I was glancing through Timothy Keller’s book on Prayer, which Gill is currently reading, and was struck by an illustration he drew from one of the seventeenth-century Puritans, Thomas Goodwin.  One day Goodwin saw a father and son walking along the street.  Suddenly the father swept the son up into his arms and hugged and kissed him and told the boy he…

What dramatic and extreme days we are living in!  Just 7 days ago Gill, David and I were enjoying a meal in a Winchester restaurant and, of course, last Sunday morning we were all able to meet together to worship God.  Now things are totally different and we may be wondering “what next?”  However, whilst we may be self-isolating and / or…

When our oldest son, Noah, was a toddler I remember taking him swimming for the very first time.  As all good toddlers do upon entering the water he flailed around helplessly until he finally relaxed into the knowledge that I was holding him tight and had no intention of letting him drown.  What’s interesting is that the trust he placed in me…

Recently I came across some fascinating statistics about Mount Everest.  I’ve always admired mountain climbers, the preparation, discipline and training required, and the incredible vision for an adventure they all seem to have.  However, once I saw the statistics I found greater respect for them.  Whilst at Everest’s base camp, for instance, climbers can already begin to show signs of altitude sickness.…

We were studying the 10 Commandments at this past week’s Tuesday Fellowship and noted: they followed the Lord’s deliverance (salvation) of Israel from slavery in Egypt.  Israel’s obedience to God’s laws was intended to flow from and be their response to His gracious, sovereign rescue.  The clear principle throughout the Bible is that our works in no way earn our salvation but…

The original Jurassic Park film (1993) is a cinematic triumph.  Even today the CGI (computer-generated imagery) looks amazing, and the Tyrannosaurus looks as terrifying as ever.  Unfortunately, in the 27 years and four films that have since followed, the plot hasn’t evolved one bit.  The narrative of each film is very simple; humans attempt to harness the power of creation, and each…

I was particularly struck last week by these words from Psalm 32v10 – “the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him.”  Spurgeon comments: “Observe, my soul, what a bodyguard you have!  Before and behind, and on all sides, ride these mounted guards of grace.  We dwell in the centre of the system of mercy, for we dwell in Christ…

Last week we finished a series on Jonah at our evening service.  As I poured over the passage there was one area that stood out for me; Jonah was happy to receive grace but was broken at the idea of his enemies receiving any.  If you remember the passage in Jonah chapter four, Jonah has just finished proclaiming disaster upon Nineveh.  When…

Very moving ceremonies were held on Monday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in occupied Poland.  Some 1.3m people were sent to Auschwitz during the Second World War, of whom some 1.1m died, including 960,000 Jews.  The scale, horror and sheer evil of this camp, and other similar ‘facilities’, are beyond imagination.…

We will be studying this morning the account in John 13 of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet.  It is stunning to consider the Son of God kneeling to wash the dirty feet of the Twelve, including Peter and Judas Iscariot. The event is remarkably multi-layered.  Clearly Jesus is giving here a wonderful example of humble service of others which He expects all…