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The White Flag Of Grace
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe subject of God’s grace permeates every aspect of the Gospel, giving it weight and power. The saving acts of God, due to the work of Jesus on the cross and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead bring reconciliation (“atonement”) between people and God. This is why the Gospel is described as a message of hope for the whole world (Luke 14:15-24).
The word ‘grace’ itself is described by one author as “the last, best word” in English, remaining… -
Who Moved The Stone?
Reading Time: 4 minutesThat Jesus existed, there is no doubt. There is a great deal of written historical evidence, both from Christian and non-Christian writers, supporting the fact that Jesus was a genuine historical figure, living at the beginning of the first century AD. When applying the standard criteria of historical investigation, virtually all New Testament and Near East historians assert the historicity of Jesus as certain.
Dr Michael Grant (1914-2004) wrote “Jesus: An Historian’s View of the Gospels,”… -
Traditions: Good Or Bad?
Reading Time: 4 minutesOne of my favourite movies is Ever After with Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston. It has all the right ingredients for a great story – humour, romance, drama and a feel-good ending. When I think of this movie, I have a few favourite scenes that top my list, but the one where Danielle’s father leaves to go abroad and stops at the gate to wave often plays through my mind. Perhaps because it’s such a…
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True Religion
Reading Time: 5 minutesReligion is defined as “a cultural system of designated behaviours and practices, world views, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organisations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual elements.”
Yet, there is no actual consensus among scholars as to what precisely constitutes a religion.
Nearly 85% of the world’s population identifies as being religious, claiming affiliation with one of the five largest religions; Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or forms of folk religion. These different religions all have distinct rules,… -
Building Resilience
Reading Time: 4 minutesResilience can sometimes be mistaken for indifference, unaccountability or emotional disconnection but in reality, resilience is the complete opposite of these things. It is the ability to truly face reality, to be responsible for our actions and to be emotionally vulnerable, if necessary. It is the inner strength that enables us to bounce back after facing unexpected challenges or setbacks. Resilience can be equated to mental fortitude and it lives in the small moments, as…
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The Gospel Of Good News
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhen we think of the gospel, we can tend to think of it in only ‘New Testament’ terms. We might be of the impression that the gospel was something that came about around the time of Jesus and subsequently spread throughout the world by his followers. While this is somewhat true, upon more extensive reading we learn that the message of good news is much older than we thought. Yes, it concerns Jesus but it…
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Avoiding Church Burnout
Reading Time: 4 minutesBurnout, particularly in relation to church life, is a subject that doesn’t get as much discussion as it should. Perhaps it’s because we tend to think that ‘doing lots of stuff’ and ‘attending lots of events’ is a requirement of any conscientious church member. We dutifully fill our calendars with copious church events, often to the exclusion of personal time, family time, or, most importantly, time with God.
(Not a reader? Take a listen instead ⇓)
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Burnout is… -
Abraham | Father Of The Faithful
Reading Time: 6 minutesI heard a sermon recently about the life of Abraham and it got me thinking a lot about the man, his life and the choices that he made. There are very good reasons why he’s described in the Bible as “the father of the faithful” (Romans 4:12) and “the friend of God”.
It’s worthwhile considering these two great epitaphs about a man who provides so much inspiration and encouragement for our own lives today.(Not a reader?…
