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A time of apparent magic
‘Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind’ — Job 38:1
‘A time of apparent magic’ — opening screen, The Odyssey
Have you watched Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ yet?
Whether you’ve seen it or not—and whether you loved it or loathed it—the online debate about the film has been relentless (and a bit exhausting).
Fear not, I’m not about to add to that discourse—nor would I be qualified to do so.
Neither am I about to reveal any spoilers—as possible as it would be for me to ‘spoil’ a three-millennia-old myth.
What interested me was how Nolan chose to open his cinematic spectacle—with the on-screen words, ‘A time of apparent magic.’
Not ‘A time of magic.’
A time of apparent magic.
That says a lot about Nolan’s approach to Homer’s story—and it also says a lot about the modern, post-enlightenment, post-Christian world we live in.
A disclaimer—I haven’t read The Odyssey. It’s on my reading list. But what I do know is that Homer’s epic is very much full of magic.
There are gods and goddesses. There are strange monsters and supernatural interventions. Magic—not just apparent magic.
In Nolan’s reworking of the story, the supernatural takes a back seat. The goddess Athena is more akin to a voice in the protagonist Odysseus’ head than an actual supernatural figure. There are monsters and a touch of magic—but their screen time is limited.
For the record, I loved the film. But I think Nolan’s deconstruction of the supernatural, magic elements of Homer’s myth says a lot about the world we live in—and it also challenges us, as followers of Jesus, to reflect on our own worldview.
How?
Are you disenchanted?
As Christians, I think we can risk diminishing the supernatural—the spiritual—dimension at the heart of our faith and reality itself.
Some theologians call this ‘disenchantment’—a loss of wonder that is a symptom of living in a secular, cynical, materialist world.
Consider Paul’s words to the church in Ephesus: ‘For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places’ (Ephesians 6:12).
Paul lifts our post-enlightenment eyes to remind us that the material, visible world isn’t all there is.
We are engaged in a spiritual battle—and we must be ready, standing in the strength of Christ who is victorious and seated above the unseen powers (Ephesians 1:20-21).
But our scepticism can also extend to our view of God Himself.
We find ourselves believing in a God of apparent, and not real, power—a God whose majestic deeds are relegated to ancient history, but can’t happen today.
Of course, we reject any form of pagan religion. We are monotheists—we worship the one true God—not polytheists like the Ancient Greeks who worshipped a pantheon of gods.
The God we worship—the Triune God—is not mean and capricious like the Greek gods. He is constant, faithful, loving, and utterly sovereign above all things.
We must be clear—belief in this God is rational and logical—because He is the author of reason and logic. He is the author of reality itself.
But have we lost the majesty and the mystery—the sheer wonder—at the heart of our faith?
Have we domesticated and tamed our great and glorious God?
Do we worship a God of apparent—and not real—power?
Reclaiming our wonder
He is the author of reality and the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9) who spoke creation into existence by the power of His word (Genesis 1).
He is a God who, out of His abundant love, caused the world to exist where there was nothing before.
He is the warrior God who led His people out of slavery with ‘a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders’ (Deuteronomy 26:8).
He is the great “I am” whose blazing glory Moses was only granted to see a glimpse of (Exodus 33).
He is the God who, in the verse that opened this email, spoke to Job out of a whirlwind (Job 38:1)—His immense power cannot be contained or boxed in.
Here is a God who raises up kings, who causes nations to rise and fall, who orders and sustains all things—a God who is above and beyond all things, and yet intimately close to us.
He is the God who became man—who delighted to descend into our ordinary, flesh-and-blood existence to save and deliver us from our sin.
This is the beautiful mystery at the heart of the gospel—that God the Son took our human nature, humbled Himself on the cross, and rose again three days later so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to the Father.
He is the God who poured out His Spirit at Pentecost with the sound of violent wind and tongues as of fire, saving three thousand people in one day (Acts 2).
He is the God who now, wondrously, dwells in us by His Holy Spirit and speaks to us through His powerful Word—who continues to save, heal and deliver today.
His majesty is revealed through His extraordinary deeds—and it is displayed in His ongoing work of sustaining and upholding the whole of creation.
Is this the God we believe in—not just giving Him our intellectual assent, but trusting that He can move powerfully in our lives and in the world around us?
Do we believe in an apparently powerful God, while living and praying as if He is functionally powerless?
Today, marvel again at our marvellous God. Be captivated by His transcendent beauty, by His majesty, by His glory and His grace. Wonder again at the awesome reality of who He is.
And pray boldly, confident that He can move again in our own day. Pray for breakthrough. Pray for salvation. Pray for healing. Pray for revival!
Don’t just settle for a God of apparent power—but trust that He is actually powerful.
“Safe?” said Mr Beaver ... “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn't safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” — C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
With love,
Mike
Seeking the One we’ve already found
“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” — Jeremiah 29:13
‘To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.’ — Augustine of Hippo
One of the things that I find most frustrating in life is losing things.
Pretty original, I know.
I bring it up because recently, I lost a pair of Birkenstocks in my parents-in-law's house. It's annoying because I'm 99.9% certain that they're in there somewhere, but I still can't find them whenever I visit.
Knowing that they're out there—just waiting to be found—and yet still needing to search for them is...irritating, to say the least.
And when it comes to searching for lost things, it doesn't take long for me to sigh, shrug my shoulders, give up, and head online to order a replacement.
Now, I know that giving up on finding a pair of lost overpriced sandals isn't a disaster. After all, they might actually be so lost that I'll never find them.
But the trouble is, I think I often show the same lack of persistence when it comes to seeking God.
Why we have to keep seeking God
If God loves us infinitely and wants to be with us forever, why do we need to keep seeking after Him?
It's because we're forgetful.
God never loses sight of us—but it's so easy for us to lose sight of Him as we turn our attention and affection onto other things in our lives.
So much of walking with God is re-orienting ourselves back towards Him. Because we're all still prone to being prodigals—running off in pursuit of another dream, the next experience, the new thing, and forgetting our First Love in the process.
Mercifully, because we're united to Jesus through our faith in Him, God is never lost to us, and we are never fully lost to Him. Sons and daughters, even when they run off and get lost, don't suddenly stop being children of their father.
But what we can lose is our experience and enjoyment of God. We can lose our awareness of His greatness, glory, beauty and love. We can lose our felt closeness with His presence.
That's why we hear throughout the Scriptures the drumbeat: keep seeking God.
Keep your focus on Him (Colossians 3:2). Keep your desire for Him (1 Chronicles 22:19). Keep drawing near to Him (James 4:8)
It's impossible for us to do any of this on our own. We just don't have it in us to keep seeking God in our own strength.
But God is so kind, because He Himself helps us to keep seeking Him. He lives within us by His Spirit, who prays for us in our weakness and works in us to awaken our desire to seek, love and obey Him (Romans 8:26, Philippians 2:13).
And in His kindness, He's also told us where to look for Him.
Where we’ll find God
Through His Word, God has revealed Himself to us. He's shown us exactly who He is, what He's like, and everything He's done to save us from sin and bring us back to Himself.
So, we open our Bibles, and seek Him there.
He's also revealed His glory in His creation. The heavens proclaim His glory, and the skies show us his skill as Creator (Psalm 19:1).
So, we go outside into His world, and seek Him there.
And He reveals Himself through His people, the Church. Whenever we gather together to hear the gospel, share communion, worship, pray and serve together, Jesus is there with us.
So, we meet with other Christians in our community, and seek Him there.
These are the means God has given us so that, through them, we might seek Him. And He promises that those who do will find Him:
‘Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him’ (Hebrews 11:6).
When we find God, we find our great reward, our soul's delight, our heart's treasure. He is worth seeking with everything that we are, because when we have Him, we have everything we could ever want or need.
Wherever you are in your walk with God, don't give up on seeking after Him, like I so often do with my lost possessions.
Because unlike my misplaced Birkenstocks, He's not hiding from us. He's not far away from us. He's with us, He wants us to find and have all of Him, and He's always guiding us along the right path that leads to Himself.
Thanks so much for reading, and have a great weekend!
Love,
Theo
You are like grass—and that’s good news
“The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” — Isaiah 40:8
‘How great then is the hope of the grass, since the Word has been made flesh? That which abides for evermore, has not disdained to assume grass, that the grass might not despair of itself.’ — Augustine of Hippo
Where do you go when you’re in need of comfort?
What do you turn to in those moments when life just feels overwhelming and confusing?
If you’re anything like me, comfort can often look like distraction.
Doom-scrolling on social media. Binge-watching Netflix. Playing video games. Anything to escape, even just for a moment, the discomfort and disappointment that so often comes with living in a broken a world.
