? What about…

Jesus is Lord is one of the most significant statements that can be made. It was the first “creed” of Christians (as in a foundational, game-changer statement). Being saved by Jesus and living under his rule and direction changes everything. Especially our relationships. With God, with others, with God’s world.…

If you have had the opportunity of riding a bicycle, you would know the pleasure of travelling from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ on a frame suspended by two wheels, with wind on your face and the swift changing scenery on your mind. If so, you would also be familiar…

The question of identity is a big one these days. Different people want to define themselves in different ways, sometimes without any regard for any kind of reality. The UK government is spending half a million pounds investigating the idea of “pregnant men”. We all know that there is a…

When is the prime of your life? Scientists predict we will peak physically at roughly 25 years old, and mentally in our mid-thirties. What about your spiritual life? The bible encourages a life of constant spiritual progress. The Apostle Paul, even with all his credentials, continues to “press on toward…

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a metaphor intended to capture a proverbial truth - that we shouldn’t assess a person’s value by their outward appearance, but by who they are on the inside - their character, personality and values. Unfortunately, book publishers know the truth - we…

Christmas is rightly a time for celebration, laughter and joy with friends and family. However, for many of us, Christmas is also a time for tears. The season can be a painful reminder of broken relationships, loneliness and the loss of loved ones. The picture of the first Christmas is…

“I have found that petty disappointments tend to accumulate over time, undermining my faith with a lava flow of doubt. I start to wonder whether God cares about everyday details — about me. I am tempted to pray less often, having concluded in advance that it won’t matter. Or will it? My emotions and…

Anybody who has ever been in a serious conflict knows only too well how all-consuming it is. It saps our time, thoughts, energy and diminishes our resilience and ability to reach out to others. It’s like a cancer of the soul. What is true at the personal level is true…