Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at God

‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11:28). Today, the spiritual discipline of rest is a challenging one. We are pressured to cram more and more activities into fewer hours. This has been described as ‘hurry sickness’ and is an enemy of our spiritual life....

When you last heard a sermon given from a pulpit, what was your reaction?  Whilst pulpits can of themselves be beautiful and stately, intricately carved and decorated, they can also be places of separateness. Rather than ending up helping the congregation to hear and see the preacher better, they can sometimes become a block to...

“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10 Have you ever thought of taking some time out of daily life, to simply ‘be still’ with God? To hear His voice, enjoy His presence, and perhaps receive His direction for your future?  When one lady was told that her friend was “taking some time...

Have you ever considered the abbreviation A.S.A.P. (As Soon As Possible)? Generally, it brings even more hurry and stress into our lives. Yet there is another way to think of A.S.A.P, a way which might help us deal with those difficult times in our daily lives. When there’s work to do, and deadlines to meet,...

Do you ever take painkillers?  If so, do you take one for your shoulder, and another one for you knee? Of course not! Once the painkiller enters your bloodstream, it goes everywhere, soothing and damping down the pain, and hitting all the right spots. God works a bit like that on the pain in our...

Does this summer spell the end of school, college, or even a job, for you? Then congratulations are in order: you have completed a significant step! Now it is time to consider your next step. The dictionary defines ‘step’ as a physical movement that advances you in a desired direction. You take a ‘step’ forward...

Mary Magdalene From the Vicar Spiritual Disciplines: Solitude Reflecting faith – the Pulpit     The story behind the HYMN:Now Thank We All Our God Graduation? God’s Garden ** Editor:  By Canon Paul Hardingham Mary Magdalene Six Marys are mentioned in the New Testament, including Mary Magdalene, who is remembered this month in the church’s calendar....

Six Marys are mentioned in the New Testament, including Mary Magdalene, who is remembered this month in the church’s calendar. What can we learn from Mary’s story? We don’t have to be defined by our past: When Jesus encountered Mary, He cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). As a result, her life was...

Six Marys are mentioned in the New Testament, including Mary Magdalene, who is remembered this month in the church’s calendar. What can we learn from Mary’s story? We don’t have to be defined by our past: When Jesus encountered Mary, He cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). As a result, her life was...

‘Solitude is a time when we withdraw from the company of others in order to give God our undivided attention’ (John Ortberg). The spiritual discipline of solitude is about spending time alone with God, to grow in relationship with Him and hear Him more clearly. This practice was a priority in Jesus’ life and ministry,...

The pulpit is one of the four most obvious pieces of ‘furniture’ in a church; the others being the lectern, altar and the font. Today the pulpit is where the preacher stands to give the sermon during a service. It is generally raised higher than the chairs or pews, so the preacher can be seen...

Now thank we all our God With heart and hands and voices, Who wondrous things hath done, In whom His world rejoices; Who, from our mother’s arms, Hath blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love, And still is ours today. Oh may this bounteous God Through all our life be near us,...