‘Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.’ (Proverbs 3:6 The Message)

My wife and I have recently moved home and as is usual on such occasions we had a clear-out of all the stuff we hadn’t used for ages. In the process we came across a poster from World War Two that belonged to one of our parents. It’s entitled ‘Morale – How to play your part’, and was approved by the Mayor of Hove and the two local MPs with the recommendation ‘Pin this up in your home, office or shelter.’

‘…God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves…and keeps us present before God.’ (Romans 8:26–27 The Message)
If I wanted to tell my wife that I love her I would probably say ‘I love you’. It’s not very original or imaginative and while it conveys how I feel in a succinct way it doesn’t get to the heart of what I’m feeling deep inside. That’s because I don’t always have the words to express the depth of feeling I have.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NIV)
As I drive around I often see the symbol of a fish on the back of the car in front of me. It doesn’t mean that one of the driver’s hobbies is fishing; it’s there to indicate that they are a practicing Christian.

‘…hope does not disappoint’ (Romans 5:5 NKJV)
Being an England football supporter is a painful business. So often the England team only ‘flatters to deceive’. In the 1970 World Cup England were knocked out by West Germany after leading 2-0 and seemingly cruising to victory. In 1986 England were knocked out by Maradona’s infamous ‘hand of God’. In 1990 and the1996 European Championship England were beaten in the semi-final by Germany on penalties. The 2018 World Cup was no different. Some good performances and results led the country to believe that football is ‘coming home’ only to have our hope taken away again by another semi-final defeat. Thirty years of hurt has turned into over 50 years of pain for the wearied England fan. Our hopes are always being raised and then before you know it they are dashed.

‘Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.’ (1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV)
Are you a good communicator? We do not only communicate to one another by what we say or write, but also with the signals we make either consciously or unconsciously. Our body language can communicate to others far beyond simple words, whether they are spoken or written. For example someone attending a job interview can say to their prospective employer that they are comfortable and at ease with the interview, but their clenched hands and fidgeting on the chair communicate something else. A person can feign interest in what someone else is saying but their constant lack of eye contact gives the game away.

‘For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’ (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)
Often the mother of a newly born baby will place her child in its cot and sing a lullaby over him or her. It’s a soothing song, which in some societies passes down cultural knowledge or tradition. It can also support the development of communication skills, but perhaps one of the most important uses of lullabies is as a sleep aid for infants.
I wonder have you ever thought of God singing over us?

‘May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.’ (Psalm 90:17 NIV- UK)
Monday is not a very popular day of the week. The Bangles wished it could have been Sunday rather than Monday and for the Carpenters rainy days and Mondays always got them down.

‘The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!’ (Psalm 21:1 NKJV)
When I think of the spiritual disciplines what usually comes to mind is spending a day fasting, spending time wrestling in prayer or intense Bible Study, or maybe sitting alone in deep contemplation and meditation. All of these things of course have their place and are valuable in our Christian journey, but one area that rarely gets mentioned as a discipline is celebration.

‘When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.’ (Genesis 3:6 NIV)
‘The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.’ (Acts 5:30 NKJV)
The story of humanity revolves around two trees. In the Garden of Eden Adam, the representative of all humanity, was confronted with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God had explicitly told him not to eat of lest he die “(Genesis 2:17)”. Unfortunately Adam disobeyed God, ate fruit from the forbidden tree, with severe consequences for his progeny.

‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’ (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)
Children are great at asking questions aren’t they? They usually begin with the word ‘why?’ Such as ‘why is the sky blue?’, ‘why do I have to go school?’, ‘why do I have to eat my greens?’ and ‘why do I have to go to bed at this time?’

‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8 NIV)
Who is your favourite Apostle?
On the one hand I tend to gravitate towards the spirituality of John who in his gospel and letters has much to teach us about the nature of and the relationship in the godhead. On the other hand I am drawn towards the humanity of Peter, who so often only opened his mouth to put his foot in it, and yet was restored by Jesus to be used in formulating the early church.
One apostle who few are drawn to is Andrew. He is rarely on centre stage, but he seems to genuinely want to see people come to know Jesus a little better. When he does appear on the scene he is always introducing people to Jesus.

‘go and make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:19 NIV)
Probably the most difficult part of sharing the Gospel is getting started. The Gospel is all about Jesus and it has the power to change lives, bring true joy and happiness, enabling people to find purpose for living. But how do we begin to share this good news?

‘When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.’ (Acts 2:1 NIV)
The Christian church commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. In most traditions Pentecost comes 50 days after Easter and looks back to the beginnings of the Christian church. There are many valuable lessons associated with this festival; here are some to reflect on:

‘For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5 NIV)
When confronted with death and serious illness, as has been the case recently in the London area congregations, a common question is ‘does God empathise with my situation?’

‘godliness with contentment is great gain.’ (1 Timothy 6:6 NIV)

I thought I’d write something about boredom. Trouble is it can seem boring to read something about boredom, but give it a go. Boredom is a subtle, well-disguised enemy.

‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8 NIV)
The Beatles’ song ‘Can’t buy me love’ included the lines:
I’ll buy you a diamond ring my friend if it makes you feel alright
I’ll get you anything my friend if it makes you feel alright
‘Cause I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love.
And how true that is, money can’t buy us love. It can buy us many things but not what is really important.

‘fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Proverbs 1:7 NIV)
‘you should become “fools”’ (1 Corinthians 3:18 NIV)
What should we be, a fool or not a fool?
In many ways the word ‘fool’ is straightforward. We label someone a fool who lacks common sense, who behaves inappropriately, and who displays no wisdom.

‘I will praise [yadah] You, O LORD, with my whole heart.’ (Psalm 9:1 NKJV)
You’ve probably heard of the phrase ‘yada, yada, yada’. It means ‘so on and so forth’, and colloquially it’s like saying ‘blah, blah, blah!’ The phrase is often used when something spoken or written is predictable, repetitive or tedious.

‘if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile’ (1 Corinthians 15:17 NIV)
The Christian faith stands or falls with Jesus’ resurrection. Yet it is not merely a doctrine to defend, it must make a practical difference to our Christian life. How is that possible? Here are some things to think about:

‘Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”’ (John 3:14-15 NIV)
When speaking to Nicodemus Jesus drew an interesting parallel between a snake in the desert and himself. What did he mean?