“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”1 Thess 5:16-18 John Stott pointed out that the word translated “give thanks” here also gives us the word “eucharist.” The “eucharist” is not about our understanding or our mood but rather our conscious decision to commune with Jesus.…
A summary of Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age by Richard Beck. We long for enchantment, like hunting for magic eels in a medieval well. We ache for it, and the pain is making us sick. It is not a matter of belief so much as perception; of understanding so…
I have a beautiful picture this morning of God’s goodness pouring down over all people like a waterfall. All we need to do is hold up our cup to receive it. Some people are laughing and dancing and whooping together as their cups fill. Others are facing up serenely with their eyes closed and savouring…
For many of us as Christians, we don’t have a knowledge problem; we have an impact problem. So when we get together, it should be less to learn and more to enable what we have learned to make a real difference. I can learn online; but I can’t worship online, so that is one thing…
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s enigmatic declaration in The Idiot that “Beauty will save the world” is the title of a book by Pastor Brian Zahnd in which he asks: “Where is the beauty that we know we cannot really live without?” Western society has technology, convenience, security, and a measure of prosperity; the Christian Church claims to know truth and goodness. …
Happiness depends on what happens to us; joy depends on what we choose to do. Of course the two are not unrelated, but the first has more to do with things that are largely beyond our control; the second is more in our hands. We can actively enjoy or rejoice, but we can’t enhappy or…
At the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore there is a permanent exhibition of the cargo recovered in 1998 from a Persian ship that was wrecked around AD830 in the Java sea on its way back from China. It gives a fascinating insight into how little has changed in 1100 years. The main cargo was 60,000…
Are there any who are devout lovers of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!Are there any who are grateful servants? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive their wages! If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive…
China is often (fairly) criticised for being rife with piracy and fakes. What is seldom discussed is why China is so ‘successful’ at faking it and why Chinese people have seemed less concerned about whether or not something is ‘genuine.’ Is there a virtue of which this vice is a corruption? The early use of…
EdTech polarises conversations between people who love the idea and people that hate it. The trouble is, a polarised conversation is no conversation at all. With the hope of de-polarising the conversation and opening up a productive dialogue again on a topic that won’t be going away any time soon, I suggest there are two…