Who are you?
"... and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3.3 As I toiled up the road from Ostaig in the direction of the pass over to Achnachloich, I was aware of something on my shoulder. Looking around I saw a fellow cyclist. I didn't recognise him but he looked considerably senior to me in years. Imagine my chagrin, therefore, as he sailed effortlessly past! Either I am not as fit as I like to imagine, or he is bionic, or he was on one of those electric contraption
What's the fuss?
"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in..." Romans 11.25 'Gaelic in Scotland' is the latest tome to flow form the pen of Dr Wilson McLeod, lecturer in Celtic Studies at Edinburgh University. Described as "hard-hitting but creatively constructive", it surveys the policies, movements and ideologies that have guided Gaeli
Feed my sheep
"Feed my sheep..." John 21.17 Larry Crabb is a Christian psychologist with a passion for peeling back the institutional layers of church life to rediscover the relational heart of our faith. Not for nothing did Jesus eschew business plans in favour of personal encounters. So, what will it take wean us off our obsession with structures and into engaging with real people? Crabb offers three pithy words of advice: Aim high, bend low, take risks. I interpret that to mean that we
Did anyone notice?
"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!" Proverbs 6.6 Yesterday was busy. Yet, as I worked through my "To Do" list, a couple of things fell through the cracks: one was a meeting I was supposed to be chairing, the other was my daily post on this blog. It wasn't long after the scheduled start of the meeting (which I thought began half an hour later) that I received a phone call enquiring after my whereabouts. As regards the blog... nothing but my conscience
Shameful legacy
"I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power..." Ephesians 3. 16-18 More in the news today about the injustices perpetrated on the "Windrush generation". If nothing else, these strange times are eliciting much poison out of society which, if unedifying, nevertheless presents the opportunity t
Faith or reason?
"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves." John 14.11 When it comes to believing in God, should we apply faith or reason? In other words, is our belief motivated by intellect or experience. Many would say it ought to be both. So which comes first? Perhaps that is an individual matter, depending on whether your journey to belief in God has come through revelation (like Paul's experience
Hail the King!
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11.15 The Apocalypse of St John or 'Revelation' is the culminating book of the Bible, offering us a glimpse into how God will bring his great plan of redemption, the New Heaven and the New Earth, into fruition under the Lordship of King Jesus. At the very heart of the book is the statement above. That it is lodged in the middle of John's account of
Tuning our hearts
"Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord..." Ephesians 5.9 Just been reading the introduction to an old volume of Gaelic hymns. The editor is explaining that the tunes were specially composed to evoke the appropriate feeling in the worshipper and so it is important that those who sing these hymns should first learn the tune and then add the words. That way heart and head and voice are united in a perfect harmony of praise and adoration to God. That runs counter to the
Charity
"And now abideth faith, hope, charity..." 1 Corinthians 13.13 According to the CARE Prayer Diary, The Centre for Social Justice has identified 5 Pathways to Poverty: family breakdown, educational failure, lack of income, addiction, serious personal debt. These problems are inter-connected so, if even an individual is struggling with just one of them today, they could soon become ensnared in all of them. How to break that cycle? No easy answers! But awareness by all concerned
Dull but worthy
"After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13.5 Today must the least glamorous but most necessary of the 'International Days of...'. This is the 'Day of the Toilet'. Apparently 2 billion people, between a quarter and a third of the world's population, lack safe access to a hygienic toilet. You can imagine the health implications, let alone the impact on personal dignity. The ma
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