Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at God

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services each week, stopped going. After a few weeks, the minister decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The minister found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his minister’s visit, the man welcomed him,...

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove; He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation. God won’t ask the size of your house; He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home. God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet; He’ll ask how many people you...

A man had spent many years as a drunkard and a layabout. But through the Salvation Army, he turned to God, and his life gradually changed. He joined a local church, and became known for his honest, if unusual, prayers. As the New Year dawned, he stood up in church and prayed: “Lord, we’re not...

Christmas Geese From the Vicar What’s the Big Idea? – An Introduction to the Books of the New Testament: John Quiz on John’s Gospel Reflecting Faith: Christmas Tree Decorations The Challenges of Christmas No Room?  On the Contrary The most beautiful story ** Editor:  Canon Paul Hardingham gives thanks to the God who comes among...

The story is told of a farmer who didn’t believe in Jesus. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a service at their local church. He refused to come saying: ‘Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!’ So, they left him at home. During...

The story is told of a farmer who didn’t believe in Jesus. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a service at their local church. He refused to come saying: ‘Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!’ So, they left him at home. During...

‘John’s Gospel is like a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant can swim. It is for the beginner in the faith and for the mature Christian.’ (Leon Morris). The Apostle John is usually credited with the authorship of this Gospel, writing in Ephesus at the end of the First Century. His...

Over the decades the decorations on my home Christmas tree have come and gone. From an eclectic colourful mix of baubles and home-made items when the children were young, to a radical change to ‘contemporary’ and ‘sophisticated’. It didn’t last long, as quite frankly they seemed a bit dull, lifeless and lacking real meaning. We quite rapidly...

Christmas is a great time of year, but it’s not without its challenges! After one family had put up 250,000 Christmas lights outside, they didn’t dare boil a kettle for fear of blowing the system! The challenge of over-indulging We all remember the episode of the Vicar of Dibley, where she had to consume four...

All over the world, doors are being slammed shut this Christmas. As the wars in the Middle East, in Ukraine and in Sudan rage on, millions are losing their homes and places of safety. Elsewhere, hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and would-be immigrants are on the road, seeking refuge anywhere they can find it....

A well-known atheist was being interviewed on Radio 4. When asked how he spent Christmas, he said that he went to Midnight Mass at church. “But you’re an atheist”, his interviewer protested. “Yes”, he replied, “but what they celebrate at Christmas is the most beautiful story ever told.” That ‘beautiful story’ tells of a Creator...

War and Peace From the Vicar What’s the Big Idea? – An Introduction to the gospel of Luke Reflecting Faith: Wall paintings Whole Life Discipleship:  ‘Growing Up Together’ Should Christians go to war? HYMN:  The story behind ‘To God be the Glory!’ Choose your god ** Editor:  Canon Paul Hardingham considers the reality of warfare...