Wisdom

May 22, 2026

I’m meditating on wise words, wise actions and wise relationships as I prepare for our family fun days this summer and have been spending time pondering what God says about these things. One verse which has been on my heart is Micah 6:8, because this is what God says is good and is what He requires of us:
‘To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ (Micah 6:8)
Acting justly means we do what is right – not simply what is convenient or expedient. It means knowing what is right (just, fair, honourable), and this can only come as we dwell in God’s truth. What seems right to us is often tainted by selfishness or a desire for personal comfort. Acting justly can be extremely uncomfortable and costly.
Loving mercy is a necessary balance to justice, for we can easily become dogmatic, rigid, living by the letter of the law but failing to understand its spirit. Loving mercy guards us against the inflexible rigidity of the Pharisees, giving us an ability to care about individuals. Loving mercy is deeply personal and human (no AI advisor can help in this area!)
Walking humbly is one thing. This verse is up on the foyer wall of Horizon Community College in Barnsley, but the end of the verse (‘wtih your God’) is omitted. Humility on its own is not what God requires. He wants us to walk humbly with Him, so that our actions can be led and guided by Him. Humility acknowledges our lowliness in comparison to His greatness. It is not about self-deprecation, but means having a correct understanding of ourselves in relation to God (see Ps 8.)
This verse gives us so much to ponder and points us to a God-shaped wisdom, which can help us to navigate everyday life.

God Works in Unexpected Ways

May 17, 2026

Guest speaker Joy Gascoigne spoke from 1 Kings 17 today about how to react when things don’t go our way (or the way we think they should.) We need to try to get a grasp of the bigger picture in such circumstances, understanding that God’s delays and the inconveniences which sometimes trip us up can actually be used by Him for His glory.
God is good both in the light and in the dark, in the good and in the bad. His goodness is unaffected by our circumstances, but so often we struggle to believe this when life is difficult. Elijah found himself in difficult circumstances because of the drought and famine he had prophesied on God’s command, but God’s goodness led to HIs provision for him.
God is faithful and utterly reliable in all situations. He provided through different means for Elijah and helped him through the difficulties. When we are struggling, we can be sure that God is with us and will help us.
[Apologies that we did not livestream this sermon because of technical difficulties.]

Serving In The Church

May 11, 2026

Yesterday we continued looking at the question, ‘What is the church?’ We discussed the ministry gifts outlined in Ephesians 4 (the roles of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. understanding that God gifts people with certain skills to enable these roles to be fulfilled.) Sometimes, people can be anointed by God to certain roles at a young age (e.g. Samuel, Jeremiah), but sometimes these roles are developed later in life.
In Romans 12:4-8, we see a different set of gifts essential for the church’s growth and development. Some of these gifts seem very spiritual (prophecy, teaching) but others are more practical (encouragement, serving, generosity, leading). All are necessary.
The lists we see in Scripture about the church are not exhaustive. We talked about our local ministries and the gifts needed in our particular context (people to help at the Parent & Toddler group, musical gifts, technology and so on.) Each of us can be involved in the church; there should be no ‘spectators’ in church life. All of us are needed to help the church grow. Remember: your church needs YOU!

Walking In The Way of Holiness

May 3, 2026

Today we looked at Isaiah 35:1-10, a chapter which talks about God’s people walking in the way of holiness. Life is often described as a journey, and one of the first names for believers was people who belonged to the Way (see Acts 9:2, John 14:6) Jesus made it plain that the path of discipleship is narrow (see Matt 7:13-14), and Isaiah is equally clear that this way of holiness is only for those who have been cleansed by God; as C. H. Spurgeon put it, you can’t enter the road by paying your own toll. You are only allowed on this highway if you are cleansed by the great work of the Messiah.’ Isaiah makes this very clear, saying, ‘only the redeemed will walk there’ (Is 35:9) and ‘The unclean will not journey on it;wicked fools will not go about on it.’ (Is 35:8) 

All are invited and included in the ‘whosoever’ of the gospel, but we must choose to follow Jesus, and once we are on this road, we must continue in the way of holiness. Luke 9:57-62 shows us some of the excuses people had for not following Jesus, but we are urged to persevere in the faith. Isaiah gives us much encouragement about not being afraid (Is 35:4, see also Is 41:10,13, Is 43:1) and as God’s people, we can know the protection and help of God in every situation of life, and can see abundance replacing lack (Is 35:6-7).

