One of the saddest things I see going on around the world is people going through the motions of religion, doing all the things they think they need to do to please God, without ...

I was having dinner recently with some old friends. They truly were old friends. She was in her eighties and he was in his nineties. And as I listened to them talk, I realised ...

The sad face is that, for many people, life just seems flat, grey, lifeless. And sure, we go through the odd season like that. But it’s not meant to go on. It was never God’s ...

As you think about God and all that He has on His plate, what do you imagine His level of attention to the problems in your life is right at the moment? Is He engaged … or is He ...

It’s funny isn’t it, how it’s invariably the little things that can bring us unstuck? One small spark can burn down a whole forest. One small pebble can send a horse lame. ...

It was an incredible revelation to me that God would even bother with me – that someone as insignificant as me would come to His attention, that He would even want to have a ...

One of the things that we know in life, is that every person is different – different attitudes, motivations, talents, abilities. But so often we don’t put that into practice. ...

Have you ever looked around at other people and thought to yourself, “Wow, they are so incredibly talented.”? And of course, beneath that, as we compare their gifts and ...

The hardest thing in the world to do is to admit that we’re wrong. You know the drill. You carry on in a certain way and the further down the path you get, even though you know ...

Every now and then, we can find ourselves in a deep, dark hole, a bleak and lonely place in life where we feel completely helpless. I’ve been there and no doubt so have you. So, ...

Jesus … it’s a name that means many things to many people. But let’s get one thing straight. It’s only when you put your trust in Jesus, as you accept the forgiveness and ...

Sometimes it seems as though nothing is ever going to change. Nothing is ever going to get better. God clearly hasn’t noticed, or He’s lost the plot. There’s not one of us ...

I was sitting with some friends over dinner recently, and we were talking about the future. Now these friends were all a lot older than me, so the sense of proximity, of ...

Here’s the crazy thing. We each have something – one thing more than any other – that’s going on in our life that we wish we could change, that we wish God would change, ...

God has placed a special gift or ability inside each one of us. The sad thing is that it’s so easy for the day to day grind to bury that gift – and the dreams we may have had ...

Imagine there’s no heaven, it’s easy if you try, go the lyrics of that John Lennon song. Oh, and how easy it is to live our lives today as though there is no eternity, as ...

You don’t have to look very far to see how people’s own destructive behaviour is ruining, not just their own lives, but the lives of those around them. But as much as we see ...

Why is it that so many marriages either end in divorce or linger on as a joyless existence? Why is that – when marriage is meant to be the most incredible blessing from God, ...

Anybody who’s set their heart on living a life of faith, on following hard after God, is at some point going to discover that it’s hard work. So what’s the answer? Give up ...

There’s a strange thing going round these days. It’s this sense that even though we’ve stuffed ourselves full of all that this world has to offer, somehow we’re still ...

Have you ever thought to yourself, as the busyness of all that your life entails seems to consume you, that there must be something more? Surely this isn’t all that life is. ...

God has placed a special gift or ability inside each one of us. The sad thing is that it’s so easy for the day to day grind to bury that gift – and the dreams we may have had ...

Each one of us has a special gift from God. An innate ability to do something – one particular thing – better than just about anyone else that we know. The problem is that the ...

For most of us … well, we consider that humility is a good thing, so long as it’s someone else who has to humble themselves before us. In this day and age there are very few ...

So what’s the answer when you die? Eternal life, or a blank screen? An eternity in heaven with the God who sent His Son Jesus to die and rise again for you, or complete, 100% ...

When you’re in the middle of one of life’s storms, hanging onto God’s promises, remembering God’s goodness, having faith in God’s faithfulness … well, that’s just ...

Many’s the time when one of God’s children is left wondering, “Which way does God want me to turn?” They can feel that little pin-prick in their conscience, but they ...

There is a hunger amongst God’s people – well, at least in the hearts of some of God’s people – to hear God speak. They won’t content themselves with knowing about God. ...

We each have that one person in our lives who drives us completely potty. You know … that one person who, the moment you lay eyes on them or hear their voice … the hairs on ...

So if I were to ask you “Do you feel free?” what would your answer be? Perhaps our first reaction is to say, “Sure, of course I’m free.” But then we start thinking about ...

There’s something comfortable about rituals and traditions. They provide a familiar cadence to life and there’s nothing wrong with that per se, unless and until those rituals ...

All too often, we’re looking for big breakthroughs and big miracles, when all along, the Holy Spirit is already busy transforming our lives from the outside in. In this series, ...

Love, love, love. It makes for great pop songs, doesn’t it? But love is something that gets drained out of us through the pressures of life. One day you wake up and you realise ...

Have you ever wondered, what’s the difference between a child and an adult? Other than the obvious physical realities, what’s the one thing that sets the two apart? At what ...

