If you had to guess the most common command in the Bible, what would you say? Love your neighbor? Pray? Actually, it’s ‘Do not be afraid!’ Throughout the Bible, that command is given over 200 times (people disagree on the exact number, and I haven’t counted them all). That seems like a pretty significant commandContinue reading “Lent 2025: The most common command”
Tag Archives: lent
Lent 2025: The Importance of the One
This week has been challenging – if you’ve read my recent posts, you’ll know that. But I don’t apologise for that. If David could write psalms about despair, abandonment, and loneliness, then I think it’s okay for me to write about exhaustion and overwhelm. God created us with emotions, and being honest with Him aboutContinue reading “Lent 2025: The Importance of the One”
Lent 2025: When there’s nothing left to give
Some weeks leave us feeling empty. This has been one of those weeks. The kind where more is asked of you when you’re already giving your best. The kind where tension lingers in the air, where people are frustrated, where morale is low. The kind where you listen, support, and carry the weight of others,Continue reading “Lent 2025: When there’s nothing left to give”
Lent 2025: Overwhelmed
“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2 Some days, the weight of other people’s needs presses in from every side. A listening ear, a word of advice, a problem to solve; so manyContinue reading “Lent 2025: Overwhelmed”
Lent 2025: The Perspective of Gratitude
Some days, it’s easy to be grateful. The weather is beautiful. You manage to do all the jobs you need to get done. You spend time with people you love. You do activities that fill you with life. Those kinds of days, when everything seems to go right. I’m sure you know the kind ofContinue reading “Lent 2025: The Perspective of Gratitude”
Lent 2025: Our God’s kinda big, isn’t he?
Some days just feel messy. Clashes, mistakes, misunderstandings… it all piles up. By the time the day ends, I find myself holding onto frustration, regret, and sometimes hurt. Those are the moments when forgiveness – both giving and receiving – feels hard. Today, someone said something simple yet profound that captures my imagination:“Our God’s kindaContinue reading “Lent 2025: Our God’s kinda big, isn’t he?”
Lent 2025: God in the Silence
This process of writing a reflection at the end of the day has been really helpful for me. I find it’s a way to reflect and learn more about God, about deepening my faith as I really apply my mind to seeing God in the day just gone or wrestling with things that provide stumblingContinue reading “Lent 2025: God in the Silence”
Lent 2025: Already Running
I didn’t manage to go for a reflective walk today (weekend afternoon naps, anyone?), but I did spend some time reflecting on a passage from Luke’s gospel. Like two weeks ago with Psalm 23, it’s a passage I’ve read more times than I can count. And yet, it always seems to offer something new. Today,Continue reading “Lent 2025: Already Running”
Lent 2025: Pastoral Jelly Babies
On my desk at work I have a tin with jelly babies in. It started as something nice to do (and slightly influenced by a certain Dr Who…) but has evolved a little. While I still offer jelly babies to those who come in, they have also taken on the role of a pick-me-up forContinue reading “Lent 2025: Pastoral Jelly Babies”
Lent 2025: A Cry of the Heart – Finding Hope in Blues and the Psalms
This evening, I treated myself to going to watch a friend’s blues duo. It was a fantastic evening with brilliant music. I’ve seen these musicians before, so I have some favourites they play a lot. Tonight, as I was listening, the words of one of them struck me. “I don’t want to know about evil,Continue reading “Lent 2025: A Cry of the Heart – Finding Hope in Blues and the Psalms”
The Reason for my Hope Blog 