hope

DO YOU REMEMBER GOD’S DEEDS?

(September 18, 2025) Carol Round remembers and reflects on God’s goodness…

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t want to dwell on past mistakes and sins. But sometimes it’s difficult to purge those thoughts from our memories, especially if our past is filled with pain and regret.

However, there is one thing we can do to let go of the negativity and embrace the goodness of God. We can reflect on God’s past actions in our lives to strengthen our faith and provide encouragement. Scripture emphasises the significance of remembering God’s deeds and His faithfulness.

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EXPERIENCE NEW LIFE, HOPE, RESTORATION!

(March 14, 2025) Angeline Selvakumari reflects on a particular scripture and encourages…

I was reading Isaiah 11, a chapter well-known for its prophecy concerning Jesus’ ministry.

However, I found myself particularly drawn to verse one which, in my Holman Christian Standard Bible, says: ‘Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.’

Five words intrigued me— stump, shoot, branch, bearing fruit!

Stump
A stump represents a life cut short, the abrupt end of a once-thriving existence. It symbolises decline, a remnant of something that once flourished— what remains when prosperity has ceased. It’s a picture of finality: lifeless, left over, and seemingly without a future. A stump marks the end of what was, destined to rot and eventually disappear.

This verse refers to the royal line of David, reduced to a remnant— a stump. Remnants are the survivors, those who have endured trials, faced adversity, and remained steadfast. Isaiah 11:1 is a precious promise of what God intends for His faithful remnant: those who have clung to Him through every storm, standing firm on the foundation of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

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TIME TRAVEL

(March 03, 2025) Dr Jim McClure shares— and challenges…

Sixty-two years ago Dr Who stepped out of a telephone kiosk that was actually a fictional time machine called Tardis.  Since then multiple episodes of the science-fiction TV series have been broadcast with many different characters portraying Dr Who.

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to travel through time?  There are no time-travel machines in existence so we have no opportunity to take a trip 100 years into the future or 1000 years into the past, however we are all actually ‘time-travellers’! 

In fact, we are travelling through time right now! From one day to the next we travel through time! From one Christmas to the next we travel through time!

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MARY’S MAGNIFICENT MAGNIFICAT

December 18, 2024) Dr Richard Winter shares and challenges…

Why I love the Virgin Mary is a sermon I have preached before, raising some quizzical eyebrows! For example, someone asked me, ‘Is this Catholic theology.’

One time when I mentioned I loved the Virgin Mary to a friend who was training to be a Catholic priest it made him smile. But I added that I don’t pray to her, neither do I think of Mary as a co-redemptionist with Jesus. His eyes opened wide when I explained that I think of Mary as a wonderful example of a faithful servant of God.

Mary’s Magnificat
Ever heard this term?

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PRECIOUS PEARLS OF PRUDENCE

(September 20, 2024) Mama Lava shares some precious insights…

Are you familiar with the origins of pearls? I admit I was a bit mistaken in what I thought I knew.

Did you know it’s not a scratchy bit of sand which typically begins the process? A pearl is more commonly a mollusc’s defensive reaction to a parasite.

Natural History Museum informs us that —
‘Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body. The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin, materials that also make up its shell. This creates a material called nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, which encases the irritant and protects the mollusc from it. When pearls are cultured commercially an irritant is manually inserted into a mollusc to promote the production of mother-of-pearl. Nacre can form naturally around almost any irritant that gets inside the shell, creating some very unique and precious pearls.’

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REALITY OF THE RESURRECTION

(March 25, 2024) Dr Jim McClure shares Easter truths…

There is a major difference between fantasy and reality.  Fantasy is based on fiction while reality is based on truth! One of our major problems today is that fiction and deception has replaced reality in many areas and truth is being discarded in favour of falsehood.

This is not new. Throughout history evil has sought to overcome good as moral social values have been reversed and lies have replaced truth.  About 2700 years ago the prophet Isaiah’s description of his own nation at that time strongly resembles much of what is happening in our world today – ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.   Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight’ (Isaiah 5:20-21).

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YEARNING FOR THE LORD

(March 06, 2024) Norman and Margaret Moss reflect on some good news…

Margaret enjoyed her school days. I did not. So I truly know what it is to yearn for the holidays.

‘Yearn’… a feeling of intense longing for something.

Someone commenting on Job 19 wrote that Job had a gut-wrenching longing to see God, and we were led to meditate on verses 25-27 –

‘I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!’

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A ROAD UNTRAVELLED

(January 07, 2024) Dr Jim McClure encourages Christians to confidently follow the Lord this new year… 

Welcome to 2024! Where did last year go?

I was reflecting on how much the world has changed in my lifetime. I was born when German bombs were being dropped on Belfast. But following the end of the war, despite various hardships, life was pretty good. I have come to the conclusion that I have been privileged to live in a time of unparalleled discovery and achievement in the world.

Following the Second World War who would have guessed that someone would walk on the moon? Who would have speculated that our old radio would be largely replaced by a colour television? Who would have considered that one day you could carry a phone in your pocket without trailing a telephone wire? Who would have anticipated that something called a computer would be invented that would give you instant answers to many of your questions on many subjects? Who would have predicted the amazing advances in medicine and surgery?

Of course, not everything over the years has been good or positive – I do not need to list some of the negatives and tragedies that have also been part of those years… although the Covid pandemic which, directly or indirectly, wreaked havoc in the lives of countless millions of people throughout the world, was one of those stressful times.

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ENCOURAGEMENT, STRENGTH AND HOPE IN TROUBLED TIMES

(November 15, 2023) Wayne Swift shares encouragingly…

Paul was so concerned about the troubles the Thessalonian Christians were encountering that he didn’t hesitate in sending young Timothy to help them. As he wrote in 1Thessalonians 3:2-3, Timothy was directed ‘… to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.’

Knowing the circumstances of the fledgling Thessalonian congregation and the likelihood of ongoing persecution, Paul reminded them of his concern for those troubled Christians and encouraged them in their faith.

Encouraging means to give hope and the apostle was a great encourager of Christians and churches. A top example to us in these troubled days!

Faith-directed encouragement
Encouragement provides both hope and support in difficult situations and is welcomed. 

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‘EERING PETER’ – FIGURE OF HOPE

(April 18, 2023) Brian Bell challenges us to search our hearts deeply… 

In the 19th century hymn usually known as Yesterday, Today, Forever the writer A.B. Simpson introduces the third verse with the words ‘He who pardoned eering Peter never need you fear.’

Whenever we think about Peter, that rather impulsive figure who was numbered among the twelve chosen by Jesus to be His first close followers, we are often drawn to his ‘eerings’… those times when he is considered to have erred in his words or actions.

It is Peter’s ‘eerings’ which make him a figure of hope for all of us who, like Peter, sometimes stumble over our words or actions as we seek to follow the Lord.

Let’s look at some of Peter’s eerings together… and as we (I include myself!) do so, allow the Holy Spirit to challenge us deeply if we too need hope.

Peter’s Determination
I see this reflected in Peter’s well-intentioned words to Jesus: ‘Even if everyone else deserts you I never will’ (Luke 24:12NLT). When Jesus told Peter he would deny him that very night, Peter tried to strengthen his determination by saying, ‘No – even if I have to die with you I will never deny you’ (v35).

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