You and I need to be loved. It’s just the way we’re made. We need unconditional love. But in the all-too-disposable world in which we live, that sort of love all too often ...

Have you ever wondered “what’s the best way of sharing my faith”? What’s the best way of getting God’s love and mercy and grace across to people who simply don’t want ...

It’s easy, amidst all that we have going on in our lives, to miss the main point. We hear those Christians talking about the stuff they talk about … religion. Nope, not for ...

Have you ever found yourself becoming just a tad impatient with God? You keep on doing good, doing good, doing good … but your return, your blessing, your harvest … well, it ...

The sad truth is that many people’s lives are being ruined by the hurts and regrets of their past. It seems that the damage is irreversible. It seems that they’re doomed to ...

All too often, we’re looking for big breakthroughs and big miracles, when all along, the Holy Spirit is already busy transforming our lives from the outside in. In this series, ...

So, how much of the way that you see the world is based on fact – objective truth if you will – and how much is based on facts that have been digested, massaged and ...

How we treat other people, you and I, says a lot about the Jesus that we believe in, or perhaps more to the point, the extent to which we actually do believe in this Jesus. So, ...

One of the unexpected side benefits of believing in Jesus – well, it isn’t that much of a side benefit, as a main benefit – is the peace that He puts in your heart. Maybe ...

Most of us are only too happy to believe that God is all powerful and all-knowing and all-loving … until, that is, things in our life take a turn for the worse – at which ...

So how do you know if you’re on the right track in your faith walk? What’s the one thing that’s going to tell you whether you’re headed in the Jesus direction … or the ...

Yep, there seems to be a lot of argument and vitriol in the public square about things like sin and heaven and hell just at the moment. It’s almost like one tribe trying to beat ...

Fear is a subject that I circle around and come back to from time to time because I see it ruining many a life. Sometimes they’re small fears, other times they’re big fears. ...

The Bible talks about the harvest of righteousness.  And yet so few ever reap that blessed harvest.  The harvest is a time of blessing and celebration.  And the ...

We don’t think too much sometimes about the television shows that we watch, or the people we hang out with. Sadly, we don’t think all that much about who or what we allow to ...

So what’s your goal in life? What’s the main aim – the main game? Come on, if you had to sum it all up in one word … okay, one sentence then … and tell the rest of us ...

Jesus once said that the road to destruction is an easy road to travel and that there are many who take it. But what does that actually look like in my life and yours? How do you ...

So, here and now – today – on a scale of zero to ten, how close do you feel to God? Ten is a rich, intimate, powerful relationship with Jesus. Zero is … a million miles ...

Might I ask you an uncomfortable question today? How good are you at suffering? No, it goes further than that – how good are you at cooperating with God in the midst of ...

Can I ask you, how important are your feelings to you? How important is it for you to feel good about yourself? If you believe in Jesus, is that even something you should be ...

“Feeling good” is a concept that we all understand. And yet for many of us, finding that place, experiencing that feeling … well, it’s like a dog chasing its tail. We ...

The Bible talks about the harvest of righteousness.  And yet so few ever reap that blessed harvest.  The harvest is a time of blessing and celebration.  And the righteousness ...

It’s easy to imagine that following Jesus is all about keeping a bunch of rules. Some days it does feel like that. That word they bandy about “righteousness” gives you that ...

If you’d asked me to a word association test before I became a Christian, and you’d thrown in the word “Bible” I’d have responded without thinking, with ...

The law of the jungle is very simple. The people who are good to you, be good back to them. The people who are bad to you, be bad back to them. It’s just the way things are. ...

Frankly, some people impress us and others don’t. Some people look good and sound good, while others don’t. And if we’re perfectly honest with ourselves, we tend to ...

Being on the wrong end of some injustice … well, there’s nothing worse is there? That’s why we so stridently stand up for our rights. And yet it seems that our world is full ...

You mention the word “love” and for most people it conjures up the idea of happiness and romance. That’s fine … except, when it comes to one imperfect person loving ...

Arguments sometimes are unavoidable. And yet, there comes a point in each argument when you and I can decide to play it differently, when you and I can take a step back and make ...

I wish I could tell you that following Jesus is an easy thing to do. It’s not. It never was and it never will be. It’s not a journey for the faint-hearted. But then at some ...

In a world that values success and recognition – it’s funny how many people are chasing after those things in way or another – and how few people ever experience fulfilment ...

We all know strong and courageous people in our lives. We admire them. We wish we could be like them. And yet, more often than not, we come to the conclusion that strength and ...

I don’t know about you, but sometimes as I’m head down doing the things I have to do, you start wondering what it’s all about? Is there any meaning to it all? Where’s it ...

