It's Friday. But Sunday is coming.

There are two days in the whole of history which change the course of the story forever. Today is one of them. 

I can't even imagine what it was like to be brutally tortured by a group of professionally trained soldiers. Most people think of Eastertime as Bank holidays, Daffodils, hot cross buns and cute lambs leaping around in fields at the start of Spring. But there was once a day in the midst of all that which didn't look so cute. That day saw a man, who had been tempted and tried all his life by the world, finally get beaten, whipped, kicked, stripped naked and publicly nailed to a tree. That man had never sinned, despite the temptation to and despite the world around him who continued to. 

You're probably thinking one of two things: A) I believe that, thank you God, or B) I think that's nonsense, what do you keep bangin' on about it for!?

For the B people, the reason I keep going on about it is because Jesus actually did die for you and because God actually does love you. Not like a bumper sticker slogan 'He loves you'. But a genuine, life-giving, mind-altering, always-forgiving, gracious love for you. 

Today marks the most significant day of our lives. Some realise it, some do not. Don't let the significance of today pass you by without giving it some thought. The symbol of the cross is the most recognised and often displayed symbol in history and throughout the world today. But it's not just a piece of jewellery or a choice of tattoo. It's where your life changed forever. 

'All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But after he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. So that whoever will believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' 

(Romans 3v23, Isaiah 53v11, John 3 v16)

Do you ever find yourself caught knee-deep in the trials of this life? Somewhere between a rock and a hard place without any clear path to continue down...

I'd imagine Jesus knows exactly what you're going through. Right about now, 1,982 years ago, He was probably curled up in a Roman holding cell somewhere underneath the streets of Jerusalem, having already received the beating of a lifetime at the hands of some of history's most cruel and effective guards. As He dipped in and out of consciousness, struggling to breathe and remain focussed on His Father, I reckon He probably found Himself up against a trial like no other.

If you ever find yourself limping through a particularly tough situation, don't miss the opportunity to lean upon a Saviour who knows all about incredibly difficult circumstances.

I was encouraged today by reading these words from Psalm 121. I'd imagine that this was a truth that Jesus still would have been sure of, even in the most difficult of moments:

'I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.'

In the hours that followed, Jesus made a choice: to continue resolutely under the will of His Father, despite the knowledge of the crucifixion that awaited Him. It's common to think about Jesus once he was on the cross, but to consider what went through His mind between the first beating and that final nailing, is incredible.

'The Lord WILL watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.'

When you're between a rock and a hard place, stay faithful and keep going until the fruit comes - He did.

This is my 250th blog. Fact.

I'm not going to try and pull something out of the bag that attempts to trump anything else I've written on here. I'm not going to waffle on for too long either. I’m just gonna rely on some fairly awesome scripture that somebody gave me today. Having visited a Prayer Clinic at my church (yes – they do exist), a lady read this while she prayed for me:

'Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.'

And then a bit later on...

'The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.' (From Psalm 37)



I'll take that kind of prayer any day! I really needed that too :)

He will blow your mind in order to captivate your heart.

More often than not, I like to blog about the stuff that God is speaking to me about throughout the week. Every so often there is a subject too overwhelming or personal to just stick on a website without a second thought.

Not too long ago I wrote something regarding being stuck in the mist whilst climbing a mountain (basically struggling through a long period of praying for a job). I've been hoping for clarity and direction to come and for that 'mist' to clear, so that I can start enjoying some of the amazing views. Well, some of that mist is now clearing I think.

And no,I haven't found a job yet.

Something far more amazing has happened. Towards the end of last year, and already a couple of months into the job hunt, I clearly felt God tell me that He would bless us with a baby before the year was out! That I was to put trust in Him for that and that trusting for work would later follow. It sounds crazy doesn't it!? Why on Earth would I/we want something so monumentally life-changing to come along, when I've barely made more than a penny for 6 months? The world would scream 'YOU'RE CRAZY!!!!'. God would say 'Trust in me, I know what I am doing.'

