The Gambia and Great Britain. 2 countries separated by over 2,000 miles. One a thriving player on the international economic scene, the other a nation where a third of its 2 million citizens live below the international poverty line. Both a place where God's word is bearing fruit as people preach and respond to the gospel.
Last week, The Good Book College Director, Doug Johnson, his wife, Ann and I took to the air (well, a Monarch plane) and travelled from London to Banjul. We'd been invited to speak at a series of lectures run at the Gamfes centre (the Gambian branch of the Independent Fellowship of Evangelical Students). And what a week it was!... continue reading
Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, âGlory!â
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Psalm 29
Though it may be intimidating to think that God sees and knows all of our sin, remember that God knew you completely and still sent His Son to die for you! Jesus didn't give His life for some better version of you; He knew your sin and still loved you enough to save YOU.
Here's a video showing what our latest evangelistic resource is all about....
The aim of this book is to get the gospel out to people who aren't avid readers. This is a very accessible and clear presentation of the gospel. It's ideal for teenagers and young adults alike.
To launch it there is 20% off the price for single copies. If you're looking to get a stack for your youth group you can get 10 for just ÂŁ24.99!
It's being launched at the Sorted conference in London tomorrow where they'll be 1200 teenagers. Please pray that they would be built up in the truth of the gospel as the Bible is taught and as they are encouraged by others there.
Justin Welby set to become new Archbishop of Canterbury
Christians Fight Israel's Marriage Ban
And some articles on the recent US election...
Election results raise questions about Christian right's influence
In Defeats, Evangelicals' Political Unity at All-Time High
Evangelical Vote Increases to Record 27% of Electorate, Breaks Heavily for Romney
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.
I admit it, I am feeling just a little bit pleased with myself.
Why?
Because last Saturday, I achieved a Personal Best for my weekly 5 kilometre run.
I joined the brilliant Parkrun scheme earlier this year, when I decided I needed to do something extra to fight the middle-aged flab. And the experience has proven trying, testing, exhilarating and painful. The Parkrun scheme operates at hundreds of parks worldwide, is entirely staffed by volunteers, and does one simple thing really, really well. At 9am on Saturday morning all over the world, someone says "Go", and everybody runs for 5,000 meters.
OK, I admit that 31 minutes 12 seconds does not exactly put me in an Olympian category. And truth to tell, I can't really call it a personal best because I would never have made it on my own.... continue reading
This movie tells a remarkable tale based on real-life events. After the Iranian revolution of 1979, the US embassy in Tehran is taken over by angry pro-Ayatollah students who hold its inhabitants hostage. Six of the embassy's workers escape and are hidden by Canadian diplomats. Back in the US, CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is tasked with extracting them from this hostile country before they're discovered by Revolutionary Guards.
But how to do the seemingly impossible? Out of all the implausible plans on the table, they pick the least likely of the lot â to create a fake sci fi movie called Argo (a Star wars knock-off). The idea is that Ben Affleck acts as the producer of this movie sent to scout locations in the middle east. The hidden embassy workers would play the film's Canadian crew before being smuggled out of the country.... continue reading
You may have heard that thereâs an election going on in the US todayâŚ
From across the Atlantic, and whatever your political persuasion, whatâs really noticeable is the change of mood between 2008 and 2012. Four years ago, Barack Obama swept to power on a wave of âYes, we canâ. Whoever wins today will do so on a trickle of âYou probably canât, but youâre less bad than the other guyâ.
If Obama does win, as the polls suggest he will, it wonât be, canât be, with the same flood of optimism as in 2008. Then, he was the man. He would make it better. He would make it different. He was the one who would deliver the change you wanted (whatever change that was).
Of course that hope has become tinged with disappointment. He was and is, after all, only a man. Heâd been asked to do too much (and, in fairness, had encouraged voters to think he could do too much).... continue reading
My first Advent calendar was in a shoebox. Numbered doors round the outside walls, flaps tucked back in to reuse it each year. But the exciting bit was inside. A 3D tableau of the nativity scene. A window at one end looking in to the box. And masses of stars cut in the lid, their light shining down on the scene inside. It was magical. I loved it. The nativity at the centre. But it told me nothing at all about the real Christmas.
Modern-day Advent calendars are exciting too. Theyâre centred on something beginning with âChâ â not Christ but chocolate. Most donât mention Christmas â theyâre about Barbie, Transformers or a favourite Disney character. So is this a rant about the commercialisation of Christmas? No. But hopefully a gentle nudge to reclaim Advent for Christ.... continue reading
"Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyesâI, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
âIf you say, âHow we will hound him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him,'
you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,
and then you will know that there is judgment.â
Job 19 v 23-29
Job seems to be sinking to new depths of despair, only to rise to new heights of faith and hope! This is a real turning point for Job. Heâs been searching for reasons for his suffering. Heâs not found any but he comes to a remarkable conclusion: I can trust God; He will vindicate me when I see Him face to face. Unlike Job, we live after Jesusâ death and resurrection. Our Redeemer does live â Jesus Christ, who has bought us back from sin and snatched us from the clutches of death!
