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Glen

The King's English All Year Devotional

It’s the King’s English omnibus.  All 365 devotion in one volume.  From “In the beginning” to “Alleluia”, here are 627 pages for £13.95. A Christmas present perhaps?  Or three? And if you order before 14th December quoting the code “FELICITAS” you will receive 20% off your order. UPDATE: Stay tuned for a hard-cover version very […]

Bowels of mercy

Colossians 3:1-17 Anyone who’s really loved (or feared) knows that the heart is not the only emotional organ.  Some of our greatest loves and our greatest fears are felt a little further south – in the guts! So while we might be used to speaking of a sinking heart, the Scriptures are comfortable speaking of […]

Passeth all understanding

Click for source Philippians 3:1-4:9 We can often feel besieged by worries.  Demands seem to threaten us from every side.  We dare not step out into our calling lest we be crushed by pressures too great for us. Some of us respond by shutting down.  “There is a lion without, I shall be slain in […]

Likeminded

Philippians 2:1-30 William Tyndale gave us the word, “likeminded”, but what gives us the reality? On the internet it’s easy to find “people like us”.  No matter how specialist our interests might be, the online world is so large, any subgroup at all can find “likeminded” members. But what about in the local church?  What […]

Let not the sun go down upon your wrath

Ephesians 4:1-32 In his wonderful book on Ephesians, Watchman Nee observes that the letter can be divided into three movements:  “Sit, Walk, Stand.” We are seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:6) We then walk worthy of our calling in Christ. (Eph 4:1) And we stand against the assaults of the evil […]

The unsearchable riches of Christ

Ephesians 3:1-21 What is the message of Christianity for the world?  If you could boil it down, what is the proclamation of the church?  Paul has a wonderful summary in Ephesians 3:8. John Wycliffe translated it:  “the vnserchable richessis of Crist”. William Tyndale put it as:  “the unsearchable ryches of Christ.” And, in that tradition, […]

A man reaps what he sows

Galatians 6:1-18 The saying is instantly recognisable as religious.  Even if few people know where it comes from, most will assume it’s biblical.  And they’ll assume that they know what it means. It’s about cause and effect right?  It’s saying:  ‘What goes around, comes around.’  ‘If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.’ […]

Anathema

Galatians 1:1-10; 2:11-21 What do we consider beyond the pale?  What behaviour or what belief is out of bounds? How does a group or individual prove themselves to be completely unacceptable? In this context we might say that so and so or such and such is “anathema.” It might be as trivial as the way a […]

A thorn in my flesh

2 Corinthians 12:1-21 Difficult people, chronic illness, vocal opposition, disability, bureaucrats in your way – all sorts of long-term problems might be called “a thorn in your flesh.” Ever since the curse was pronounced in Eden, thorns have tormented us: “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all […]

Suffer fools gladly

2 Corinthians 11:1-33 “He didn’t suffer fools gladly” reads the obituary… “Cantankerous old grouch” we imagine…  Or at least I do.  I might be wrong in the particulars, but that’s how I read the phrase in general. No-one ever does suffer fools gladly.  We are only told when someone definitely does not.  And since, generally, […]