Goldfish see what’s in the water, they see what’s refracted through the water, but I assume (I haven’t done the proper investigations) that goldfish don’t see the water itself. And yet there it is. It’s their environment. Universal but invisible. It shapes everything they do and everything they see. But they don’t see it.... continue reading
When you think about it, joy in suffering makes no sense apart from God’s grace, yet this is the testimony of believers throughout church history. Take, for example, the Christians to whom the apostle Peter sent his first epistle. He addressed them as “elect exiles of the dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1).... continue reading
Most of us love to eat. Away from home we explore different foods, take more time over meals and treat ourselves. In our family, we have various traditions around food on trips away—taking it in turns to cook, going out for breakfast and several others. Personally, I love ice cream, especially on a beach, in a cheap cone with a chocolate flake. To me that’s the taste of sun, freedom and childhood.... continue reading
There will be a day when every child of God will be invited to the one funeral that we will all want to attend: we will be invited to the funeral of death.
Yes, it really is true—death will die and eternally be no more. Along with it will die all the grief, pain, fear, sadness, suffering, and loss that death always drags with it. The completely righteous life of Jesus, the acceptable sacrifice of Jesus, and the victorious resurrection of Jesus, all accomplished on our behalf, guarantee that the enemy of everyone living—death—will finally and forever die.... continue reading
To think about God’s greatness, we naturally tend to talk about what God can do. We, however, are going to consider what God can’t do—and when you realise what God can’t do, his greatness might just blow your mind.... continue reading
Leaving the nest can be scary and, well, confusing. With graduations right around the corner, students are in need of hope-filled advice for the years to come. To meet that need, we’ve compiled some of our books’ most encouraging and truth-filled Christian quotes for (soon-to-be) graduates. ... continue reading
Studying the Bible can seem intimidating. It includes 66 books covering an extended timescale, full of unfamiliar names and places, and large sections can feel like alien territory. But each book is full of good news. In Isaiah: Here Is Your God, the newest addition to the Good Book Guide collection, trusted Bible teacher Tim Chester takes you through the book of Isaiah in a digestible and accessible way. ... continue reading
Extending forgiveness is a challenge. When you’ve carried the burden of unforgiveness for a length of time, it can be hard to know how to step towards forgiveness and reconciliation. In sharing her own experiences and the story of Joseph and his brothers, however, author Wendy Alsup explores what repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation can look like, even in extremely difficult circumstances.
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I think most of us want to pray for our spouse. We intend to pray for our spouse. But we forget to pray for our spouse.
Or, when we remember, our prayers can often be limited to what we want to see happen in their lives—the issues we see as urgent. And those aren’t always the things that are truly most needed or most urgent.... continue reading
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” – Galatians 3:13
Great hymns, as we have seen—whether about Christ’s “wondrous cross” or his “precious blood”—have the ability to unite the family of God throughout history and around the world, in the truths that matter most. But when voices from within the church begin to question or deny what the church holds most dear, great hymns also become flashpoints of controversy.... continue reading