We need to be reminded on our journey that we have the strong hope of the Lord to help us each day; we need the reminder that when God’s salvation comes, miraculous provision comes with it. What was dry and useless before can become well-watered and fruitful. (Is 35:1-2).

Isaiah also reminds us that we can know joy on this journey:

Jesus promised His disciples joy (see John 15:11) and God’s joy becomes our strength in all circumstances. (Neh 8:10)

To walk on the Way of Holiness is to follow Jesus wherever He leads. We are called to live as He commands, to be holy as He is holy (1 Pet 1:14-15), to continue to follow Him no matter what. Life is a journey that is not meant to be walked alone. We are called to walk with God (even as Enoch is described as walking faithfully with God, Gen 5:24); we are called to walk with each other, spurring each other on to love and good works. (Heb 10:24-25) As we walk, God promises to transform the desert into fruitful land and to give us joy and gladness. Let’s keep walking on the Way of Holiness, for this is our life’s mission. We are not yet at our final destination, but as we walk on this path, we are being transformed daily into the image of Christ, and we can wear the crown of everlasting joy and know God’s presence with us all, each step of the way.

Keep On Keeping On!

Apr 28, 2026

When studying languages, the formation and use of tenses are key to being able to express oneself fluently. Past, present and future time frames are expressed in a variety of ways in different languages, with English having three ways of talking about the present: ‘I pray,’ ‘I do pray’, ‘I am praying‘, for example, with the ‘I am praying’ known as the continuous present tense, expressing something that goes on for a period of time. Often when we use this tense, we are talking about something which happens regularly or frequently.
Continuing in something is often the key to success, one-off actions not always being what we need. In our Christian journey, we do not just pray, trust, believe, hope or rejoice on one occasion. We are called to do these things repeatedly, continuously.
Sometimes these actions come easily to us: a sunny day causing us to rejoice, an answer to prayer buoying our faith. But at other times it goes against the grain to believe, trust, hope or rejoice.
Circumstances drag us down, and it is far easier on those occasions to doubt, complain and despair.
Psalm 52 was written at a difficult time in David’s life. Despite having been anointed king over Israel, he was on the run for his life as the present incumbent (Saul) was intent on destroying him. Doeg the Edomite had betrayed David’s whereabouts to Saul, and although David had escaped Saul’s murderous clutches, the priest (Ahimelek) and his family had not. (1 Sam 21-22) David was distraught, hurt, angry and frustrated. The psalm clearly reveals those feelings. But at the end, David reiterates his intention to keep on trusting God, to hope in His unfailing love and to declare His praises for all the good things He had done. (Ps 52:8-9)
We must learn to keep on doing these good things even in dark times. Persistence and perseverance lead to victory. Keep on keeping on! Hope, trust, love and praise God, no matter what.

The History Of The Church

Apr 26, 2026

Today we looked further at the subject of ‘the church’, looking into the history of the church and the formation of denominations. In 1054 there was a split between Eastern and Western Christian churches which continues to this day; in the 16th century the Reformation and Martin Luther saw the origins of the Protestant church which split from Rome. In England this had profound consequences, with Henry VIII backing the Protestant church (partly to justify his divorce from the Catholic Catherine of Aragon), and a period of religious persecution depending on the beliefs of the current monarch. Further ‘splits’ within the Protestant traditions occurred later on, with John and Charles Wesley responsible for the formation of the Methodist Church. Other denominations have arisen as churches focus on particular aspects of doctrine (e.g. the Baptist church which looks at the need for adult baptism of believers and Pentecostal/ charismatic churches which believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit in church life today.)
Often, which church we attend is as much about ‘styles’ of worship as doctrine, but there is a broad consensus of belief amongst many churches which focuses on Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection in particular. We should aim to work with all who believe this is the way of salvation and not be divisive unnecessarily.
In Eph 4 we looked at ‘church’ and ‘the local church’, seeing that there are ministry gifts in the church which help the church to grow. We are all part of the church, a role which is not just functional in church services. Our involvement means we can build others up and all are needed. Some ministries are focussed inside the building; others are focussed outside, but all of us are needed and have a role to play.