Blog
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Weekly Devotional: The hope of glory (4 in Romans series)
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1–11 (NIV) “Therefore.” Paul uses this word in his letters to signify…
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Weekly Devotional: Saving love (3 in Romans series)
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:21–31 (NIV) In the sixteenth century, Martin Luther…
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Remembering Michael Green
I was a commissioning editor at HarperCollins UK at the turn of the millennium when I was given the delightful job of working with Michael Green. It was Graham Tomlin, who was then at Wycliffe Hall with Michael, who spurred him on to pen his reflections over what was then fifty years of ministry. Michael…
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Watercolor Wednesday: Storm arriving
My dad has titled this watercolor, “Storm Arriving.” Often we can see a storm rolling in, especially for those living on an island, the clouds taking shape or the dark descending like a blanket. In life too we sense storms arriving. The concerning lumps and bumps or the worrying images on a scan. The telephone…
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Weekly Devotional: The gift of the law (2 in Romans series)
Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law… Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. Romans 3:9–20 (NIV) As we saw last week, Paul writes to the Jewish and Gentile Christians in…
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Forgiveness Fridays: Bullying, a necklace and a story of forgiveness
I recently came across a moving story of forgiveness, which I share below. The woman writing it needs to remain anonymous, but I can vouch for her integrity and love. She shows that forgiveness is freeing. Wisdom and forgiveness are like a “a garland of grace on your head, and a pendant around your neck.”…
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Watercolor Wednesday: The stark cold of winter
The polar vortex is hitting the Midwest of America today in force. Schools are cancelled, community events postponed, and even the mail is not being delivered. “Baby, it’s cold out there” is an understatement. Here in the UK, some have enjoyed snow, and some only a dusting (like me in North London). Enjoyed, of course,…
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Weekly Devotional: Rebellion (1 in Romans series)
Many Christian figures in history named Romans as their favorite book of the Bible. For instance, John Stott tells in his commentary that the great reformer Martin Luther said of Romans that not only “should every Christian know it word for word, by heart,” but that they should occupy themselves with it “every day, as…
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What I Read in 2018
It’s time for my annual round-up of books I read in the past year. You can find my offerings for 2017 (warning – long!), 2016 (8 great reads), and 2015 (another long list, including some I commissioned). Reviewing the books we read in the year just gone can be like a practice of examen. This spiritual…
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Watercolor Wednesday: Come ski with me
We finally had our first snowfall of the winter in London yesterday. Big gloppy chunks of snowflakes, which I knew would melt immediately. I should have forced myself to go out for a walk in it, for that is one of the pleasures in life. But I didn’t, and of course most of it is…
