Category: Discipleship

Happy people – the hungry and thirsty

Have you ever lost your appetite? I don’t just mean being off your food for a few days because you are a bit under the weather or snacking all day so that you are not hungry at mealtime.  I’m talking about significant loss of appetite over a sustained period of time. In such a case,… Continue reading Happy people – the hungry and thirsty

Are Christians meant to feed themselves?

A couple of years back, a US church surveyed its members to get a better understanding of retention issues. They discovered that a major problem was that a lot of members, especially those who were mature Christians felt that they were not being properly fed. The church’s response?  They began to look at how they… Continue reading Are Christians meant to feed themselves?

Happy people – those who mourn

Our second beatitude promises blessing or happiness for those who mourn.  In Matthew, the reason that they are happy, or blessed is because they will be comforted. Luke 6:21 sets an even strong contrast “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” Jesus here is picking up on an important Old Testament theme… Continue reading Happy people – those who mourn

I don’t feel fed (part 2) – how do we feed the church?

Yesterday I wrote about the problem when people don’t feel fed in church. I highlighted that 30-40 years ago, many churches would have provided quite a programme in the week for teaching including services, adult Sunday schools and midweek ministry. Given that feeding has a wider dimension than just intellectual content, we might add to… Continue reading I don’t feel fed (part 2) – how do we feed the church?

Happy people – the poor

Have you experienced abject poverty? Perhaps if you have not experienced it personally you have witnessed people living with nothing or very little. I’ve seen people in Cairo living among the garbage. I’ve also known people here in the West Midlands who have got themselves into such a mess that they are left homeless, on… Continue reading Happy people – the poor

The anxious middle

The Bishop of London has been quoted today observing that it is okay to be anxious at the moment, we are still in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic and there is a real possibility of a second wave striking.  The heart of her argument is that well-worn phrase “It’s okay to not be okay”… Continue reading The anxious middle

Forgiveness, reconciliation, restored trust and domestic abuse

In my article yesterday, I talked about learning to trust again after forgiveness and reconciliation. I argued that this was possible by choosing to remember the good things about a person as well as God’s grace to them and us and to choose to not remember their weakness, sin and the pain caused. In a… Continue reading Forgiveness, reconciliation, restored trust and domestic abuse

Forgiveness, reconciliation, trust and what you choose to remember

Forgiveness does not always lead to reconciliation. It is possible to say “I forgive you” but rebuilding broken trust is difficult, takes time and may not be possible.  This may leave us feeling hopeless, helpless and despairing.  What hope is there for the married couple where there has been a breakdown in the relationship, they’ve… Continue reading Forgiveness, reconciliation, trust and what you choose to remember