It’s easy to look at the world around us, or even at our own lives, and focus on what’s difficult, uncertain, or disappointing. Sarah certainly had her reasons for doing that. When she overheard God’s promise that she’d have a son in her old age, she laughed. It seemed absurd. Humanly speaking, it was impossible. … Continue reading Joining God’s Mission Today →

Assertiveness is often misunderstood. Many people assume it means being forceful, outspoken, or even aggressive, as long as those actions are wrapped in good intentions. Yet Christian assertiveness looks very different. It’s better understood as servant assertiveness, a way of relating to others that’s shaped by humility, compassion, and respect. Rather than demanding to be … Continue reading…

Here are some devotional reflections I’ve written for my 72nd birthday: The passing of years has a way of sharpening what matters most. Looking back, I can see that life has never been a journey travelled alone. Through seasons of joy and sorrow, certainty and doubt, strength and weakness, God has remained faithful. The psalmist … Continue reading Growing Older With Purpose →

Psalm 121 reminds us where to look when life feels uncertain, heavy, or overwhelming. The psalmist writes, “I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth”. In times of struggle, our instinct is often to look around for … Continue reading Hope Beyond the Hills →

I wrote this devotional reflection on Acts 2:37-42 before Commitment Sunday on 10 May 2026, verses used in worship at Stockton Corps on the same day. There are moments when the gospel stops being an idea and becomes a summons. Acts 2:37-42 captures one of those moments. Peter’s words, spoken in the power of the … Continue reading Called to be a Leader →

There’s a gentle affirmation in Jesus’ words as he speaks to anxious hearts in Gospel of John (John 14:1–14). “Do not let your hearts be troubled… my Father’s house has many rooms.” It isn’t a denial of fear, it’s an invitation to trust. He doesn’t promise an easy road; he promises himself. “I am the … Continue reading Trust and Perseverance →

This devotional was inspired by worship at Stockton Salvation Army on Sunday 19 April 2026 and is my reflection. There’s something disarming about the story in Luke 5:1–11. Simon Peter and his companions have been fishing all night and caught nothing, they’re tired, frustrated, cleaning their nets, and ready to call it a day. Then … Continue reading Called to Be a Disciple →

There’s something both beautiful and unsettling about dreams. In the Book of Jeremiah 23, we’re reminded that not every voice that claims God’s authority truly carries it. “Let these false prophets tell their dreams,” the Lord says, “but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word… There is a difference between chaff and wheat.” … Continue reading Dreams and Discernment →

There’s something deeply human about the space between doubt and faith, that quiet, often hidden place where questions linger and certainty feels just out of reach. The disciples knew it in that locked room, holding their fear close, unsure what the future might bring. And yet, into that very space, the risen Jesus came and … Continue reading From Doubt to Faith →

Renewal begins quietly, often beneath the surface, like the first stirrings of spring under cold soil. We might expect transformation to feel dramatic, immediate, unmistakable, yet God’s work in us is often gentler, deeper, and more enduring than that. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come,” we’re told, “The old has gone, … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 40 Renewal →

There’s a quiet ache that sits beneath the surface of ordinary life, a sense that even the most beautiful moments aren’t quite enough. Joy comes, yet it fades; achievements satisfy, yet only for a while. The writer of Ecclesiastes names this mystery with striking simplicity, saying that God “has also set eternity in the human … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 39 Eternity →

There’s something vast and almost overwhelming in that promise, that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. It doesn’t speak of a trickle or a scattered awareness, but of something total, immersive, inescapable. Like standing at the shoreline and looking out at … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 38 Glory →

There’s something deeply human about wanting the race to be easier, shorter, or at least more predictable. Yet the words, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” gently remind me that the path of faith isn’t a sprint, but a long, steady journey. It’s marked out, not by accident, but with … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 37 Perseverance →

Unity isn’t something we manufacture; it’s something we’re invited to guard. Paul’s words, make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, carry both urgency and tenderness. Unity already exists as a gift of the Spirit, yet it’s fragile in our hands, easily strained by pride, misunderstanding, or fear. … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 36 Unity →

