Pastor of Alverstoke Evangelical Church, Gosport, Hampshire, UK
Hebrews 7:24 On Saturday, we saw that Jesus is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. People are going to let us down but He never will. One of the reasons that He will never let us down is that He is forever. Even those closest to us will not be with us forever, … More Daily Devotional for 12 October 2020 – Our permanent priest
Proverbs 18:24 During these days, there are so many people who have an opinion. There are opinions about Covid-19, opinions about health, opinions about the government, opinions about vaccines and, still, opinions about Brexit! We even have people among our friends and family who will tell us that we should or shouldn’t do certain things. … More Daily Devotional for 10 October 2020 – Proverbs 18v24 – the true Friend
Psalm 119:169 What do we pray for? We pray for lots of important things: for God to meet our needs, for healing, for guidance, for protection and for family and friends. But the Bible also contains prayers for other things. Today’s verse says: “Let my cry come before You, O Lord; Give me understanding according to Your word.” This … More Daily Devotional for 9 October 2020 – Psalm 119v169 – a vital prayer
Psalm 145:10 According to this verse, thanking God is natural and normal. “All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord.” Not some of God’s works, but all – the whole of creation. The verse continues: “and all your saints shall bless you!” If we’re honest, though, there are times and days when we really don’t feel like … More Daily Devotional for 8 October 2020 – Psalm 145v10 – Joining the chorus
This is the second part of the message on Psalm 5. I found this part of the psalm especially challenging as David prayed, not simply for safety but for godliness. The video is below, followed by the notes distributed to those without internet. Introduction We’re picking up from where we finished last week. The first … More Psalms series message 8: Psalm 5v8-12 – Why and how we pray in a broken world – straight paths – 4 October 2020
A few weeks ago, I preached on Biblical meditation from Psalm 1:2. The Puritans believed that meditation was an essential means by which we grow in maturity. However, meditation is not simply thinking about things, it is thinking in an applied way, with purpose. Today, I have been reading William Bridge. This is what he … More William Bridge on Divine Meditation
It had been my original plan to preach one sermon on Psalm 5, but the message would have been well over an hour. So, this is part 1. As usual, I have reproduced the notes that have been sent out to those without internet. Here, first, is the video. Introduction The psalms contain prayers that … More Psalms series message 7 – Psalm 5v1-7 – How we pray in a broken world – 27 September 2020
Today I have a Sunday off, but the ministry of the word continues at Lansdowne through one of our elders, Lawrence Ovenden. This message is a continuation of a long-running series that Lawrence was preaching on Sunday evenings before the Covid-19 lock down began. None of Lawrence’s previous messages are available online, but this message … More Sunday sermon – 20 September 2020 – John 11v45-57 (Lawrence Ovenden)
I am going to be taking a short break from posting here regularly. Since shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic began, I have been sending daily scripture readings and short devotionals to members of my congregation and then (a little while later) started posting them to this blog. Very soon, I am going to have a … More Praying the Bible
Hebrews 4:16 The last part of Hebrews 4:16 tells us what we receive when we come to the throne of grace – “that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need.” We don’t pray just because we are Christians. It is not a religious thing that we do and that is it. We … More Daily Devotional for 15 September 2020 – Hebrews 4v16 part 3 – mercy and grace to help
The best is yet to come 