What is the greatest good? That is, of all the good things in life, which is the greatest? And where do good things come from? Those are fundamental questions for everyone to answer, and yet many seem confused about – or have forgotten – what the answers are. Hosea addressed God’s people in a time
Read moreOur ‘Freedom’ week of events is just 20 days away! I hope you have the dates (9-17 March) and the events themselves in your diary. Can I pass on something I’ve learned about such weeks over the years? I used to think – I don’t know where I got this idea – that I shouldn’t
Read moreIt was a clever advertisement that I saw on the back of a bus – yes, really. There was a picture of, I think, a complicated robotic device. Next to it, the caption read, “If you think this is clever, meet its maker.” The advertisement was for a university (whose name I forget). Isn’t it
Read moreHow would you answer that question? You would have thought that evangelical Christians, at least, would know the answer. We are, after all, gospel people – ‘evangel’ is an old English word for ‘gospel’. But it’s good to be reminded of the fundamentals. Some of us were able to hear that question being answered this
Read moreIn one of the memorable scenes in Les Miserables, the police inspector Javert confronts the former thief and prisoner Jean Valjean, who has now become a respected local mayor. But Javert cannot accept that Valjean has changed, and so sings: “A man like you can never change, a man… such as you… Men like you
Read moreHaving just returned from Myanmar (Burma), I have begun reading the story of Adoniram Judson, one of the first American missionaries, who took the gospel to Burma. His vision and passion are a rebuke to our small-minded and comfort-loving times. Here is what he wrote to John Heseltine, seeking permission to marry his daughter Nancy:
Read moreThat was the question asked by a speaker at a conference I was at last week. It was a question that cut right to my heart! ‘How needy am I?’ We don’t like to think of ourselves as needy, do we? Certainly I don’t. It’s seen as weakness in our culture. I like to think
Read moreI saw a cartoon in a newspaper the other day that pictured two dogs sitting side by side and the first dog asking the question: ‘what exactly is a New Year Resolution?’ The second dog answered: ‘It’s a to-do list for the first week of January!’ Lot’s of people make resolutions at the start of
Read moreSo, the Duchess of Cambridge is having a baby! Has anyone missed that news? And isn’t it brilliant news? One can only feel sorry that she is feeling so unwell, and that every twist and turn of her pregnancy will be played out in the full gaze of the media. I found myself playing ‘spot
Read moreI doubt that anyone reading this will also have read the entire Leveson report, which was published this week. Fortunately, the BBC News website gives this helpful summary of its central recommendation: “A tougher form of self-regulation backed by legislation should be introduced to uphold press standards.” To my mind, the issue comes...
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