Words and pictures

Words and pictures

Revelation, as you may have noticed, is choc-a-bloc with some very strange images. John is asked, “What do you see?” Often Christians see things that are not there in the bible, make connections that don’t exist and use them to justify things that are morally...
Words and pictures

Stranger things

We humans are incurably curious. We ask the big questions about our existence: how come things exist at all? How did we get here? What are we for? Many people believe science has debunked faith as the answer to these fundamental questions of our existence. Yet, today,...
Words and pictures

Israel and Gaza

On Saturday morning 7th October, the terrorist group Hamas breached the border encompassing the Palestinian territory of Gaza. What followed was unspeakable in its savagery. In a rain of terror paragliders with machine guns descended on a desert rave, Jewish families...
Words and pictures

Clyde built theology

The Rapture was Clyde-built! Yes, the west of Scotland’s, or more precisely Port Glasgow’s, foremost contribution to the world of theology, is the widespread belief that Christians will be extracted from the world ahead of a great tribulation. The notion that flowed...
Words and pictures

I don’t love worship!

I don’t love worship! Yes, it is true I don’t love worship. Are you shocked? Now …you need to read on, or I fear you’ll get the wrong end of the stick by what I mean by this. Sardis & Midas I am sure you know the story of King Midas …you know the guy who...
Words and pictures

Hope over Fear: All Together Now.

I have a guilty secret …come close, lean in and I’ll tell you what it is, so long as you promise not to look down on me. I am a bit of a fan of jigsaw puzzles! Frequently in our house, Alison will be searching for her iPad only to find I’ve “borrowed” it to do a...
Stay curious. Try Alpha

Stay curious. Try Alpha

Everyone should have the opportunity to explore Christian faith, ask questions, and share their point of view.  This is the stated aim of Alpha, the popular and prolific course that explores the basics of Christian faith.    Alpha has been a key part of the life of...
A disciple’s eye test

A disciple’s eye test

The competition for your attention is fierce. From pop-up ads and notifications on the screen in the palm of your hand to the constant deluge of data that comes from all angles, it’s no wonder the human attention span is comparable with that of a gnat. Nevertheless,...
Inspiration and perspiration

Inspiration and perspiration

Some smart individual once suggested that living out a Vision is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration! That seems about right to me. The fact is, dramatic dreams require diligent execution, vision is empty without action. The real work occurs in taking our hopes and...
Dare to be a Daniel

Dare to be a Daniel

We live in times that have been described as the “Age of Anxiety.” Our society, it seems to me at least, is increasingly shaped by the fear of litigation and “reputational damage”. Organisations, of all shapes and sizes, apply great attention to the mitigation of...