Think on These Things

  We all want to be accepted. Growing up, we all want to fit in. The feeling of wanting to belong starts in us from a young age. Whether we wish to fit in with a group in school, maybe our co-workers, a football team or church. This feeling we get when we belong goes further than just knowing some people are around us. It means there is a deeper bond. We are with people who get us, and we get them. They accept us. This happens when we focus not on what is different about them or us but on what we share in common, interests, hobbies or a cause. Many people spend their entire lives trying to earn people's acceptance. Craving approval from our friends, family, and work colleagues can drive us to do things we never intended. For instance, we may not speak our minds on an issue because we know the other person won't like what we say, so we pull our punches. Maybe we say yes to something instead of no through fear of not being accepted and a desire to please. Perhaps you are...

Jesus' life-giving presence is not just for you, before you, around you - it is in you. One of the first lessons you learn in life at nursery school is that square pegs don't go in round holes. You can try, but no matter how many times you beat or force it, it just won't go. It is beyond the realms of all possible because it wasn't designed to go there. Sometimes life can be like this. Trying to force something that won't go, or you can feel like you are zagging when you should zigging, and no matter how many times you try - nothing fits. Square peg, round hole. Again and again. If that's you, let me take the pressure off you. Jesus knew this. That's why He has given you Himself because you do not have what it takes to live a Christian life. And because Jesus knew this, He gave us himself. This gives us hope so that when we are weak, we can understand his strength; in the storm, we can have His peace and say, "It is well with my soul". That's ...

  Let's be clear from the start. We all hate losing. Jimmy Connors, the tennis player, once said, "I hate losing more than I love winning." He is not alone. Many of us from different walks of life all have the same struggle. We hate losing more than we love winning. In economics, they refer to this as loss aversion. Loss aversion is this bias inside us that is so powerful it makes us afraid to make good decisions. It can hold us back from moving forward where. We hate losing and struggle to cope with the loss. I heard it explained very simply to me how this plays out in our day-to-day life. Let's say you are going for a drive and you park your car. As you get out of the vehicle, you notice a £50 note on the ground, and you pick it up. It's just there; no one else is about; it's yours to do with what you want. You go for your walk and have a great time because you are £50 up; life is good. You notice something on your windscreen when you retu...

  This is the way. These are not just words. They are a way of life: a creed - a form of faith.   They are not just spoken by anyone. They are the words of Din Djaron - The Mandalorian or Mando for short. Kind of like an out of space Clint Eastwood wearing Beskar armour who fights mudhorns and protects The Child. Around this time last year, I got hooked on watching the Mandalorian. It was the first lockdown; what lockdown are we in now? It seems like it was "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….". Anyhow, I couldn't wait for each new episode on Disney Plus and the last two episodes of season 2 are the best tv this past year has had to offer. Line of Duty take note of how to end a season.   It's that phrase, though, that keeps popping up throughout the show - This is the way. It's a phrase that sums up the essence of what The Mandalorian is all about. It's typical of Star Wars coming up with another catchy phrase like - May the Force Be W...

The most significant privilege I have is being a Dad. I remember my life changing forever, and I held Katie for the first time. She was finally here. She had not done anything but be born, and I already was the proudest Dad in the world. Then Reuben came along, and I was made up and over the moon again. People had given us the scare stories like, you will never sleep again for six months. They were right. Going out will never be the same; you must bring everything, including the kitchen sink. They were right. I do not deny functioning on two hours of sleep was hard, but what a privilege. Being a dad is by far the most fulfilling thing in my life. With that privilege comes responsibility, and it means stepping up to the plate. My kids are at the stage where they think I can do everything, fix everything, and have an answer for everything. One day, they will grow up and see that that is not the case. So, can I make the most of this time and affect their lives for good. What is some of ...

  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9   I wonder if you are like me and have ever prayed for something with all the faith you could muster, all the zeal you could work within you, and asked God for something. It felt like He didn’t do anything you wanted. I mean, you did everything, fasted, went to the front of the prayer line, bargained with God, and promised everything. Still nothing. I’ve been there. We all have at some point. So has Paul the Apostle. Paul was in a battle, feeling the enemy’s heat, and the pressure was unrelenting. He uses the word “Buffeted” in verse 7 of 2 Corinthians 12. This is not a food buffet, although it feels like he was dinner for the enemy. The word buffeted carries the idea of a clenched fist. The enemy was beating Paul; he was not holding back. Paul is living with this, and he can’t figure a way out of it; he can’t see the end in sight. So what does Paul do? He prays....