Water in the Wilderness

A short devotional on John 7:37…
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
John 7:37
Last year my wife and I spent nearly 2 months in the Middle East. Our days were filled with sand filled rooms and sand filled shoes. Our nights were filled with the deadliest quiet of the wilderness. For 2 days and nights we camped in the middle of the desert. Surrounded by sand, by wasteland and wilderness we often were thirsty. But our thirst would be gone with a few drops of water.
Jesus spoke about a thirst that all of humanity suffers from, a longing for something more, a longing for satisfaction. Jesus stood amongst a people searching for this satisfaction, a people seeking water in the wilderness. People look for it in others, in reliquary acts, in money and possessions. But all to no avail, they seek water but find their mouths full of more sand and waste. But there is one who says ‘come to me, find in me your satisfaction, in me (and only in me) will you find water that satisfies in this wilderness you call life’.
‘Come to me’ Jesus says, you won’t just find a cup, but you’ll find flowing rivers of living water.

Resources for digging deeper..

One of the privileges of being a blogger/book reviewer is that I get sent tons of really good resources as soon as, or before, they hit the local bookshop shelf. This also means that I read a huge variety of resources which I hope will be helpful to you, my dear readers.

This time of isolation means, for some at least, that people have more time on their hands. How often in a prayer meeting have you said “pray for more time to read my Bible and to learn more about God”? Well, now maybe you have that extra time, use it wisely! Continue reading “Resources for digging deeper..”

Saturday Snippets…

Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you my dear readers 🙂

Every once in a while I’d like to keep you up to date with some of the articles that I’ve enjoyed reading. I’d like these posts to be helpful for you and to encourage you to listen to the voice of other bloggers out there who have some great things to say.

Where is Christ in the Old Testament?

As many of us are stuck at home and as some people maybe have more time to read their Bibles hopefully people will also dive into the Old Testament. Here is a blog post by a pastor in Scotland which will help you identify how to see Christ in the Old Testament in 7 places.

Practicing the Ordinances in a Pandemic

During this very unusual time churches are having to think creatively about how to care for their people and how they practice the ordinances, or sacraments, of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In this blog post Bill Riedel, a pastor in Washington D.C., argues that church should practice the Lord’s Supper.

Can Baptism and the Lord’s Supper Go Online?

In this post Bobbie Jamieson, an associate pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington D.C., argues that the Lord’s Supper cannot be done online.

Embracing the Quiet Life

Chris Thomas, a pastor in New South Wales, gives us great insights into our current culture and how we are terrified of the ‘quiet life’. Love this quote…

‘The vast majority of Christians in the West have bought into the lie that ‘busy is best’, and ‘loud and proud’ has become our slogan.’

How I’m Praying in a Pandemic

How exactly do we pray during this strange time? Cassie Watson, a ministry apprentice in Sydney, gives us an insight into her own prayer life during this time. At times like these we should all do our duty to obey our governments and all Christians should be praying to our faithful and loving God.

The Celebrity Pastor We’ve Never Known

There are plenty of well-known pastors across the world, often known for their Bible teaching and/or their books. But no pastor is going to be famous for their diligent work of caring for the flock day in and day out. Tim Challies, the godfather of blogging and pastor in Ontario, has written this great post about the work of a faithful pastor.

COVID-19: Living by Probabilities or Providence?

Mike Emlet has written this helpful reminder of who our God is and how we should turn to and trust in Him during this time. We might be tempted to rely on stats and statistics during this time, but as Christians, we should be running to God and trusting in His providence. You can’t beat a blog post that quotes the Heidelberg Catechism!

Being Salt and Light in Isolation

Christians are called to be salt and light in the world, how can we continue to do that during this time of isolation? Bethan has written a helpful blog post with ideas and resources for us. I hope that this post will give you ideas and the courage to continue to be witnesses of Jesus during this time.

Sex; a taboo or a hobby horse?

If you take a look into many Christian bookshops today you’ll probably find multiple books (if not shelves) on the topic of sex and sexuality. Books about sex for people of all ages to read and learn; teenagers, students, parents, pastors, married couples, youth groups, books about how to teach your kids about sex and books about what the Bible teaches concerning sex. There is currently a torrent of material out there on the topic of sex. Look in a church pulpit though and you’ll probably see that sex is either a taboo or a hobby horse, some people never speak about it and others use every excuse to speak about it.Continue reading “Sex; a taboo or a hobby horse?”

Books about the bedroom…

Over the last few years there have been tons and tons of books written on the topic of sexuality from a Christian perspective. It’s a topic that I’ve read a lot about, but not one that I necessarily post about a lot. One of the reasons that I don’t post often about is that sexuality is a point of controversy and contention, and my goal for this blog is not to stir up controversy. Another reason that I don’t post about it a lot is because I am no expert and, in my opinion, there are maybe too many books on the topic right now. The problem that many Christians are in danger of is elevating sexual sin above every other sin and treating it as unforgivable. However, more to come on that soon. Continue reading “Books about the bedroom…”

Some of the books I’ve read recently…

One of the joys of reading the amount of material that I do is that I get to devour tons and tons of knowledge. One of the downsides is that I can’t always write full reviews on every book. If I reviewed every book I read, I’d need to make this my full-time job! But at the beginning of the year I posted a blog with a list of books I read whilst on holiday.  It was a slightly different kind of post, more of a list with short recommendations rather than full reviews. However, many people got in touch and said how they found it to be quite helpful. Therefore, I thought I’d give you another similar post highlighting some of the books that I’ve read recently (in no particular order).Continue reading “Some of the books I’ve read recently…”

Story Bearer

Evangelism… it seems to be the word that scares many Christians away and makes them run for the hills. People say that it’s difficult. People say that they don’t feel equipped. People say that they don’t have all the answers to every perceivable question that they may be asked. I’ve voiced many of these myself over the years and I’ll be honest, I think that often we end up just making excuses when it comes to evangelism. Let me introduce you to a great book that will help you see that you don’t need a degree in theology, or to know everything about apologetics to tell people about Jesus. Continue reading “Story Bearer”

When Narcissism Comes to Church

In recent weeks, months and years we have seen strong leaders fall, we’ve seen sin come to the surface and people have been hurt. It is not my place to speak about those topics, to speak about the circumstances or to pretend that I have the answer. However, one thing is certain in all of this; all of these ‘fallings from grace’ are a result of the sin that indwells the hearts of mankind.

Narcissism is a big problem, but what exactly is it? Continue reading “When Narcissism Comes to Church”

Sermon notes, why and how?

Two things encourage me most as a preacher; one is seeing people get their heads stuck into Scripture and following along in the text as I preach and the second is seeing people take notes. If a Christian goes to church every Sunday of the year then they hear 52 sermons a year, if they go to a morning and evening service that jumps to 104 sermons. Times that by how many years you’ve been a Christian and the number will be quite significant. Now, imagine if we actively tried to remember, reflect on and implement each sermon, what would that look like? I think that we’d all grow in our love for the Lord, His Word, His people and the lost. I haven’t always taken notes during sermons, but for the last few years I’ve made sure that I’ve had the means with me to take notes during sermons because I’ve personally found it to be a helpful spiritual discipline. But why and how should we take sermon notes?Continue reading “Sermon notes, why and how?”