Generosity begins not in the hand, but in the heart. It isn’t measured by the size of the gift, but by the spirit in which it’s given. Paul’s gentle reminder, that each of you should give what you’ve decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver, … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 35 Generosity →

Service turns the world’s idea of greatness on its head. We’re shaped, almost without noticing, to admire influence, visibility, and success that can be measured, yet Jesus quietly reframes it all, saying whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. It isn’t a rejection of greatness, but a redefinition of it, drawing … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 34 Service →

Worship begins not with music or words, but with orientation; a turning of the heart toward God. When Jesus says, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only,” he speaks in the wilderness, in a moment of testing, where competing voices offer power, comfort, and control. His response is simple, yet it cuts through … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 33 Worship →

Prayer isn’t presented as an occasional refuge, something we reach for only when life unravels; instead, it’s woven into the fabric of everyday living, a steady rhythm of turning towards God in all things. When Paul writes simply, pray continually, he isn’t setting an impossible standard, as if we must speak words without pause, but … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 32 Prayer →

Witness carries a quiet courage, a steady willingness to stand in the truth of what we’ve seen and known, and to let that truth be visible in us. When Jesus says, you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth, there’s both promise and purpose held together. It isn’t a command rooted in pressure, … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 31 Witness →

Mission begins not with strategy, but with the quiet authority of Jesus’ voice: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” In those few words from Matthew 28:19, there’s both a calling and a promise, something vast enough to stretch across cultures and centuries, yet personal enough to land in the heart of an ordinary believer. … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 30 Mission →

Discipleship isn’t an abstract idea or a comfortable identity; it’s a daily choice, grounded in real life, shaped by surrender. Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me,” and in those few words he gently, yet firmly, redefines what it means to belong … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 29 Discipleship →

There’s something both humbling and deeply reassuring in hearing that we are the body of Christ, not individually complete, but held together in a living whole. Paul’s words, you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it, don’t just describe the church as an organisation or a gathering, … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 28 Church →

There are moments when weakness feels like the truest thing about us, when energy fades, words fail, and even prayer seems beyond reach. In those times, it’s easy to imagine that we’re somehow falling short, that faith should feel stronger, clearer, more certain. Yet scripture gently turns that assumption on its head, reminding us that … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 27 Spirit →

The words arrive like a shock to the system, simple yet world-changing: he is not here; he has risen. What began in grief, confusion, and the heavy silence of a sealed tomb is suddenly undone by life. The women come expecting to tend a body, to honour what they believe is a finished story, yet … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 26 Resurrection →

There’s something stark and unsettling about the simplicity of the line, “We preach Christ crucified.” It doesn’t soften the image or tidy it into something more palatable; it places the cross right at the centre. Not Christ as teacher, or healer, or even as miracle worker, but Christ crucified. It’s a reminder that the heart … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 25 Cross →

The mystery of incarnation invites us to linger, to slow our thinking and allow wonder to rise. John writes, the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and in that simple, profound sentence the vastness of God’s being steps into the smallness of human life. This isn’t an idea to be solved so … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 24 Incarnation →

There’s a quiet excitement in Andrew’s words when he turns to his brother and says, “We have found the Messiah (that is, the Christ)” in John 1:41. It isn’t a polished sermon or a carefully reasoned argument, it’s the simple overflow of discovery. Something has shifted in him; hope has taken on flesh, and he … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 23 Messiah →

Prophecy isn’t born out of human ambition, nor shaped by the shifting winds of opinion; it comes from a deeper, holier source. Peter reminds us that prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though fully human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. There’s something both … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 22 Prophecy →

The law can sound like a heavy word to modern ears. It can feel rigid, restrictive, even burdensome. Yet the psalmist speaks of it with delight: “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.” That isn’t the language of someone weighed down by rules. It’s the voice of someone who has discovered that … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 21 Law →

Exile carries a deep ache. It’s the feeling of being far from home, cut off from what once gave life meaning and security. In the story of Israel, exile wasn’t just geographical; it was spiritual, emotional, and communal. People who once walked the streets of Jerusalem and worshipped in the temple found themselves living among … Continue reading Bible 40 Themes 20 Return →