So with that promise in mind, we did. And then He did. And now we are (so to speak).

It's easy to turn yourself in knots over an issue like finding employment. But then, when God tells you He's going to bless you with new life, and then He begins hand-crafting that life, almost immediately, it's hard to believe that He won't cover our backs with all the provision we'll need along the way.

I've been praying for specific things that I'm looking for in a job; things that I think will bring me happiness. Instead, His focus was to ensure that my baby's heart started beating. That its fingernails began growing OK.

Most people would be freaking out that a baby was on the way, particularly seeing as the Dad is unemployed.

But 14 weeks in, and I'm actually at far more peace about it all than I have been for 6 months.

I never expected the mist to clear in such a way.




It's currently the size of a lemon by the way.

An internationally successful and very wealthy young man drops unconsious infront of tens of thousands of people on a football pitch and one of the main images that the media focus on is the scene minutes after he falls. Players and fans alike, praying. Quite a significant number of them too. 

Why is it that when something such as this happens, a common knee-jerk reaction is to pray to a God who is more commonly ignored 99% of the time? When a desperate situation hits, its not uncommon for usually self-sufficient, self-made individuals to cry out to a God who they normally claim they can live without.

I wonder why this is? 

Charles Spurgeon once stated that 'prayer is the slender nerve that moves the arm of omnipotence.' 

90% of the time this country appear to pay little credence to this; or would at least admit to doing so. But when push comes to shove - when pain, crisis or loss come crashing through the door, we'll flee into the arms of a God who is powerfully present 100% of the time. 

If you think I'm talking rubbish, just wait and see. Hopefully a calamity won't befall you, but God will use any means necessary in order to grab your attention to begin a discussion with you. 

'So let’s do it - full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.' (Hebrew 10)

I've found these verses in Hebrews kinda helpful in the last few days. Faith is a fight, and sometimes having faith comes very naturally to me and other times wading through treacle would be easier. 

It's reassuring and incredibly important to find scripture that reminds us of God's unwavering faithfullness to us - it's a medicine that's hard to swallow sometimes but it's total truth nonetheless. So when the author of Hebrews writes: He always keeps to his word; we can be confident that even if we're in 'treacle' moments, He is always going to do what He first promised. Always. Regardless of how long the timescale seems to be and despite the thick fog which clouds our view of the situation (no matter what it might be). 

So I've found in the last couple of weeks that keeping focussed on that big day is tough but very important - digging my heels in deeper to that foundation, serving when I can't be bothered to, holding both hands firmly around scripture and praying when all I would rather do is sleep. I don't think it's some kind of religious ticklist way of thinking - it's keeping my unblinking eyes set on a prize, even when my eyes are stinging like mad. 

Have confidence that the one who said He'll do it, WILL do it - He's totally dependable. (1 Thessalonians 5 v24)

So, yesterday evening a large group of us congregated in a very old church building. The building has recently been given to us by the existing members who recognised that the time was right for a new group to begin a work based there. 

Despite the fact that it's very early days at the moment, it was so exciting to witness different Christians gathering as this adventure launches. 

Without God in the midst, it won't go anywhere - that's almost guaranteed. Without vision, prayers, leadership, finances and people - it won't go far. But last night more people gathered in that 300 year old building than has been seen there for a while, and looking around and listening to the prayers built on such faith, it's hard to not believe that this might just work!! 

With a well established sister-church nearby and mission fields like a night club literally 10 metres from the front door, I'm walking with a spring in my step this morning as I get lost daydreaming of what the community could one day look like. 

What an exciting adventure it most certainly will be.

Most weeks, something happens in church which totally bucks the trend in culture. Groups of people from vastly different backgrounds come together and sing songs and listen to a talk on a Sunday morning. To the regular Joe Bloggs on the high street, that is an odd way to spend a perfectly good Sunday morning. There are many things that Christians do which probably raise eyebrows, but every so often, real radical behaviour breaks out. It's totally counter-intuitive and shows just how relentlessly the Kingdom of God pursues and changes lives.