The way of distraction—the way of escape—can feel oh-so-appealing. So many times in my life, I’ve looked to distraction to save me from my discomfort—to avoid facing up to the monsters looming over my life.
The problem is, distraction-as-comfort offers no real comfort at all.
After you (finally) close Instagram, finish that series of Clarkson’s Farm, or come back from that run, the monsters are still waiting there—the difficult conversation, the unwanted diagnosis, the unpaid bill, the global crisis.
Distraction can’t ever give us the true comfort we’re looking for. We need a better, more robust source of comfort and peace.
God’s Word provides it—in a way that might seem surprising at first.
“Comfort, comfort”
If you’re familiar with Isaiah, you’ll know that the book contains two major movements.
Chapters 1–39 focus on the consequences of Israel’s rebellion against God—emphasising God’s justice and righteous judgement, culminating in exile at the hands of Assyria and later Babylon.
The book’s second movement—chapters 40–66—proclaims a message of hope and redemption. God will raise up a servant to deliver His people. The time of exile will come to an end, and the Temple and the nation will be restored.
The book’s pivot point, chapter 40, begins with the words, “Comfort, comfort my people.”
What is the message of comfort that God is about to speak through His messenger, Isaiah?
"Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
for all her sins.” — Isaiah 40:2
The message of ‘comfort’, in a nutshell, is the gospel: justice has been satisfied; the people’s sin has been pardoned; the time for punishment is over; God will save and restore His people; redemption is coming.
This is the ultimate source of our comfort—the reality beneath, above, and before all things. It’s this reality we cling to when the monsters loom in our life and the darkness feels overwhelming.
In Jesus, God is victorious over the sin and suffering in our lives and in the world around us. The Light has overcome the darkness. Life wins over death.
Isaiah’s message to the people of Israel points us to the source of our comfort and hope, even when we feel like God has abandoned us in exile.
Even if we don’t see it right now, He will one day come to redeem and restore all things. The sadness will pass away. Joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5).
But Isaiah 40 continues the message of God’s comfort in an unexpected direction.
I want to focus on a prophetic image in this chapter that, at first, seems like a strange way to comfort a people in exile—but that ultimately provides hope and perspective when we face discomfort and disappointment.
Confronting what we are
A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.
The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
— Isaiah 40:6–8
The people of Israel had lost their home and sense of national identity (the land), their access to God’s presence (the Temple), and their political and spiritual leader (the king).
You might think that Isaiah’s message would offer some condolences and words of encouragement.
Indeed, chapters 40–66 are full of encouragement. But here, at the beginning of his message of ‘comfort,’ God tells Isaiah to “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field” (Isaiah 40:6).
It seems a bit insensitive, doesn’t it? Talk about heaping hot coals on an already desperate situation.
But the truth that our lives are like grass—like a flower that wilts and fades—is meant to give Isaiah’s hearers (and us) hope.
‘Comfort’ doesn’t come from escaping or distracting ourselves from whatever is causing us discomfort.
True comfort comes when we confront the reality of who we are—fragile, vulnerable, weak—and rest in the reality of who God is—eternal, powerful, sovereign.
Like a flower, our earthly bodies are fleeting and fragile. In this life, we will face suffering and sickness—and we will one day die.
For those who haven’t put their trust in Jesus, this is a terrifying reality. But for those who are in Him—who have put their trust in His eternal Word—this truth is utterly liberating.
Why?
Because we know how the story ends. Jesus took on our fragile, fading human flesh. Augustine, in the quote that opened this email, speaks of how Christ took on our grass-like existence, ‘that the grass might not despair of itself.’
On the cross, He bore the weight of God’s righteous wrath against sin, so that we would not be consumed by it.
He took the punishment for our sinful rebellion—the cause of Israel’s exile then and our separation from God now—so that we could be reconciled to the Father.
Three days later, He rose again in the power of the Spirit, victorious over sin and death forever.
Those who are in Jesus no longer need to dread death, because we will share in His resurrection life. There is a short now, followed by a glorious, unending then—an eternity of joy, peace and satisfaction in our Father’s presence.
This is our assurance: “I give them eternal life,” says Jesus, “and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else” (John 10:28–29).
The perspective that brings peace
Confronting the fragility of our grass-like human existence and resting in the reality of the gospel gives us perspective on our lives—and with it, peace.
Of course, this perspective doesn’t diminish the reality of the monsters in our life right now—the suffering, sickness and disappointment that we all experience.
But it gives us courage and hope to face them head-on. Holding lightly to our grass-like lives—and holding onto the hope of eternity—we laugh and rejoice in the face of suffering, because we know how the story ends.
The monsters that haunt us will be defeated. Suffering and death do not have the final say. Jesus wins—and all who are in Him will share in His eternal, resurrection life.
It might not happen in this short life here, but all your suffering and pain and disappointment will one day be swallowed up by His victory. You will rise with Him in victory. You will dwell with Him in eternity—in a new creation free of pain and tears and death (Revelation 21).
If, today, you are hurting, disappointed, or feel forgotten by God—take comfort in this truth. Don’t run away from the reality of your weakness and vulnerability, but let it lead you to Christ, who is the only true source of your comfort.
As we lift our eyes to Him, we find perspective on our present struggles. His gospel gives us courage to face today, and hope for what comes tomorrow. He alone gives us the peace we’re really looking for.
Turn to Him today. Lay your troubles before Him. Cling to the hope of eternity.
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33
With love,
Mike
Is Jesus your friend?
“I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.” — John 15:15
‘Jesus gives his friendship to all who trust him.’ — Drew Hunter
Earlier this month, I went camping in Cornwall with one of my best friends.
I’d actually only been to Cornwall a handful of times before, but this trip really did prove to me why so many people love it. I’m now one of them.
There were lots of highlights: watching the waves roll into Porthcothan Bay while sipping our morning coffees, walking over the cliffs to swim at Treyarnon Bay, cooking steaks over a fire on the beach while watching the sun wash the sky in peachy pinks, and watching England take one step closer to bringing it home on a stranger’s TV under the stars.
It was pretty close to the perfect summer weekend.
But the best part was getting to share it all with my mate.
Sure, I would have still enjoyed the experience if I’d gone by myself (and slept a lot better without my friend’s snoring). But I doubt it would have been nearly as life-giving.
I wouldn’t have had someone to share our favourite albums from our childhoods with, or someone who would provide wisdom about the next season of my life, or someone to laugh and eat and pray with.
Friendship fills our lives with meaning, significance and joy. It brings out the best in us, and allows us to be our truest selves. It really is one of God’s greatest gifts.
And for years, I’ve wanted to know Jesus more and more as my friend.
Lord, King, Saviour... Friend?
From a young age, I was aware of how great God is.
As I grew up reading my Bible, I saw the God who made everything just by speaking it into existence, who frees captives, overthrows corrupt kings and nations, heals diseases and calms storms and rescues sinners and defeats the evil one.
To me, it was clear that God is awesome—blazingly holy, limitlessly powerful, absolutely sovereign over all things. I understood what it meant to fear Him as Lord, King and Saviour, and that reverence has remained at the core of my faith throughout my life.
But when I went to uni, I met people who really seemed to know God primarily as their friend.
They still showed reverence towards Him in the way they prayed and worshipped and talked about Him—but their reverence was rooted in an obviously deep, close, loving friendship with Him that I hadn’t really encountered before.
I knew that Jesus talked about calling His followers His friends (John 15:15)—but I felt that I hadn't fully experienced friendship with Him for myself.
Ever since, I’ve longed to know Jesus as my friend. But I’ve also struggled to know how to fear Him and enjoy His friendship. To me, the two have seemed almost at odds with each other: the more you fear God, the less possible it feels to be His friend.
Recently, I shared these thoughts with my pastor, who then told me a verse that completely changed the way I’ve understood this dynamic:
‘The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.’ — Psalm 25:14
God is a friend to those who fear Him
Far from being at odds with one another, fear of God leads to friendship with Him. As we surrender ourselves to Him in humility and awe, He draws us into deeper and closer relationship with Himself.
That’s why Jesus tells His disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). Following Jesus—being with Him, loving Him, doing what He says, imitating how He lived in the power of His Spirit—means that we become His friends, as we live our lives with Him, in Him and for Him.
And when you read the Bible through this lens, you start to see how God has always wanted to be our friend:
He walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8).
He walked in close fellowship with Enoch (Genesis 5:24).
He considered Abraham His friend (Isaiah 40:8).
He spoke with Moses face to face as a friend (Exodus 33:11).
He sees His disciples as His friends in whom He can confide (John 15:15).
