Shocking corruption?

The revelation by the European Union that corruption and bribery is rife in Europe has come as a shock to many. But it ought not to be a surprise to anyone who takes the Bible seriously.

I remember being shocked the first time I came across this. I worked as a journalist reporting on Middle-East affairs for many years, and stories of bribery and corruption in contracts with Arab states were rife - and often hilarious. One evening I asked a businessman who specialised in medical equipment which country he thought was the worst for corruption. I expected him to mention somewhere in Africa or the Middle East.

"Germany" was his instant, unqualified response.... continue reading

Does your eternity change anything?

I think about the future a lot. Just not the right bit of it.

I look forward to the weekend; to a drink with a friend; to a summer holiday involving a lie-in and a beach.

And, because I look forward to those things, they affect how I feel and act in the present. Think back to the week before you last went on a great holiday. I’ll bet work problems seemed smaller, irritating people seemed less irritating, tiredness seemed easier to cope with. You had a little skip in your heart, despite the usual issues of day-to-day life. Why? Because soon, you’d be on holiday. You weren’t there yet, but knowing it lay in your future changed your present.

Weekends, seeing friends, holidays… we think about those things a lot.

How much do you think about eternity? How much does your future in 200 years affect your day right now?... continue reading

Start as you mean to go on

Young Isaac enjoys getting some ministry perspective early on... You can too - whatever your age and stage.

Serving without sinking available HERE.

Fighting the Monday feeling

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’

John 14:1-4

Christianity in the News 30.01.14

Guantánamo's 'architect of 9/11' has care worker pen pal in Nottingham

Thou shalt not Tweet in an ungodly way, Church of England tells worshippers

Court to investigate whether Boris Johnson banned ‘gay cure’ bus ads for ‘political capital’

Victorian schools warned following complaints about religious education

Oregon Rules Bakery Violated Gay Couple’s Civil Rights By Denying Them A Cake For Same-Sex Wedding

Disclaimer: The Good Book Company is not responsible for the content of external sites and does not necessarily agree with the content of articles listed.

5 things to pray for CU mission weeks

Over the next couple of months, something really exciting will be happening on university campuses all over the UK: Christian Union Mission Weeks. Last year, 35 000 students went to mission week events. Some of those people were my friends at the University of Manchester; and it was a great privilege to be involved in organising our week.

CUs are engaged in a whole range of outreach activities all year round, which come with their own set of baffling Christian jargon: ‘bottle drops’ (handing out water to students coming home from nights out); ‘tea and toast’ (handing out tea and toast to the aforementioned inebriated students); ‘text-a-toastie’ (CU members deliver the toasties and answer questions about God); 'carol services' (which are… carol services).... continue reading

I've got a friend who struggles with...lust

Lust (which for the purposes of this post, we’ll define as a strong sexual desire for someone other than our spouse) is a big problem but let’s face it, most of us don’t naturally talk about our sexual struggles over coffee after church. Every now and then, though, there’s a cracking sermon on Matthew 5:27-30 and someone quietly whispers … “I needed to hear that so much – I’m in a mess … “

In moments like this, how can we make sure our initial response is as helpful as it can be? Here are our top tips for things to say:... continue reading

Book review: Stepping Out in Faith

“It doesn’t look like a church!” was the comment of a former Catholic coming to our church for the first time. (Admittedly, it was our old wood and asbestos structure, once thought to be a “disused woodyard” by a passer-by. We have re-built it since!). To her, a plain building, with no crucifixes, images of Mary, incense or candles was simply not ‘a church’.

Another Catholic who came to our church recently was very surprised at the Bible-centred preaching. “The Bible is never mentioned at our church”, they said.

We’ve all no doubt had comments from Catholic friends, family or work colleagues along the lines of “I go to confession, but I still feel guilty afterwards for the wrong things I know I’ve done – and I can’t seem to find any peace”, or “I go to Mass, and pray the prayers that are expected, but there’s something different about you and your church. You seem to have a personal relationship with God, and you study the Bible for yourselves”.... continue reading