I've been to many weddings - most are lavish, expensive and the result of much planning.

Today's wedding wasn't.

Though this afternoon's events have been in Heaven's pipeline for an incredibly long time. God's been orchestrating something significant in the life of one family and recently the scale and impact of these plans became slightly more evident. Some of the family have become Christians for the first time, some have come back to God, some were baptised recently, and today God continued to breath truth and purpose over the family as they stood before their friends, family and two teenage children to become husband and wife - showing obedience to God's word and bringing togetherness and submission to God's marriage and family ethics.

So, it wasn't a hugely glamorous setting in front of hundreds of dolled-up guests. After the church meeting a small crowd gathered as they said their vows and made 18 years of being together official in front of God. No traditions in sight; no dress, cake, bouquet or first dance. But as they said their 'I do's' and their 16-year old son handed them the rings, I can safely say that I have never been to a wedding that was more celebrated in Heaven than this one. It's taken some time for God to move the pieces around the board, but when He does, it's impact is felt and is totally amazing.

I love being part of a community of Jesus-hungry men and women who are willing to pursue Him with such obedience and love.

I've been reading through Mark this week - a book that I have read so many times I've lost count. But this time around, I'm taking my time. It's not a race to the finish like it usually is. Seeing how many chapters I can get through, as if that would somehow make up for the days before that when I've not bothered to read any of it.

But this morning, as I was looking through some study notes, I noticed something that I've never considered before.

When Jesus calls Simon and Andrew from their fishing boats, bidding them to leave the nets and to follow Him immediately - that WASN'T the first time they'd ever seen Him. All this time, I thought that was their first encounter. It doesn't detract from how radical their actions were, or how demanding the call was to follow, but it does show that ground work is often needed when it comes to Jesus calling us to follow Him.

In John 1 v35-42, we see an earlier account of those disciples 'investigating' Jesus - they are starting to recognise that He is the Messiah and allow their intrigue to carry them towards Him - presumably only tentatively to begin with.

So when the day comes for Jesus to call them from their lives on the boat to begin fishing for men instead, a foundation has been laid.

They recognise Him more clearly because of those initial encounters.

I bet in that period between first and second meeting, Jesus was praying for them. Asking God to orchestrate situations and conversations so that He could start revealing the truth to them. He could have won them over, straight away. He chose to let it marinade for a while longer; perhaps for thoughts and concerns to get weighed properly while they were busy fishing or perhaps for them to spend a little while longer gradually becoming more captivated by Him.

The same goes with those people who you've tried to introduce to Jesus. His timing is so spot on for when they will see Him for who He really is. Trust that those small prayers and conversations that you persist in instigating are leading to something significant.

It clearly doesn't need to happen straight away.

Small hills don't get close to the clouds, only the big faith mountains experience the thick mist.

So, it's been another interesting/intense few days....

It's tough when you try and build and nurture faith for something, whilst all the while trying to kick those negative, doubting thoughts into touch. I'm several months into a period where God obviously wants me to learn more and more about that balance, as yet another job passes me by unfortunately; despite feeling very hopeful and trusting that this would be THE one!

So, while it feels like I'm chugging along back to square one and everybody else continues at 100mph around me, I still cling to one truth:

That He REALLY does love me and He REALLY does have my back on this. It sucks and this journey of faith for a job continues to twist and turn. But just as the mountain of prayer and lessons in faith carries on getting larger and larger, I can take comfort in knowing that only the really big mountains rise above the clouds. Even though it feels misty/crappy/uncertain at the moment, it's because the peak of this 'mountain' has yet to be reached.

The view will be staggering once I get to the top, I'm sure.

If you've never been before. If you decided to stop going when you became an adult. If you fell out with a previous church. If you're divorced. If you have been in prison. If you make money illegally. If you're practising another religion. If you're gay. If you're straight. If you are into porn. If you think you hate God. If you think He doesn't exist. If you're addicted to drink and drugs. If you can't be bothered. If you think you don't need it. If you've been put off by some of the whacky spiritual preacher-people on the Internet. If you've got lots of money. If you're hard-up and out of work. If you don't want to change your routine. 