God has always desired our friendship—and through Jesus, He has made that possible, forever (1 Corinthians 1:9). Through the cross, He turned us from His enemies into His friends. Because of our sin, we were completely separated from Him. But God loved us enough to pay the ultimate price—the death of His Son Jesus—to bring us back to Himself (Colossians 1:21–22).
And what a friend we have in Jesus.
He knows us.
He forgives us.
He leads us.
He empowers us.
He cares for us.
He prays for us.
He shares His purposes with us.
He comforts us.
He weeps with us.
He laughs with us.
He is always with us.
He loves us without limit.
He is the very best friend we could ever hope to have.
Knowing Jesus’ friendship
In the morning before we headed back to Bristol from Cornwall, my friend and I spent some time journalling about what aspects of God we wanted to encounter more.
Here’s a little bit of what I wrote:
Abba, I want to know you as my friend and my love—the One whom I prioritise above all else and can’t wait to be with all the time. As my friend, I want to encounter your love, your joy, especially your sense of humour, your gentle challenge and your vast wisdom.
I want to prioritise Jesus above all else—counting everything as insignificant compared with knowing Him as my friend. I want to spend my days with Him—praising Him, sharing my worries with Him, laughing with Him, asking Him for help. I want to experience His limitless love for me as much as I can.
It’s absolutely breath-taking that the Lord of all things, the King of the universe and the Saviour of the world wants to be our friend.
May we joyfully accept His invitation.
Love,
Theo
Return to your rest
‘Let my soul be at rest again,
for the Lord has been good to me.’ — Psalm 116:7
‘Christ didn’t say, “I will give you rest from sorrow.” He said, “I will give you rest in sorrow” …He didn’t promise insurance from trouble, but assurance in the midst of trouble.’ — Billy Graham
Do you need a rest?
I don’t mean a bubble bath or a holiday, but true, deep, lasting rest.
You might be going through a tough or busy season. Maybe you’re exhausted from meeting the expectations of your boss, your friends, family, church life.
Maybe you even feel tired in your walk with Jesus. The devotional rhythms that once brought you life now feel dry, hard, wearisome.
During these times, we often focus on the next chance we have to rest. We look ahead to the evening, the weekend or our next bit of time off, hoping that it will help us get back on track with our chores, sleep, rest and socialising.
But when Monday comes around, we’re immediately on the back foot again.
When rest feels elusive and doesn’t satisfy the needs of our body and soul, maybe we’re looking for it in the wrong places.
A banquet in a battlefield
So much of our struggle with rest comes from our need for control and our attempts to hold everything together.
But this only ever holds us back from finding true rest.
We can’t hold everything together. We are not in control.
We need a bigger view of God, who is holding all things together, so that we can stop trying to control every part our lives control and start trusting Him.
In Psalm 23, David shows us that resting in God is like enjoying a feast He has prepared for us, even in the presence of our enemies.
Imagine being able to enjoy a banquet right in the middle of a battlefield. It sounds absurd—but David knew that he could enjoy God’s protection, provision and presence, even in the midst of the most intense circumstances.
Whatever situation you are in, you can rest in God now, even if things are unresolved, the pain remains or the to-do list feels overwhelming.
I wish I could tell you exactly what this looks like in practice, but I struggle with it too. Recently, I’ve been writing out my worries and re-writing them through a gospel lens.
For example: Father, my life feels chaotic and I can’t rest until everything is in order.
I can’t control my life, but I know that God can. I can ask Him for the strength to get things done, and I can rest even if they aren’t completed, because I know that nothing can change God’s love and care for me.
God is working all things together for your good
‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.’ — Romans 8:28
God’s perspective is eternal. He knows that our ultimate good is to become more like Jesus and enjoy Him for eternity. He is always working this out in our lives, and nothing will stop Him finishing this work He has started in us.
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are made right with God—fully forgiven and welcomed into God’s presence as His beloved children. Jesus’ resurrection has secured our ultimate future of perfect peace, joy and life with Him forever.
There is no quick fix. It takes time for our perspective to shift—but with the Spirit’s help, our hearts can find rest in our good God.
As we open up God’s Word and spend time with Him in prayer, we will rest as we see more of His goodness, comfort and power over all things.
By sharing our struggles with close Christian friends, they can remind us of the beautiful truths of the gospel and help us rest in God.
And we can enjoy the gifts God has given us to help us rest: sleep, hobbies, exercise, creation, friends and so much more!
So, if you’re feeling behind, overwhelmed or exhausted, come to Jesus—the only One who can truly and fully restore your soul.
Rest in Him, knowing that He is in control and working all things out for your good.
And fix your eyes on the day when you will enjoy perfect rest with Him forever.
With love,
Ruth
Longing for a time I’ve never lived in
‘Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.’ — Hebrews 11:16
‘If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.’ — C.S. Lewis
A few years ago, a friend introduced me to Nemo’s Dreamscapes, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
If you can’t be bothered to click the link, I’ll do my best to describe it to you.
Basically, it’s a YouTube channel that illustrates vintage scenes and mixes together old popular songs from 1930–1960 with natural sound effects you’d hear if you were right there in the scene.
Here are some examples of the video titles:
1940’s summer evening on a porch and it’s raining
it’s after midnight in l.a. and you’re a lone detective in a rainy diner
Stormy night at a 1950s Route 66 motel
I love old music (my 2025 Spotify Wrapped listening age was 86...), so I’m a big fan of this channel.
But what I’ve found fascinating is reading what people have said in the comments of these videos.
Things like:
I am not old, I only have 18 years... But this music makes me feel something in my body, makes me miss something that I never lived... I'm crying.
How do I feel nostalgia for something I didn’t grow up with??
I’m missing a time that I wasn’t in
Apparently, there’s a term to describe that feeling: anemoia.
It was coined by John Koenig in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (I know, sounds like a fun read) as a term to define a feeling of nostalgia for a time or a place one has never actually been to.
And it got me thinking that, in one way or another, all of us experience a kind of spiritual ‘anemoia’.
Longing for a place we've never been
At our deepest level, we sense that, somewhere along the way, we got lost.
Somehow, we know that this world isn’t all there is; that the life it offers isn’t the full one we feel like we were made for; and that the answer to our boundless desire for meaning, purpose and identity can’t really be found in the temporary things that dominate our attention and desire.
C.S. Lewis captures this so well in his book Mere Christianity:
‘If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.’
No matter how we try to fulfil it, we still feel that ever-present longing for something more—a longing that reaches far beyond our lives all the way back to the beginning, when everything was as it should be.
When we lived face to face with God. When we were at peace with Him, each other and the world around us. When pain, loss, injustice, disaster and death were completely absent from reality.
When everything was true and right and good.
But once sin had corrupted us, we were banished from that place—from our home in God's presence—and ever since, we have tried in vain to return there, rediscover what we once had, and finally satisfy the eternal ache in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
God is love—and so we look to our relationships to assure us that we’re worth something to someone.
God is peace—and so we look to mindfulness, self-care and experiences to give us that endless sense of tranquility.
God is joy—and so we look to our friends, families, interests and memories to fill us with that inexpressible and glorious sense of elation (1 Peter 1:8).
The list goes on. Whatever God is, we long and look for. As Augustine so famously put it:
‘You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.’
But the only way we could ever find God was for Him to find us first.
So, He came to us as one of us. In Jesus, God stepped down into His creation to reveal Himself to us, reconcile us to Him, and allow us to recover what we had lost when we walked away from Eden.
Only Jesus can set our restless hearts at ease and satisfy our deepest longing.
Only He can bring us back to Him.
Longing for a place we’ll one day be
If you trust in Jesus, you have been brought to the place where you’ve always belonged.
Through Him, you are right with God again (Romans 5:1). Through Him, you are now in God—and through His Spirit, He is now in you (1 John 4:13). Through Him, you are now forever secure ‘in this place of undeserved privilege’, and you can ‘confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory’ (Romans 5:2).
And there, Paul touches on the new longing that every Christian has.
Through Jesus, our hearts’ yearning has pivoted from the past to the future. Our longing for the past—for a place we had never been and could never return to—has now become a longing for the future: for another place we've still never been, but one day will be.
A place without pain, loss, injustice, disaster and death.
A place where everything has been made completely new and right.
A place where we get to be face to face with God once again.
Home.
Every day, I want to be there more and more.
But until then, we must wait in that liminal space between Eden and eternity, the ‘now-and-the-not-yet’.
And while we wait, let’s keep our eyes fixed on our home we’re heading towards with every passing second. Let’s allow the hope of the indescribably good things to come surge through us and out into the world through the way we live our lives for Jesus. And let’s keep loving God and others with everything that we have.
Like all those people commenting on Nemo’s Dreamscape videos, I’m also longing for a time I’ve never lived in.
