Imagine you are in a race.
You don't remember the starting gun, you just know that you are running, running, running.
All around you people jostle. Some surge ahead, some get left behind. Others drop exhausted by the roadside.
Sometimes it feels great. There are people around you, encouraging you, cheering you on. The wind in your hair and the sun on your face are truly beautiful.... continue reading
Tony Blair says Christians should "speak up and speak out"
US evangelical Christians accused of promoting homophobia in Africa
On patrol: the seaside God squad
Christian protesters charged by police over displaying graphic anti-abortion banner
Ratio of evangelicals in Brazil jumps 44% in 10 years
America's liberal Christians might be progressive and inclusive, but they are also dying out
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.
If Elen looked chilled out at 12 weeks, the 20-week scan revealed a baby who was so content as she slouched about in her cosy embryonic armchair that she showed no sign of ever wanting to emerge. As the pregnancy developed, she did not budge an inch, refusing to get into the ‘engaged’ position (“Ready or not, here i come!”), opting instead for the ‘breach’ position (“We shall not, we shall not be moved!”)
Giving birth to a baby in breach is dangerous for both the baby and the mother, so Michelle agreed to give birth by elective caesarean section, meaning that she would go in for a pre-planned operation a week before the baby was due. No breaking waters, no contractions, all a bit surreal really. All of a sudden our answer to the question “when’s the baby due?” was “9am next Tuesday!”... continue reading
One of our readers recently asked: Why wasn’t it sinful for Jesus as a boy to have gone off to the temple and not informed his parents of his whereabouts? It doesn’t seem to be obeying the fifth commandment, to honour your father and mother.
Great question, and a tricky one! It’s important, too, because this is the only episode from Jesus’ childhood we know about (Luke 2 v 41-52), and of course in order to be our perfect sacrifice and our righteousness-giver, Jesus must be sinless. If He is being anything less than perfect here, He’s out of the running to die in our place or give us His relationship with God almost before His human life has begun.
I have been mulling it over and here’s what I’ve come up with: I’d love to know if there are other ways to think about this issue.... continue reading
They're going on now… and will throughout the summer. You may well know people you can pray these things for. If you don't, just pick a camp (Ventures is one place to find one) and pray these things for the people on it!
I’ve sat in front of more screens in my life-time than is healthy for any human being – from TVs to PCs, and mobile phones to widescreen cinemas. In truth the vast majority of stuff that I watched in that time probably stayed in my conscious memory for about 5 seconds before disappearing forever, having been of absolutely no benefit to me or to humanity as a whole.
However, there was one time that I sat in front of a screen that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was the day I got to meet my little girl, Elen, for the first time. She was just 12 weeks old!... continue reading
When my beautiful daughter, Elen, was born almost 6 years ago, my life changed forever. Becoming a dad did something inside me - my heart melted! Perhaps even more importantly it radically altered the way I understood my relationship with God and in so many profound ways my little girl has taught me lesson after lesson about both myself and my loving Father God.
Consequently, I started using my experiences as a new dad to preach the gospel whenever evangelistic opportunities arose, be they in churches, coffee shops or even prisons. I was frequently blown away by the ways in which people, especially hard men, started to truly grasp the essence of the gospel through the eyes of the Father.... continue reading
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
James 5 v 13-18
If you'd like to be further equipped for the privilege of standing alongside those who struggle with depression - or encouraged to persevere through your own tough times - then why not dip into Dealing with Depression?
This week we're doing 20% off this great little book. Simply use the code dwd20 at checkout.
Offer expires on 27/07/2012.
