I woke up on Thursday morning with my mind on one thing. That’s right, it was the morning after England had crashed out of the World Cup Semi Finals. Like so many football fans up and down the nation, I had written England off before the tournament began. Yet, as...
Whenever I am asked the question, ‘what do you miss about the North?’ the answer is always the same. The Moors! For the early years of my life I lived on in the foothills of the Pennines and later for twelve years, just two hundred metres from Saddleworth Moor. I...
It has been calculated that there are around one hundred people, associated with the Apostle Paul, mentioned in either the book of Acts or in his letters. Of these, twelve appear to be long term relationships. However, there is little question that Timothy, Paul’s assistant for up to fifteen years,...
One lunchtime this week I looked at my diary in order to see I had three or four scheduled phone-calls to make. As opposed to sit in an airless office, I decided to wander up to the Castle Gardens with a coffee. As I looked down from the mound above...
On Friday, Ted opened the 7.00 am prayer meeting by reading, what I believe to be one of the most extraordinary verses in the whole of Scripture. John opens his Gospel by introducing to us, The Word. At the time of writing, The Word was debated by philosophers and religious...
Last weekend, Tracey and I enjoyed a few-days together in Dublin. One of our more cultural excursions was to one of the world’s oldest universities, Trinity College, in order to view the Book of Kells. These 9th Century Gospel manuscripts were written in Latin and decorated ornately by highly trained...
At the moment I am in the middle of a book that’s sat on my shelf for some months. The man who cycled the world is basically about, well….a man who cycled the world! It starts with him heading off, details a few pot-holes and innumerable breaks downs, and will...
All of us who have walked with Jesus for some time will have a number of Scriptures that are particularly pertinent to us. Over the years, I have found myself returning, time and again, to the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew Chapter 11. Jesus said: “Come to me, all...
Last week I had the privilege of speaking at the annual conference of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion. I know, it’s a strange name, yet a fascinating story. ‘The Countess of Huntingdon was a truly remarkable woman. A product of, and contributor to, the religious revival of the eighteenth century....
Given the weather and our obsession with it, it would seem inappropriate not to make mention of it here. Six-hundred years before the birth of the Lord Jesus, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah. At the time, the people of Israel honoured their religious rituals, diligently observing the Law of...