But I know that time will come, when we’ll finally see Jesus’ smiling face with our own eyes, and walk with Him into the place He’s prepared for us.
And friends, that time is closer than it’s ever been before!
Let’s keep pressing on with joy towards it.
Love,
Theo
Bask in the fierce love of God
‘…keep yourselves in the love of God…’ — Jude 1:21 (ESV)
‘The sun is the great physician and, by basking in his beams, we find healing beneath his wings. It is even thus with the love of God, “Keep yourselves in it,” sun yourselves in it all day long.’ — C.H. Spurgeon, A Weighty Charge (sermon no. 1286)
This week, in homes and offices and beer gardens all over the UK, across iced lattes and cold pints, this most British of phrases has been uttered thousands of times:
“Bit hot, innit?”
Where I am in Bristol, it hasn’t just been hot—it’s been fiercely hot. Multiple-T-shirt-changes-a-day hot. Never have I been more thankful to work from an air conditioned office.
I can already feel the inevitable eye-rolls from our international readers…
But what I love most about summer is how the sunshine makes a city come alive.
The buzz as people flock to the parks and pubs and their nearest body of water. Early morning runs. Long, care-free evenings with friends.
Sunshine is life-giving. Not just on a fundamental and biological level—think photosynthesis and circadian rhythms—but also on an emotional and psychological level. No wonder our exposure to sunshine is connected to increased serotonin production.
The sun brings out the best in people. We feel happier. More like ourselves. We come alive.
A lot like the love of God.
Basking in God’s love
It’s no surprise that the Psalmist looks to the sun as he reaches for an image of God’s power, grace and glory:
‘For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.’ — Psalm 84:11
God, like the sun, is the source of light and life. But the glory of the sun—the giant ball of hydrogen and helium at the heart of our solar system—is just a faint reflection of the glory of its Creator.
Nothing compares to the blazing fire of His holiness.
Nothing outshines the radiant light of His glory, grace and goodness.
Nothing matches the fierce heat of His love.
The thing is, the sun isn’t just an astronomical object that we observe. We feel its effects. We don’t just see the sun—we enjoy it, we bask in it, we live in its warmth and light.
So it is with the love of God.
God’s love is not just some theological concept that we think about or study. It is the essence of who He is: ‘God is love’, says John, ‘and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them’ (1 John 4:16).
It’s for that reason that Paul prays, in Ephesians 3, that God’s people would not only know God’s great love, but that they would it experience it—that they would be filled with the fullness of His life:
‘And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.’ — Ephesians 3:18–19
Spurgeon, in his sermon on Jude 1:21 which opened this email, speaks of what it means to live in the sunshine of this love—how this love transforms us:
‘When the soul is filled with the love of Christ, it seems lifted beyond ordinary manhood. It burns with holy fire and, as it glows, it mounts on wings of flames and soars towards Heaven!’
When we have known and experienced God’s love for us—a love which He pours into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5)—we cannot help but be changed by it.
As we bask in the reality and wonder of this love, we come fully alive. God’s love is the sunrise that wakes our sleeping souls to worship. It is the heat that warms our cold hearts with joy. It is the light which dispels the darkness in our lives. It is the blazing fire that purifies us from sin.
The radiance of God’s love draws us out from ourselves, compelling us to tell the world about all that Christ has done for us.
The question we need to ask ourselves is this—if we know God’s love, how do we keep ourselves in it?
How do we enjoy and live in the sunshine of His love each and every moment of our lives?
Keeping in God’s love
Spurgeon concludes his sermon with a few practical ways to keep ourselves in the sunshine of God’s love.
First of all, endeavour to be full of God’s love at this present moment.
What does Spurgeon mean? That we should make it our aim, each and every day, to lay hold of more and more of God’s love for us.
Wonderfully, in Christ, we already have access to the infinite riches of God’s love, but so often we fall short of experiencing all that is ours in Him. God wants us to be filled with His fullness (Ephesians 3:16–19)!
So, we shouldn’t be content simply with a little bit of God’s love—instead, says Spurgeon, ‘Store it up, fill your soul full of it as a man would fill his storehouses and granary if he knew that a dearth would be in the land.’
Desire God’s love, confident that His desire is to fill you with His life and power. Ask for more of it in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Surrender yourself to God, and allow Him to fill you to overflowing.
Second, avoid anything that would dampen your love.
Run from sin. Throw off everything that distracts you from loving God and living in His love (Hebrews 12:1). Ruthlessly eliminate those things that pull your heart from God and on to the world. ‘You have little enough of the love of God in your souls,’ says Spurgeon, ‘you do not need to pour cold water on it by emptying trashy novels upon it.’
Finally, seek the means of grace that God has given you to enjoy His love.
‘Do not neglect the hearing of the Word, nor the reading of it in private, nor secret prayer, nor the assembling of yourselves together. Come often to the Lord's Table,’ says Spurgeon.
In a world that is cold and dark—a world that threatens to overshadow and make us doubt God’s love for us—we keep ourselves in the light and heat of this love by seeking the means of grace that God has given us.
We open God’s Word, where we discover the riches of His love.
We meditate daily on the reality of the gospel.
We come to Him in prayer and abide in His loving presence.
We gather with other believers, and we share the bread and wine which reminds us of Christ’s sacrificial love for us.
Today, don’t just think about God’s love—bask in it. Delight in it. This is what you were made for. This is the only place where true joy, peace and satisfaction is found.
Come alive in the sunshine of God’s love for you, and keep yourself in it, as Spurgeon encourages us:
‘You are in God's love, continue in it, grow towards it, keep yourselves in it! Your Father loves you. Do not, like the Prodigal, go away from that love, or forget it, or slight it, or grieve it. Enjoy it, be warmed by it and be sanctified by it evermore.’
Love,
Mike
What is fragmented cannot be filled
‘He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.’ — Colossians 1:17
‘For by continence we are bound up and brought back together in the One, whereas before we were scattered abroad among the many.’ — Augustine
Life has been so busy recently.
My wife and I are in the midst of a transitional time. We’re selling our home, she’s looking for a new job, we’ve had three weddings in three weeks (so much joy, yet so little sleep) and now with the World Cup starting, I have an overwhelming amount of football to watch.
Okay fine, that last one doesn’t really count (but it’s definitely coming home this time...).
But when life inevitably gets busy, I can so easily let myself become thread-bare, as a myriad of things pull me in different directions.
As my calendar starts to get fuller, I start to get emptier—and sadly, I’m prone to looking to things other than God to fill me up again.
My screen-time goes up.
My eating habits get worse.
My focus becomes more self-centred.
My time with God grows more hurried.
My love for Him and others starts to grow cold.
But instead of accepting Jesus’ invitation to come away with Him and rest (Mark 6:31), I still choose to go elsewhere—selfishly and stupidly thinking that other things will be able to satisfy and sustain me.
Inevitably, they never do.
What is fragmented cannot be filled
Recently, on my commute, I noticed a mug that had smashed on the pavement. Thankfully, it didn’t look like it had been the fanciest mug in the world (no offence to Wilko mugs). But it had once served a purpose, and now, as it lay in strewn pieces across the street, it could no longer do so.
As I stepped over the shards, I sensed God say to me, ”What is fragmented cannot be filled”.
When I allow my attention to be pulled in multiple directions, my heart soon becomes divided. Rather than being wholly devoted to Him, it becomes partially devoted to Him and other things too.
As I get pulled apart by distraction and cracks begin to form in my life, my love for God and for others seeps away—meaning that, like that broken mug on the pavement, I'm unable to fulfil my ultimate purpose.
What is fragmented—what remains divided unless Jesus first gathers it back together—cannot be filled.
My fragmented gaze cannot be filled with God’s glory if my eyes keep darting away to other things.
My fragmented heart cannot be filled with delight in God if I keep prioritising my love for other things.
My fragmented life cannot be filled with God’s fullness if I keep avoiding Him and trying to find ultimate satisfaction in my phone, fridge and other things that aren't Him.
How foolish I am.
And yet, how merciful He is.
Becoming whole again
Jesus also knew exactly what it’s like to be extremely busy and tired.
He had so many demands placed on Him by so many different people, all the time. The crowds followed Him everywhere, to the point where He and His disciples didn’t even have time to eat (Mark 6:31). Jesus was almost constantly teaching, travelling, healing and serving throughout his ministry as he prepared to go to the cross.
But through it all, He never became fragmented.
His Father always remained His first priority. He got up early to be with Him before the dawn (Mark 1:35). He was a whole person—so complete with the fullness of the Spirit’s power and love that He was able to serve God and others perfectly, day in and day out.
And here’s the amazing news: this life is available to us. If you believe in and belong to Jesus, you have the same Spirit living inside you, who gives you everything you need to live as Jesus did (1 John 2:6).
