The world seems out of control right now, don’t you think? There is a war in the Ukraine that has now dragged on for a long time. The Middle East, which is often unsettled, seems more divided than ever with active war zones in different places. There are countless refugees stranded from their homes around …
It is common for people to ask: why are things so bad? Why is the world such a mess? Why is my life not the way I want it to be? For some, this is a reason to doubt God or at least to doubt God’s goodness. Yet let me propose a different question that …
We all care about justice. We innately want the world to be fair. What that usually means is that we want justice to work for us personally. We want things to work out well for us. While this is perfectly understandable, it is a very selfish and limited point of view. True justice is bigger …
The first thought most of us have when something unexpectedly bad happens is ‘why’? Why did this thing happen to me? Was it some kind of punishment for something I have done (like Job’s friends suggested in the middle of Job’s suffering)? Was it because I am a worse person than other people (as suggested …
What are you aiming for in life? What would you class as a good life, a successful life? It is important that you know what you are trying to do with your life. Then you can work out what you should be doing now in order to achieve that goal. Think of it like this. …
What do you think of when you think of youth ministry? I suppose it depends on what kind of church tradition you are used to. Many think of a high-tempo time of singing, something like a concert. Others think of a series of social activities run each week. There are all kinds of structures, and …
The collection of songs typically sung in Christian churches are heavily weighted towards praise songs. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is a fundamental truth that Christians will want to thank God for what He has done! It is great to be given thoughtful words to sing that express our thankfulness to the One …
One of the strangest things for newcomers to church to grapple with is a group of people singing aloud together. If you’ve been a churchgoer for a long time, maybe that doesn’t strike you as unusual. It is just something churches do. But think about it: where else in our cultures do groups of people …
God is in complete control of the world. Yes, complete control. There are no surprises to God. Everything He wants to happen does happen, just the way He wants it to. We see this in all kinds of places in the Bible, including: Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every …
Some people like to plan for the future; others just seem to deal with whatever might happen to them. I am a planner. I like to make lists. I like to know what my diary is likely to look like next week, and what major events are planned next month. I realise that not everyone …