Encouragement and wisdom

Some thoughts and reflections to encourage faith and understanding in all who read and consider them

Euthanasia

Questions: (submitted by a group of young people) Is it a sin if you are extremely sick and you ask the doctors to end your life?Euthanasia - isn't it my choice to end my suffering? Answer: Summary: Many western countries are passing legislation to makes medically...

read more

Abortion

QUESTION (submitted by a group of young people): Should abortion be permitted or not? ANSWER: Summary: At what point during the growth and development of the unborn life within a pregnant woman, from fertilisation through to birth, does it become human? Certainly not...

read more

Does God exist?

QUESTIONS (submitted by a group of young people): How do we know that God is real?Is there evidence that God does not exist? ANSWER: Summary: The universe, and everything in it, has an origin that is either personal or impersonal. If it is impersonal, life is utterly...

read more

IF

(A Christian version of the well known poem by Rudyard Kipling) If you can follow Christ when all around youAre following themselves and their desireIf you can trust the Shepherd who has found youAnd walks with you through every flood and fireIf you can act with grace...

read more

The Two Tables of the Law

It has become customary to think that when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, one of the stone tablets contained the first four, and the other, the remaining six. Why? Because the first four commandments concern our relationship with God, and the remaining six our...

read more

I find no fault in Him

Pilate was in no mood to pander to the Jewish rulers. He had to come out to them because they would not “defile themselves” by entering the Praetorium! It was early morning and he resented being used by them. They had probably sent a late-night delegation to his...

read more

Hold on to Christ

Hold on to ChristFor when the worldMay blissful beAnd full ofOpportunityRemember inThat ecstasyYour eager handHas hold of HimWho made it Hold on to ChristFor when the warIs waging longThe enemyEngaging, strongAnd seems the stormIs raging onYour fearful handHas hold of...

read more

The Song of our Syrian Guest

This classic piece on the 23rd Psalm, first published in 1904, was written by William Allen Knight. It is in the public domain. May it bless you as it has me. The Twenty-Third PsalmThe Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:He...

read more

One of Us

From time to time, I encounter a pop song that makes me reflect upon matters of faith. I first started paying more attention to the lyrics of pop songs when I heard a former bishop in a podcast describe the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen as being almost a modern day...

read more

A Sinless Life

Every person who sins is rightly called a sinner. The question of guilt is one of degree only, but our place in the category is fixed. A person without sin would be in an entirely different category. For such a person, one sin, one small failure of any kind, would...

read more

Clarity and Clutter

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these...

read more