In his work Confessions, Augustine talks about the idea of continentia: the grace-empowered gathering together of our fragmented desires and reordering them to be centred on God.
So, when we recognise that we’ve become fragmented from our busyness, distraction and sin, the Spirit graciously draws our scattered attentions and divided hearts together, so that we can become whole again in Jesus.
As He does this, we can experience His love, joy and peace again. And just like He did and still does today, we can pour ourselves out in love for the sake of others.
We can only be whole when we’re in Him.
So, if you, like me, are feeling fragmented right now—turn around and come to Jesus.
Come to the One who fills and holds all things together in perfect wisdom, power and love.
Let Him draw you back together and make you whole in Him again, so that He can fill you to overflowing with Himself.
Thanks so much for reading.
Love,
Theo
The lie of optimisation
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” — Matthew 6:19–20
‘Underneath human anxiety is the reversal of identity in which the finite attempts to be infinite... With our finite abilities, we want and try to control everything so we’re not controlled by anything.’ — Jackie Hill Perry
Is anyone else seeing more and more ‘optimisation’ content?
CEOs and influencers are sharing their morning routines, philosophies of work and the new supplements that will change your life!
People are optimising everything, seeking self-improvement through time management, habit stacking and extreme daily routines. This ‘optimisation mindset’ strives to make our lives the best they can be—the ‘optimal’ version.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with becoming more productive, or waking up at 5am to work out, journal and meal prep before work.
In fact, we’re called to wisely steward all that God has given us. It's good to use our time and resources to honour and glorify Him.
But in our broken and sinful world, we can easily twist this good responsibility into something that glorifies ourselves instead of God.
Don’t make a good thing a ‘god’ thing
We turn good things into ‘gods’ by valuing them too highly and looking to them to provide us with what only God can. When we rely on our own efforts to bring us peace, fulfilment and a good future, we’re putting ourselves in God's place.
A good desire to glorify God through productivity at work can turn into overworking in order to secure the ‘best’ life or an early retirement.
Our bodies are gifts from God that we should care for. But we can focus so much on health ‘optimisation’ that we live as though we are the ones in control of our health or lifespan.
We can become over-protective of our time or routines, prioritising our plans over God’s call to serve others. We might even be tempted to stop meeting with God’s people because it interrupts our sleep, exercise or wellness routines.
The easiest way to see whether control is becoming an idol in your life is to ask yourself:
How often do I say ‘no’ to serving God because it will interrupt my daily routine?
Do I feel stressed whenever things feel outside of my control?
Does my desire to make the most of my life lead to worrying about the future?
If these questions weigh heavy on your heart, fear not—there is hope.
We are limited—God is not
The antidote to control is to remember who God is and who He has made us to be.
God has designed us with good limitations so that we might depend on Him. Though we are limited and finite, we worship an infinite God who is always in control of all things.
No matter how productive, fit or ‘maxxed’ we are (check out Mike’s email from last week), we’ll never be able to rise above our limitations to find the life we’re looking for in our own strength.
God longs for us to depend on Him and not ourselves for all things—to bring all our worries, concerns and requests to Him in prayer.
In love, He numbers our days and holds our lives in His hand. He is always working for the eternal good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
God has limited us so that we might be free. Free from the oppressive anxiety that enslaves us when we try to optimise and control every element of our finite lives. Instead, we can humbly and wisely steward all that God has given us with the peace and freedom of knowing that He’s the one in control of our lives, not us.
It's hard to give up control. But our lives are in the hands of the God of the universe, who is sustaining and working all things for our good.
And, with the Spirit’s help, we can fix our eyes on eternity and reject the temptation to store up treasures on earth (Matthew 6:19–20).
We can rest in our Father, the King of the universe, who will bring us into paradise to enjoy living in His presence forever.
Today, don’t feel pressured into living under the lie of optimisation: anxiously trying to control everything to find lasting life in this world or your body or your lifestyle, all of which are passing away.
Instead, rest in your Father, the King of the universe, who will bring you home to enjoy living in His presence forever.
Let go of control. Lay it down at the foot of the cross.
Trust in God, the only One who controls all things in infinite wisdom, love and power.
Store up treasure in Heaven: grow in Christlikeness, serve God and His people, and live to make Him known so that more people might know and enjoy being with Him forever.
With love,
Ruth
There’s no such thing as ‘Christ-maxxing’
‘So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.’ — 2 Corinthians 3:18
‘Only a sight of his glory, and nothing else, will truly satisfy God’s people… By beholding the glory of Christ by faith we shall find rest to our souls.’ — John Owen
If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media recently, you’ve probably stumbled into the internet’s latest craze: ‘maxxing’.
‘Maxxing’—according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary—‘describes the practice of optimizing a specific aspect of one's life, often to an extreme degree.’
There’s ‘looks-maxxing’. ‘Fibre-maxxing’. ‘Sleep-maxxing’. ‘Skin-maxxing’. ‘Personality-maxxing.’
The list goes on, and on, and on. There’s no end to the ways we can self-improve, bio-hack and ‘maxx’ our way to become the best version of ourselves.
Unsurprisingly, the most vocal proponents of ‘maxxing’ are often beautiful people with perfect bodies living seemingly perfect lives, which they share through their perfectly curated social media feeds.
How do they do it?
For mere mortals like you and I, the ‘maxx’-life can feel as attractive as it is unattainable—especially if you don’t have a lucrative sponsorship deal with a skincare brand.
But I think our ‘maxxing’ obsession points to a much deeper, more fundamental issue at the heart of our culture (it always does, doesn’t it?)—one that has even shaped and infected the way we think about life with Jesus.
The cult of self-improvement
Self-improvement—and the self-help industry that has been created around it—is the cultural air we breathe.
Whether it’s listening to the High Performance Podcast or watching Steven Bartlett or reading Atomic Habits or following ‘maxxing’ influencers—we are obsessed by the idea that, through habits and hacks, we can achieve the perfect version of ourselves.
I could talk at length about how ‘self-help’ and ‘self-improvement’ have wrestled their way into the great pantheon of Western culture’s idols—how the veneration of ‘self’ flows from humanity’s most fundamental and original sin: pride.
But that’s not what I want to write about here.
What I’m interested in is how the cult of self-improvement—the cult of ‘maxxing’—has entwined itself in our thinking about discipleship and spiritual formation.
Because, so often, we talk about life with Christ in much the same way a self-help book might talk about personal growth.
Start these five habits. Take these ten steps. Eliminate this. Pick up that.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve found a lot of value in books and sermons about the spiritual disciplines, and I think this can be an authentic and valuable expression of life with Jesus.
The problem is when we put the means before the end—the proverbial cart before the horse.
When we focus on becoming a better Christian rather than beholding Christ. When we focus on doing before we focus on being.
We can treat the Christian life more like a project to be completed—as just another pathway to help us become a better, more fulfilled, more whole person—rather than what it was always meant to be: life with Christ Himself.
This is a tendency that Theo wrote about beautifully last week: the pressure we feel to ‘do more’ so that we can become ‘good enough’ for Jesus.
This kind of thinking is exhausting—and it’s anti-gospel.
Consider the verse that opened this email:
‘So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.’ — 2 Corinthians 3:18
What, says Paul, is at the heart of transformation?
It isn’t, first and foremost, a matter of doing something.
It’s a matter of beholding Someone.
‘Behold-maxxing’
The goal of the Christian life, says Paul, isn’t to make ourselves a better version of ourselves.
It isn’t to ‘maxx’ our way to holiness through disciplines and habits.
In time, we will become better, more-Christ-like versions of ourselves—but that’s not the starting point.
The goal of the Christian life, first and foremost, is to know and enjoy God in union with Christ.
It’s as we behold the glory of the Father, by looking to the Son, that we are transformed into His image by the power of the Spirit.
That means the starting point of the Christian life isn’t about jumping into the habits and disciplines—it’s about abiding in Jesus (why not read John 15—and Theo’s email from last week).
It’s about recognising that, in our sin, we are utterly powerless to make ourselves better.
It’s about surrendering ourselves wholly to Christ—letting go of our best efforts to sort ourselves out, and falling instead into the depths of His love and kindness.
This is the dynamic of the Christian life. We look to Jesus. We behold the glory of God. We see our sin, and we receive His mercy. And by His Spirit, we are renewed and changed into His glorious image.
That is what the Christian life is about.
It’s as we behold Him in His glory, as we abide in Him, that we are compelled to go and tell the world about Him.
It’s as we enjoy communion with our Triune God—as we are drawn up by the Spirit, in union with the Son, into communion with the Father—that we begin to reflect His attributes, His goodness, His character.
