The book of Nehemiah tells the story of the walls of Jerusalem being rebuilt following the Babylonian exile. At the start of the book, Nehemiah is told of the desperate and vulnerable state of those who have returned, and he… Read more

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4.10 The former footballer Micheal Owen has been in the news this week after… Read more

Cinema legend Ridley Scott has directed several iconic film masterpieces including Gladiator, Blade Runner and its more recent follow up Blade Runner 2049, Napoleon to name but a few. His latest offering to hit the big screen is The Dog… Read more

It seems that like many English idioms, the phrase ‘short and sweet’, has been in use for hundreds of years. It’s the idea of being positively brief and precise (not being blunt). ‘Short and sweet’ can certainly be said of… Read more

On my way into St John’s last week, I was listening to a discussion on the radio between Steve Chalk, founder of Oasis Trust (Oasisuk.org) ; Prof Robert Beckford, academic theologian and the presenter William Crawley, about the death of… Read more

We have a number of sayings that describe getting older. Those of us who are in the autumn of our lives attract ‘labels’ – words like ‘fossilized’ ’ getting on in years’, ‘rusty’, ‘doddery’ and sometimes worse! Growing old (despite… Read more

Psalm 49 was written by a group of people called the ‘Sons of Korah’. The S of K have an interesting family history! You can read about Korah in the book of Numbers in the Old Testament. Korah led a… Read more

Have you forgotten? Psalm 77 Here we have another Psalm from musical director Asaph. He’s under pressure, wrung out, stressed to the limits. Look at the words Asaph uses to describe his situation: • Distress v.2 Spiritually weak v2 Insomnia… Read more

‘God of the poor, friend of the weak …’ Graham Kendricks hymn ‘God of the poor’ (beauty for brokenness), reflects something of the heart of God that we see in this Psalm, written by Asaph. Asaph was a kind of… Read more

Monday 15th June (2 Corinthians 2: 4) How did Paul feel as he wrote his letter and what emotions were on his mind? Tuesday 16th June (2 Corinthians 2:4) How does God comfort us in times of suffering? In what… Read more

Through the Bible: 2 Conrinthians Monday 8th June (2 Corinthians 1:14-15) Why did Paul say that the Corinthians could boast of him just as he would boast of them? Why had Paul planned to visit the Corinthian church? Tuesday 9th… Read more

“Do everything in love “ (1 Corinthians 16: 14) Love should shape every part of our lives, not only the easy moments. Real love shows in our attitude, words, decisions, and treatment of others, especially when challenged or frustrated. God… Read more