We often labour under the delusion that we need to “tidy the cupboards of our souls” before we can let God in. We treat our spiritual lives like a divine audit, terrified that our lack of “filter” or our general dishevelment might trigger some celestial “Access Denied” message.
Let’s be honest: most days, life feels less like a serene walk with God and more like trying to assemble a particularly fiddly piece of flat-pack furniture while the instructions are being chewed by the dog and you’ve misplaced the allen key.
In the relentless bustle of modern family life, the notion of “quiet time” can feel like a bit of a tall order. For a tired mother or father, the distance between the kitchen sink and the “quiet conversation of prayer” can feel like a very long way indeed…
In the relentless bustle of modern life, we often find ourselves drifting away from the quiet conversation of prayer. While our humanness creates a sense of distance, the heart of the Gospel reveals a Father who does not wait for an apology but runs to meet us with open arms.
Let us be honest with one another: prayer is often rather harder than the hymnbooks suggest. We have all been there – starting a prayer only to find our minds have wandered to the shopping list. If this sounds familiar, take heart. You are not a failure; you are simply human. In Colossians 4:12, we meet Epaphras, who was ‘always struggling’ in prayer. The Greek word is agonizomai – the root of our word ‘agony’. But this wasn’t mere suffering; it was an athletic contest, a wrestling match in the arena of intercession. Discover why there is profound joy to be found in the holy sweat of persistent prayer…
It does seem that in the last year or so the landscape of AI-enabled Christian technology has shifted significantly from experimental early adoption to widespread integration into daily spiritual life and church operations. How should we as Christians approach this rising tide of technology, how do we manage the tension between studying to learn and simply prompting for answers?
One can sense even more so as we sit here in 2025, a deep longing for peace, a hushed expectancy in homes and churches across the land, an excitement that finds its focus in a single point in human history where a child in a manger in Bethlehem (the ‘House of Bread’) born to die, bears the weight of humanity’s sin.
Often at this time of year, we may find ourselves thinking about grace and about the disciple who betrayed Jesus, the one who is a byword for disloyalty and duplicitous two-faced behaviour — Judas.
Season 1, Episode 1 of FROM THE PEWS with David and Shaun
In a world that often demands conformity, outward virtue, meekness and humility, many men find themselves trapped in a cycle of uninspiring monotony
Guidelines for the Devotional Use of Blessed Oil or Water Walsingham Water is available free at the Anglican Shrine Well – see https://www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk/ Holy oil may be purchased from this company who I’ve used and are very good: https://www.saintmichaelshouse.com/products/oil-of-the-holy-face-of-jesus Not required – but you or someone else may desire a Read more