It’s as the Father’s love is poured into our hearts by the Spirit that we become people who look and love like the Son.
Of course, beholding God does involve doing something. We need to pick up our Bibles and pray and worship with His people and carve out time to be with Him.
But those disciplines are not the purpose of the Christian life. Nor is the purpose to be a ‘better Christian’.
The purpose is to behold and be with God, and as we do so, to become like Him.
If, today, you feel exhausted and disappointed in your efforts to be a more disciplined, more productive, more effective Christian, maybe it’s because you’ve confused the means for the end.
God loves you. He wants to be with you. He sent His Son to die for you. He has done all it takes for you to know and enjoy Him.
All you need to do is accept His invitation to come and behold Him, and experience the freedom of life in His Spirit:
‘For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom’ — 2 Corinthians 3:17
With love,
Mike
Are you a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Christian?
‘For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.’ — Philippians 3:8–9
‘You don’t have to earn your way to Jesus. Jesus earned your way to Himself. That’s why it’s good news.’ — Heather Thompson Day
“I'm just not a very good Christian...”
Have you ever thought this to yourself?
Or have you ever confessed it to a friend?
Or have you ever heard someone comment it about themselves?
I think it’s a feeling many of us who follow Jesus secretly struggle with.
As Christians, we can often view ourselves and others merely in terms of behaviour. Under the behaviour framework, if you’re doing all the right things that a Christian should be doing, then you’re a ‘good’ Christian—and if you’re not, well, that probably means you’re a ‘bad’ Christian.
That means if you read your Bible, pray, sing worship, give away money, and show kindness to everyone you meet every day, then congratulations, you’re a ‘good’ Christian. But if you don’t? Tut-tut, unfortunately, you’re a ‘bad’ Christian.
The problem with this idea of there being ‘good’ Christians and ‘bad’ Christians is that you won’t find this kind of hierarchy of status anywhere in the Bible.
Living under a lie
The tragic thing about this way of thinking is that it robs so many of us from experiencing the fullness of the gospel we believe in.
We go about our lives as if Jesus is completely separate from us. We live as if He’s looking down at us from a vast distance in Heaven, seeing whether we can ever measure up enough, ever be obedient enough, ever get things right enough for Him.
If we can just keep doing the right things, maybe He’ll finally stop being disappointed in us.
We compare ourselves to other Christians from the past and in the present whom we believe have reached the ‘gold standard’ of faith, and we feel ashamed of ourselves.
In the hierarchy of the saints, we always feel like we’re stuck at the bottom rung, gazing forlornly up at the ‘good’ Christians who have reached levels us ‘bad’ Christians can only dream of reaching.
Of course, we might be able to put together a good run of form with our Bible reading rhythm and prayer and everything else—but as soon as we miss another day or mess up with the same old sin we can’t seem to stop ourselves doing, we’re straight back down to square one in this endless game of Snakes & Ladders called ‘Christianity’.
Friends, that’s not the gospel. None of that is good news.
Trying your best to do enough to prove your worth and win the favour of God and others is to re-shackle yourself in the chains He came to free you from.
Now, I’m not saying that we can just be passive in our walk with Jesus. He rightly expects us to actively and intentionally love Him, obey Him and do the things that please Him. Immersing yourself in the Scriptures and in prayer and in worship and in serving others so that you can meet and adore Jesus are so vital to the Christian life.
But we should never do those things as performative acts to earn Jesus’ favour and to feel like we’re being ‘good’ enough for Him. We can't let ourselves fall into that trap, because it ensnares us and drains all the delight out of living for Jesus.
Sometimes, I wonder how many people have given up on following Him because they never felt like they were a ‘good’ enough Christian.
It’s a heart-breaking thought, because nobody who really understands the gospel should ever feel like that.
Living from God's favour rather than for it
This lie stops people ever stepping into the fullness of the life Jesus has promised us.
Life in His Spirit.
Life in His Kingdom.
Life filled with His power, love and grace.
Life lived in God's favour rather than for it.
Jesus’ teaching on being the Vine in John 15 is absolutely key to helping us get this. Really, we should all memorise it, because it’s the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.
Jesus tells us to remain in Him as He remains in us. The Father is the Gardener who’s responsible for making sure the Vine is producing fruit in us (John 15:1–2). Fruitfulness isn’t something we produce by ourselves—it’s what Jesus promises to grow in us as we remain in Him. By living in Jesus—receiving His infinite love, trusting in His Word, and depending on His Spirit—we can be confident that we will “produce much fruit” (John 15:5).
More than anything else, we need to know and live fully confident in what's already true for us in Jesus.
By believing in and belonging to Him:
You are righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).
You are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7).
You are loved (Galatians 2:20).
You have already been given every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3).
You have the risen Lord of Heaven and Earth living inside you (Romans 8:11).
You are a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17), with a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), getting ready to rule over a new world (Revelation 5:10).
Start enjoying who you already are in Jesus
The good news of the gospel is that Jesus has done everything you could never do, so that you could be free, forever.
You don’t live under the Law, because Jesus has fulfilled it all for you—now, you live under His grace (Romans 6:14).
You don’t need to try to be good enough for Him, because Jesus has given you His very own righteousness (Philippians 3:9).
You can’t earn anything from Him, because Jesus’ grace is more than enough for you (Ephesians 2:8–9).
You can’t make Him love you any more or less, because nothing can separate you from His love for you (Romans 8:39).
Your union with Him can never change, because Jesus has made you one with Himself (John 17:21–23).
Your worth before God can never be measured by whether you feel like a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ Christian. You are forever safe in Jesus, and He is always good.
Remain in Him, enjoy Him, and be free!
Love,
Theo
Rage against the dying of the light
‘When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled… Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.’ — John 11:33, 38
‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’ — Dylan Thomas, Do not go gentle into that good night
It’s a question as old as human existence:
Why does a good God seem to allow suffering?
People sometimes talk about this so-called ‘problem of suffering’ as if it’s some abstract philosophical conundrum. An intellectual itch that can’t be scratched. A logical square that can’t be circled.
But you and I both know that suffering isn’t just abstract. Suffering is deeply personal.
It’s our loved one on the cancer ward. It’s the sudden death of a close friend. It’s a broken marriage. It’s long-term depression and it’s a fractured wrist and it’s terminal illness and it’s the life-altering car accident.
It’s what happens to us—and it’s the terrible things we see in the fallen world around us. Flesh-eating parasites. Flesh-tearing weaponry. Poverty. War. Hunger. Exploitation. Corruption.
Even if someone came up with an intellectual ‘solution’ to the problem of suffering, it wouldn’t do much to help us navigate the experience of suffering.
It wouldn’t provide us with comfort and courage to stand in the face of the suffering and evil we encounter in our lives each day.
That’s why I love the Bible.
God’s Word doesn’t just offer us an easy answer to suffering and death. It doesn’t just provide us with an intellectual solution about why a good God seems to allow bad things to happen.
It reveals a God who rages against death, who understands our suffering intimately, and who stepped into our world to defeat the power of sin and evil, finally and forever.
“Lazarus, come out!”
In John 11, Jesus hears that his close friend Lazarus, who lives in the town of Bethany, is sick.
You might expect Jesus to immediately travel to heal His friend. Instead, Jesus chooses to remain where He is for two days longer—and Lazarus dies.
When Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days (John 11:17).
In the events that follow, we see three realities about Jesus that provide us with hope, comfort and courage in our own suffering: His resurrection power, His rage at death, and His victory over sin.
1. Jesus’ resurrection power
When Jesus arrives in Bethany, He is first confronted by Lazarus’ sister Martha.
She is grieving the loss of her brother, disappointed that Jesus didn’t come sooner—but, remarkably, she is still full of faith and trust in Him: “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask” (John 11:21–22).
Jesus answers her: “Your brother will rise again” (John 11:23).
In response, Martha affirms the Jewish understanding that Lazarus would rise again with the righteous on the last day.
She knows the correct theological response—but it probably provides her with very little consolation in her grief. Why couldn’t Jesus have come sooner and healed her brother?
Jesus replies with these incredible words: “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” (John 11:26).
Jesus doesn’t provide Martha with a philosophical answer to the problem of her suffering. He doesn’t offer her his best wishes or vague condolences. He doesn’t even, in this moment, offer Martha the thing she thought she wanted most—to raise her brother back to life.
Even if Jesus did raise Lazarus there and then—which He will do a few verses later—her brother would one day die again of disease or old age.
Jesus knows that Martha needs a firmer, more robust foundation for her hope: “I am the resurrection and the life.”
Jesus reminds Martha that He isn’t just a miracle worker who dispenses healing here and there. He is the author of life. He is the champion over sin and death. He is the only way to eternal life.
