Blog
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Rapping to the Lord’s Prayer
Last Sunday I led the group for 11-12 year olds at our church. I have to admit that kids’ ministry has never felt like something I’ve been called to. Nothing against kids, of course. I love my two dearly. But I’ve always been so keen on discipleship for adults that I’ve bypassed the younger set.…
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A devotional for the week: Psalm 18:13–18
Search and rescue The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of…
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Review of a non-typical novel from the Christian-fiction genre
Babe’s Bible: Gorgeous Grace Karen Jones (Darton, Longman, Todd, ISBN 978-0232529203) A couple of years ago I examined Christian fiction for Christian Marketplace, the then magazine of the trade. Before this article, I would read Christian novels here and there, forcing myself to pick them up with a hint of disdain. But reading twenty or…
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Encouraging women — an interview with Liz Curtis Higgs
‘I absolutely love encouraging women. It makes everything inside me sing.’ I recently chatted with Liz Curtis Higgs, the popular speaker and author who has written 30 books with more than 4 million copies in print. This engaging interview appeared in the June 2013 edition of Woman Alive, and is reprinted with their kind permission.…
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Devotional of the week: Psalm 18:8-12
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made…
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With a little help from my friends…
Some of my closest friendships were forged in the fire of grief. When I was nineteen, I arrived home late from a classical concert. Wondering why the light was on downstairs, I went down and was surprised to see my mom. Her eyes were red from crying and I immediately said, “Did Grandpa die?” “No,”…
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Review of Bill Hybels’ book on hearing God
The Power of a Whisper Hearing God. Having the Guts to Respond. Bill Hybels (Zondervan, 978-0310318224) I’ve long been fascinated by the subject of hearing God. In my twenties I edited Leanne Payne’s book on the subject, Listening Prayer. Engaging with her manuscript set me on a path of seeking God’s voice fervently. I felt…
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Devotional of the week: Psalm 18:4–7
Deadly cords and snares The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came…
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What do you get when you mix a retreat and a holiday? A holi-treat…
When I think of retreat centers, the images that come to mind are draughty convents with sparse rooms and stodgy food. Places to meet God, but not necessarily somewhere that allows you to relax fully or feel pampered. But recently I enjoyed a week’s retreat at El Palmeral in Spain, which blew away any preconceptions…
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Jesus loves the little children…
We were driving along a dirt road in Tanzania, making our way from the lush game parks to dusty Dodoma, the political capital. It was the dry season, so the roads were passable, although filled with potholes bigger than a small child. Our hotel had packed us some lunches in nifty boxes – breaded meats,…