Just give it a shot.

Whatever your past or present situation/excuse - you shouldn't EVER disqualify yourself from visiting a church. There is a God who died to get to know you and a community nearby dying to introduce you to Him. 

It 'aint weird, it's wonderful.

The timing will be perfect when it happens.

I recently got a text from my brother telling me that a good mate of his was coming to church with him for the first time *cue fanfare*.

I know the happy feeling that comes when someone you're close to finally makes the potentially life-altering decision to give church a chance. If only he/she really knew the truth that would come crashing down before them during that hour and a half (or so). If they knew the impact it'd have on their lives, they'd camp out overnight waiting for the doors to open.

But sometimes it takes a little more background work and foundation laying before that opening visit. And that was the case this weekend. So after a very long chat in the park en route to church and a whole range of questions and issues tossed back and forth, here's hoping that this one lad is a few steps closer to encountering the Saviour who will totally and utterly blow his mind and rewrite his entire future. 

It's not just a slight change to a Sunday morning routine; it won't be a warm fuzzy feeling at Christmas and Easter; it isn't some weird set of rules and rituals that will make him want to live differently.

It's a new horizon; a new body; a new future entirely. And a God to worship that will be far greater and more exciting than any of the other gods he's chosen to bow down to so far.

Life with and life without...

Life with lots of money equals prosperity. Life with friends and family around you equals love. Life with a powerful job equals...well, 'power'. Life on the red carpet, in the spotlight, on the big screen, equals total success and fame. Life on the weekend equals freedom. Life on holiday equals total relaxation. Life in a big house equals security and comfort. Life with health equals a sound nights sleep. Life with all the time in the world equals less stress and deadlines. Life going up 'the ladder' equals direction. Life with all the clothes, technology, parties, pampering, entertainment, women and any other desire you can conceive of - equals...?

But life without Jesus? I couldn't do it. 

And death without Jesus is too scary to even bear thinking about.

"What do you think about that, you're religious?"

That's what I seem to get quite often, when people ask me for my opinion.

I really hope I'm not though. 

By religious, they refer to the fact that I go to church on occassion other than Christmas and Christenings. But strangley enough, unbeknown to them, being called religious is a bit of an insult really. 

Jesus viewed the 'religious' of his day as tight-knitted, narrow-minded, closed-fisted, opinionated rule-keepers; who arrogantly kept laws that suited them, while ruling with an iron rod over everyone else who couldn't jump through the million and one faith-hoops that they enforced. They were the people that he spent most of his life debating with, and who would ultimately murder him on a cross. Their grasp of grace was small; their hope for healing was distant. When the Saviour stood right in front of them, they were too caught up in time-lines, rules and habits to even recognise him.

I really, really hope I'm not 'religious'.  

It’s easy to go through the day without being amazed by life. Stood on a drafty and very early tube ride up to work this morning, it was nice to be caught by one of those ‘moments’. Disgruntled by the obese tradesman who was taking up the only two remaining seats on the train, it did me some good to read the quote below, in the book I’m currently reading. Because once I had read it, and been amazed/confronted by it, it made me look around the carriage with a new wonder. Not just a fat bloke taking up too many seats; not just a couple of Spanish tourists out for the day; not just a wealthy business woman, out to leave her mark on ‘The City’.

Take a moment to look around you at the people that surround you now. Nevermind waterfalls, rainbows, butterflies and Oak trees – marvel at these creations. They might smell, they might swear, they might ignore you – but don’t go through the day being incredibly unimpressed and unmoved by them.

‘But now, for the first time, there burst upon me the idea that there might be real marvels all about us, that the visible world might be only a curtain to conceal huge realms uncharted by my very simple theology.’ – C.S Lewis, ‘Surprised by Joy’.