If we are in Him, physical death no longer needs to fill us with fear. Dying is not the end—it is merely the transition from our temporary life in this fallen world, to eternal life sharing in the love, joy and glory that the Son has shared with His Father for all time.
Right now, Martha didn’t just need to see the miraculous resurrection of her brother—she needed to understand the foundation of her true hope.
This encounter reminds me of the wonderful affirmation in the Heidelberg Catechism:
‘Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.’
But Jesus does more than just present Martha and her grieving family with theological truth, as we will see next. He shows His rage at death—and His victory over it.
2. Jesus’ rage at death
Next, Jesus encounters Lazarus’ other sister, Mary.
Mary falls at Jesus’ feet and confronts Jesus with exactly the same sentiment as Martha does: “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32).
When Jesus sees Mary’s grief, and the mourning of those around her, He is moved—not just to sadness, but to anger:
‘…a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them.’ — John 11:33—34
Jesus—God incarnate—doesn’t just look dispassionately on at the suffering He sees around Him. He isn’t an ‘unmoved mover’, as some philosophers have described God. He isn’t apathetic to our pain and grief.
Jesus is angry—angry at the death of His friend, and angry at the stranglehold of sin, death and evil on His good world.
Jesus’ response remind me of the evocative words of Dylan Thomas in his famous poem, Do not go gentle into that good night: ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’
At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus—the Light of the World—rages against the darkness that lays claim to His world. He hates it. He will do everything to defeat it.
In our own suffering, we need to know the theological reality of our resurrection hope, as Martha did. But I also think we need to know how Jesus feels about our suffering.
He doesn’t just look down on us, impassive and stoney-faced. He isn’t apathetic. He is angry at the presence of sin, suffering and death in our lives. But He isn’t overcome by it. He is victorious over it—as we see in the final chapter of the story.
3. Jesus’ victory over sin
Jesus is still angry as He arrives at the tomb (John 11:38), where He orders that the stone be rolled aside.
It’s a dramatic showdown between the author of life and the great enemy of humanity—death.
Looking up to heaven, Jesus prays: “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me” (John 11:42).
In other words, what Jesus was about to do wasn’t just for Lazarus’ sake, or Mary’s or Martha’s. It was for the sake of those watching on—it was for our sake—so that we would see His glorious power over death, and believe in Him.
Jesus shouts out, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43)—and the dead man rises and comes out, dressed in his grave clothes.
With Martha, Jesus presents Himself as the resurrection and the life. With Mary, He shows His anger at death. At Lazarus’ tomb, He proves His power over it.
Our only comfort in life and death
It’s an amazing miracle story. Nothing like it had been seen in history. But, by itself, this episode doesn’t provide much hope.
Lazarus would grow old and die again. And, after all, Lazarus was just one man. What comfort does it offer the rest of us?
But we know this isn’t the end of the story. As Jesus stood at the mouth of Lazarus’ tomb, He was likely thinking of the fate awaited Him a few days later in Jerusalem.
The same crowds who followed Him, who saw His miraculous healing and hailed Him as King, would soon abandon Him.
Betrayed by His own people and handed over to the merciless Romans, Jesus would hang on a criminal’s cross.
There, He took upon Himself the curse of sin so that we could be freed from its sting. There, He didn’t just experience intense physical suffering—He suffered the unbearable weight of the world’s sin on His shoulders. Of our sin on His shoulders.
As He breathed His last, He would cry out: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46).
Like Lazarus, His body would lie in a tomb, attended by His grieving friends who thought He was gone forever.
Three days later, He would rise again in the power of the Spirit—signalling that sin and death has been defeated once and for all, and proving that He really is “the resurrection and the life.”
We can only understand Lazarus’ story in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection. And, we can only understand our own suffering as we look to the cross.
In Jesus, we don’t see a God who coldly and apathetically watches our suffering. He doesn’t give us easy answers that offer no real comfort for our grief.
No. in Him we see a God who rages against death. He is a Friend who stands with us in our suffering. He is a Saviour who went to the cross to deliver us from our greatest enemy—sin. He is Heaven’s Champion, who has defeated death forever—and who freely gives us His resurrection life.
The Bible doesn’t present us with a philosophy in answer to our suffering, but a Person: Jesus Christ. He is our only comfort in life and death. He is our only hope.
Today, in your sorrow and suffering, look to Him again—and find comfort and courage to stand tall in this fallen world.
In Him,
Mike
Where to find endless treasures
‘Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.’ — Ephesians 3:8
‘The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One.’ — A.W. Tozer
If you had the unexpected joy of someone asking you to summarise the gospel for them, what would you say?
For me, I’d probably go down the well-trodden route of creation, fall, redemption and restoration: In love, God made us; because of sin, we rejected God; in love, God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sin; by grace and through faith in Him, we are reconciled to God, who will come back to make all things new and live with us forever.
Or something like that.
But the other day, I came across how Paul summarises the gospel in his letter to the Ephesian church:
The endless treasures available in Christ.
Wow.
If I’m honest, I don't think I usually see Jesus as my ever-available source of endless treasures.
But I think if I did—if we all saw Him that way—it would be life-changing.
What kind of endless treasures do we find in Jesus?
We find the One who has brought us back into God’s family, gives us unrestricted access to the Father, and shares His inheritance with us (Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 2:18; 2 Corinthians 5:18–19).
We find the One who lives in us as we live in Him, filling us with His life, love, joy, peace and power (John 15:1–8).
We find the One in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found (Colossians 2:3).
We find the One who will never abandon us (John 14:8).
We find the One who comforts and strengthens us to keep going through life’s challenges (Psalm 23).
We find the One who is always praying for us before the Father (Romans 8:34).
We find the One who adores us with an infinite love so vast that we will never, ever exhaust it (Ephesians 3:17–19).
We find the One who is making all things new, and who will soon come back to our world to be with us forever (Revelation 21:5; 22:12).
Jesus really is the greatest treasure. He is so much more than just an add-on, or a free ticket to Heaven, or a good teacher who once said some wise things to help us live a more fulfilling life.
He is everything we could possibly desire. When we delight in Him, He gladly gives us what our hearts want most—Himself.
I don’t want to spend my days settling for anything less than Him.
Like Paul, I want to count everything else as trash compared with the sheer wonder of knowing Jesus, and enjoying all the endless treasures that can only be found in Him (Philippians 3:8–9).
That’s the best news anyone could hope to hear—and I want to tell more people, so they can discover for themselves the endless treasures that are available in Jesus.
Who’s with me?
Love,
Theo
Where are you laying tracks?
‘Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.’ — Philippians 2:3–5
‘Man exalted himself and fell; God humbled Himself and raised him up.’ — Augustine of Hippo, ‘A Sermon to Catechumens on the Creed’
Have you ever played the board game Ticket to Ride?
If you’re not familiar with it, the concept is simple: build train routes between cities to complete the journeys you’ve been given.
But there’s a twist. One of the most dastardly moves you can make in a game of Ticket to Ride is to build tracks on other player’s routes—effectively blocking them off from reaching their destination.
It’s an act of sabotage that could help win you the game (and cost you a friendship).
All this board games talk has a purpose, I promise.
Because I’m convinced that so many of life’s problems are caused when we lay tracks in other people’s way.
Of course, I’m not talking about Ticket to Ride.
I’m talking about our heart’s sinful disposition to self-centredness.
Are you laying tracks in other people’s way?
We live in a win-at-all-costs world where people are prepared to fight and trample on one another to achieve their own ambitions.
The promotion. The recognition. The status. The guy or the girl.
A world where ‘laying tracks’ in the way of other people isn’t just accepted, but even applauded.
Of course, this kind of prideful ambition and self-centredness often operates in subtle, everyday ways.
We talk over and talk down at our loved ones to get our way, prove our point and win our side of the argument.
We ‘keep the score’ with other people, expecting them to serve us in return for our love and attention—and we get irritated when they fail to reciprocate.
In our churches and workplaces, we can even feel threatened by other people’s giftings and callings. Rather than helping others grow and flourish, we instead discourage and put them down to preserve our own position.
In a million tiny ways—seen or unseen, conscious or unconscious—we so often live, speak and act as if we are the centre of our worlds.
And if people get in our way—well, we’ll just lay tracks in their’s.
This kind of selfish ambition and self-centredness isn’t just mean, it’s anti-gospel.
Jesus calls us to a radically different way.
Have the attitude of Christ
Reflect again on these glorious words from Paul’s letter to the Philippians:
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:5–11
This is the attitude of those who have been united with Christ.
To lay ourselves down to raise others up, rather than clinging to our position and privilege.
To look out for the interests of others and seek their best, rather than just looking out for our interests and seeking our best.
