In Praise of Serendipity, God’s Sneaky Surprises
You know those happy coincidences or unexpected discoveries that take us by surprise? We call it serendipity. Not all serendipity is chance, accident or coincidence. A good deal of it is in fact divine. Like my miraculous little encounter as I stood, with aching legs and blistered feet, among the back pillars of Durham Cathedral
063 The Day I Interviewed Megachurch Pastor Joel Osteen
Fans adore Joel Osteen’s positive-thinking sermons. Critics say he’s more self-help guru than gospel preacher. When I sat down with Joel at the 2009 Hillsong Conference, I met a meticulously styled man with a friendly smile and courteous spirit. I put the critics' concerns to him, got some answers, left thinking well of Joel, but
Everything in This Cafe is Free—Just Like God’s Gifts
Imagine walking into a cafe, ordering a flat white and a piece of cake, sitting down at a table while they're brought to you, and then, after enjoying your morning tea, you go to pay the bil
Guilty Pleasures: Should I Or Shouldn’t I?
When BBC Radio 2 asked me to talk about guilty pleasures, it wasn't my obsession with 80s soul and funk music, or my tendency to eat Nutella from the jar, or the sneaky flavours I sometimes add to my coffee, that was my deepest concern. It was my habit of sitting in coffee shops for
062 How Your Words and Art Can Create Hope In A Broken World
In a world where there is brokenness and decay at every turn, how can Christians be a voice of hope? How can we ensure our words, messages, conversations and art bring hope that is inspiring yet practical at the same time? At the 2015 Premier Digital Conference, I spoke on the topic of creating hope,
061 Three Questions to Ask When God Seems Silent
Although Merryn and I tried to start a family for 10 years, and sought God diligently the whole time, one of the most perplexing things about our journey was God’s silence. We heard him speak on other things during that time, but never on our pursuit of a family. It was hard. Biblical heroes experienced
060 Reading the Bible with Your Heart and Mind
It's one thing to read the Bible with our eyes and our mind—and another thing to truly engage our heart. But if the Bible is God's primary way of communicating with us, it makes sense to learn to read it deeply. Here are some keys to reading God's word from Celebration of Discipline author Richard
Resilient
Some days we wake to a world of crystal skies and bright possibilities. And other days it’s to rain pelting our windows and thunder rattling our roofs. How can we stay strong when the storms of life hit—when a spouse leaves, a client sues, unemployment strikes, or our dreams fail to come true? Rich with
The Resilient Audiobook
How can you stay strong when the storms of life hit? To find out, plug in your headphones, and take a 90-day AUDIO journey with me through Jesus' Sermon On the Mount. Yes friends, after weeks of recording and editing, the 'Resilient' audiobook is here—an unabridged recording of my devotional that will recalibrate your callings,
059 Seven Ways God Might Be Speaking To You
In Scripture we find God speaking through peals of thunder, pillars of cloud, flaming bushes, even donkeys. He used prophets, angels, the beauty of creation, the coming of Jesus. God is surely a communicating God. But in the 21st century, how might we expect him to speak to us personally about our everyday, modern, Western