“If only I had just a little bit more. Not a whole lot, just ten percent. That’d do it!” Isn’t that what pretty much most of us think when it comes to money? Just a bit ...

Have you ever found yourself at the point where it feels as though you’ve somehow misplaced God amidst all the busyness of life? You love Him, you believe in Jesus, but somehow, ...

We hate to admit it, but sometimes, our circumstances get the better of us; they overwhelm us, to the point when nothing we try, nothing we do seems to get us back on top again. ...

As someone who believes in Jesus, there’s nothing worse than when we’re dry on the inside. When somehow that genuineness and spontaneity in our relationship with Jesus seems ...

Why is it that some people seem to power on and grow and flourish so amazingly when they give their lives to Jesus? Whilst others … well, you know – they’re alive, but only ...

We live in a world interested in “surface things”. Wealth. Success. Recognition … that’s what people value. So when we end up in a bit of a wilderness – it’s ...

I wonder … how do you choose your friends? Most of us befriend people without even thinking. There’s no interview or selection process. We don’t ask them to apply and then ...

It would be interesting to do a survey of people’s prayer lives – to see how they pray. Do they just ask God for stuff, pour out their hearts to Him? Do they worship and adore ...

I don’t think there’s a single person on planet Earth who, right in this instant, is living the perfect life – a life that’s completely problem-free. So what are the ...

There are times, let’s face it, when we end up in a place, in a situation that we simply would never, ever have chosen for ourselves. You know … that place where it feels as ...

I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve had a good plan; a plan to do this, to head in this direction, to take this long road … and then God’s come along and ...

So, what are the bits of your life that God wants to be involved in? Is it just the spiritual side, the emotional side? Or does His reign, His kingdom, His provision and blessing ...

Relationships are funny things. The more you dive in, the riskier and yet at the same time the more fulfilling they are. So what we often do is keep people at arm’s length. ...

So often, we look around at our lives and you know something, they look a bit parched and dry. Some joker comes along and says “I don’t think life is meant to be like that.” ...

What’s in it for me? Isn’t that the question we ask about pretty much everything? And yet, there’s something, one thing, that will turn that question, that perspective, ...

When someone does something to hurt you or annoy you, what’s your first reaction? Well, the natural thing to do is to judge them, to condemn them. That’s fine, but whilst it ...

Many people these days have an “investment portfolio” to save for a secure and comfortable retirement. Fair enough. But how many have a “giving portfolio” to help those ...

It’s funny how often God speaks to us through simple ordinary things that happen in our lives – through young people cleverly mucking around with technology. God is speaking, ...

Tell me, when it comes to Jesus, how close are you to Him? Do you hear His voice day by day, or is that kind of closeness, that kind of intimacy but a dim, distant memory? A ...

They say that you should never say never; it’s this idea that the completely unthinkable is never impossible. And it turns out that what may be unthinkable today becomes a ...

When someone treats you badly, a really common reaction is to want to smack them in the mouth – if not physically, then certainly metaphorically. But before you do that, ...

God’s blessing is an amazing thing. And it’s also something that frankly a lot of people are confused about. Join Berni this week as he takes a powerful and practical look at ...

Let’s face it – we live in a pretty self centred society. Me, me, me … So when we start to talk about God’s blessing – it can be a bit confusing. God is a God of ...

Pain is a fact of life … it just is. That’s not up for debate. But what people do wonder about is the reason for pain. When we’re suffering we all ask ourselves, “Why is ...

Abject poverty is so widespread in this world today, that all too often we can come to the conclusion that there’s nothing we can possibly do to make a difference. And of ...

Priorities – they’re a funny thing. We know we should prioritise our lives better – our time, our money, our focus. We should spend them on the things that really matter. ...

Ever seen one of those embarrassing street preachers on a corner, up on a soap box, Bible in one hand, shouting “Repent, you sinners, repent or you’re going to hell”? And ...

Heaven, hell, eternity … they all seem pretty irrelevant now. But then when eternity comes upon us, as it inevitably will, the only thing that’ll seem irrelevant are all the ...

Life is full of seasons, and not each season is going to be one that we enjoy. We know that, in theory at least, but when we’re in the middle of one of those deep, dark, cold ...

I don’t know whether you’ve ever thought of this, but God is in the healing business. Now, He doesn’t always heal everyone physically – some, not others. I truly have no ...

Sometimes, we think we’re going along just fine – and then we react to something and all of a sudden, we realise, we’re carrying around a bunch of hang-ups. Baggage. Join ...

Most times, suffering just doesn’t make sense. We struggle against it, we cry out to God, and still the suffering goes on. You have to ask yourself, what in the blazes is God up ...

One of the biggest criticisms of Christianity is that it’s just a bunch of old, irrelevant rules. And who, after all, needs more rules in their life? I totally get that because ...