10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not conside...  Read More

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.Jeremiah 17:7In the Hebrew, the word blessed literally means happy (or if you prefer, deeply joyful). It’s funny, sometimes we should be happy and yet we don’t feel happy. That can be for a number of reasons. But, sometimes, we need to remind ourselves that we have every reason to be happy. Memorise this passage and be remi...  Read More

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.Acts 2:42One of the things I love about Village Church is our dinners together. Food is a wonderful way to celebrate togetherness, to serve one another and to enjoy each other in Christ. When we do this, we partake in a tradition from the earliest converts to Christ. Acts 2 reminds us that t...  Read More

10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not conside...  Read More

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.Colossians 3:16Many of us love singing. Particularly at Christmas. There is something special about singing Christmas carols, songs that we only sing at a particular time of year but that we have always...  Read More

Q.7. What are the decrees of God?A. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.Westminster Shorter CatechismWhy? Why does our earth exist? Why humans and their seeming uniqueness in our world? Why does gravity keep the planets spinning? Why do some live and some die? Why do empires ris...  Read More

As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.Proverbs 26:11Are you a New Year’s Resolution person? Have you already failed? Hopefully you haven’t! No doubt you made some great commitments. Exercise more, spend more time with people you love, (hopefully) read the Bible/pray more.If you are anything like me, New Years Resolutions often take the form of starting something or doing more ...  Read More

10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not conside...  Read More

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of ChristEphesians 3:17-18The start of a new year is always a good time to begin new habits (or is it!?). Either way. Why not commit to memorising a passage of Scripture each week? And no need to come up with which passage on ...  Read More

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.Matthew 6:33-34Hi all. Starting tomorrow we will return to our regular programming.Memorisation MondayTopical Tuesdays and SaturdaysWisdom WednesdayTheology ThursdayThank God It’s ...  Read More

My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.Psalm 145:21One of the ongoing reminders of the Psalms is that creation isn’t just about humans. In some sense, all creation praises the name of God. No, not necessarily with their mouths. Maybe you were imagining a Kangaroo bursting into “Praise the Lord”. That would be fun.But take for instance Ps...  Read More

The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.Psalm 145:20How does God relate to His people? What about those who aren’t (His people)? The Psalmist highlights the radically different way God views those who ultimately reject His goodness. Though our modern minds might baulk at the justice of God, it’s an important reminder of reality. God is both Father and Judge. God’...  Read More