To choose humility when the world chooses pride and selfish-ambition.
To love people even when it’s costly.
To make a path for others to step into all that God has called them to, rather than laying tracks in their way.
The freedom of self-forgetfulness
One of the best descriptions of leadership I’ve heard is: ‘stepping back so others can step forwards.’
This is the kind of leader, friend, husband, employee and neighbour I want to be.
Does this kind of humility mean allowing ourselves to be walked over or exploited?
No—Jesus Himself stood for what was right and challenged evil.
Nor does it mean putting ourselves down or beating ourselves up. C.S. Lewis famously described humility like this: ‘Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.’
Those who know how loved they are by God—who are rooted in His grace and confident in their identity in Him—no longer have anything to prove to the world.
When we know who we are in Him, we no longer need to strive for status, approval and recognition—as Paul says in Colossians, ‘you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3).
This, says Timothy Keller, is the freedom of self-forgetfulness. It’s not that we think less of ourselves—it’s that we think of ourselves less, because we are transfixed with the glory, goodness and love of Jesus.
Filled with this love, we are compelled to love those around us—sacrificially and selflessly, expecting nothing in return, just as Christ freely laid His life down for us.
This way, this attitude, is ultimately more liberating. No longer do we anxiously strive to protect and preserve our status and reputation—always fearing that someone might eclipse and outshine us—because we already enjoy full acceptance in Christ.
Instead, we now live as a mirror of His glory in this world—a glory that makes itself known through selfless, sacrificial, self-giving love.
Today, may we ‘have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had’ (Philippians 2:5)—an attitude of self-giving, generous, sacrificial love.
Stop laying tracks in other people’s way. Make paths for them to flourish in Christ.
Love,
Mike
Mind the gap between your belief and your experience of God
‘And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.’ — Romans 5:5
‘Many of us struggle with a gap between what we believe about God and what we experience from God.’ — Steve Cuss
Have you ever found yourself stuck in the gap between what you believe and what you experience?
I have. Often, I still do.
When it comes to faith, I can believe the right things, say the right words, and appear in the right way—but inside, I know that I’m not experiencing it for myself.
I believe that God loves us (John 15:9). I believe that He wants His joy to be complete in us (John 15:11). I believe that He delights in speaking to us through His Word and by His Spirit (John 16:13).
But often, I find that I'm not actually experiencing His love, joy and voice speaking to me.
The gap between belief and experience is a hard place to be.
It’s hard when other people excitedly tell you about their latest encounters with God, when you feel like you haven’t encountered Him for months.
It’s hard when you feel like Jesus seems to have a closer and more dynamic relationship with your friends than with you.
It’s hard when you find yourself wondering if you'll ever manage to get ‘being a Christian’ right.
And it’s scary to admit that we're in that gap, right?
It can feel like we’re hypocritical by being there: truly believing what the Bible reveals to us about God and how He feels about us and what He has blessed us with, but not actually enjoying the reality of it.
It can also feel like there’s no way out. No matter how much we try harder to close the gap by doing all the right things—immersing ourselves in the Scriptures, praying earnestly, caring for others, seeking opportunities to share the gospel—we still have trouble personally experiencing God’s presence.
If any of this resonates with you, know that you’re not alone in feeling these things. And take heart, because there is hope.
Bridging the gap
We’re unique and complex beings—and there are a whole host of psychological, sociological and theological reasons which people have highlighted that might contribute to this gap between belief and experience.
It’s all good stuff, but a lot of it is way over my head and way too detailed to unpack here (I can already hear your sigh of relief).
Instead, I want to encourage you with some ways I’ve found that help me bridge the gap between my belief in and experience of God.
Firstly, be honest with Him.
When you feel stuck in the gap, it doesn’t take long to feel stuck in shame. Shame makes us want to hide from God—so the way to counter it is to run to Him and be fully open with Him.
God is the One who knows you best and loves you most, no matter whether you can feel it or not. He’s never disappointed in you or distant from you. He lives inside you (Romans 8:10), and He’s always ready to listen as you pour out your heart to Him (Psalm 62:8).
So, be honest with Him. You don't need to pretend with God through polite, polished prayers. Tell Him how you actually feel, what you’re finding really hard, why it hurts.
I've found that whenever I’m honest with God, a weight lifts from me, and I actually feel closer to Him because of it.
Secondly, tell someone about it.
Feeling stuck in the gap can be a very lonely experience. In the past, I’ve felt as if I was the only one who was struggling with it, and that no one would really understand if I opened up to them about it.
But one day, someone in my family opened up to me about experiencing this gap, and it was a freeing moment for both of us, as we realised that we weren’t the only ones navigating it. We’re now able to pray for and encourage one another as we seek after God in our lives.
There’s always a temptation to hide the things we're struggling with or confused by away from others—even, tragically, within our churches. We don’t want to bother or burden others, so we pretend all is well.
But that’s just another way to cover ourselves with fig leaves in shame. It only leads us further away from God and those He has lovingly placed in our lives.
And finally, worship God in the way He made you to.
I’m currently reading a great book called Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas. In it, he argues that just as a doctor would never prescribe the same medicine to all the patients they see, God hasn’t given us a set programme to know Him by.
Of course, spending time in His Word, in prayer and in worship are really important practices that every follower of Jesus should implement in their lives. But the way in which we practise them can vary.
In the book, Thomas names nine different spiritual temperaments through which Christians naturally connect with God:
Naturalists: loving God outdoors.
Sensates: loving God with the senses.
Traditionalists: loving God through ritual and symbol.
Ascetics: loving God in solitude and simplicity.
Activists: loving God through confrontation.
Caregivers: loving God by loving others.
Enthusiasts: loving God with mystery and celebration.
Contemplatives: loving God through adoration.
Intellectuals: loving God with the mind.
These aren’t rigid boxes to limit ourselves to, nor do we have only one of them. They are simply a framework to help us identify how we naturally draw near to God.
Over the past few years, I’ve come to realise that I find it easiest to worship God when I'm outdoors (Naturalist), in solitude and simplicity (Ascetic) and through adoration (Contemplative).
You might be completely different, and that's completely okay.
God has made you, me and everyone uniquely, and that means we will naturally relate to Him in unique ways.
So, spend time discovering what that looks like for you.
Don't just settle for doing the same devotional rhythms every day for the rest of your life—try engaging with the Bible, prayer, worship and serving others in different ways, and notice what naturally and easily draws you into God’s presence.
And above all, hold on to the truth you believe in.
Whether you can feel it or not right now:
God's love for you will never change (Romans 8:38–39).
He is always with you (Matthew 28:20).
He is always listening to you (Psalm 66:17–20).
He is making you more like Himself (2 Corinthians 3:16–18).
He is praying on your behalf through His Spirit (Romans 8:26).
He has great things for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).
He will bring you home to enjoy being with Him forever (John 14:3).
Lord Jesus, help us to love you with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength—and help us to experience your love for us in all these places, too.
Love,
Theo
P.S. Here are some great resources if you want to explore this topic in a bit more depth:
Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul’s Path To God
Steve Cuss, The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space Between Our Beliefs And Experience Of God
Kyle Strobel and John Coe, When God Seems Distant: Surprising Ways God Deepens Our Faith and Draws Us Near
Steve Cuss, Being Human Podcast
How to actually enjoy your quiet time
‘How sweet your words taste to me;
they are sweeter than honey.’ — Psalm 119:103
‘Praying and reading your Bible won’t make you more Christian. And not doing these things won’t make you less of a Christian... But how much we enjoy that communion depends on what we do.’ — Tim Chester
I love my morning coffee.
It’s something I genuinely treasure each day. And even though it takes a while to make, the joy is worth it.
When we love something, like I love a coffee, we long for it. It doesn't feel like a chore; it's easy to do because you want to do it.
I know that I should love meeting God in His Word much more than I love a hot drink. But if I ever have to pick between making my coffee or spending time with God in the morning, so often the coffee wins. Why is that?
Why don’t we love spending time with God like we know we should?
Guilt doesn’t lead to love
In Jesus, we have been fully forgiven. We truly are set free from sin. But until He returns to make all things new, we still struggle against sin.
That’s why we find it so hard to do what we know we should love, and why so many things feel easier or more fun than setting aside time each day to meet with God. It’s hard to resist the temptation to choose our comfort, ease, and enjoyment over spending time with Him.
When we inevitably succumb to that temptation, we end up feeling guilty about not reading God’s Word—and then we find it even harder to open our Bibles.
Alternatively, our guilt becomes our motivation to spend time with God. We know we should read the Bible, and we feel like God will be disappointed in us if we don’t. So, we do it out of duty, not delight.
God doesn’t want either of these things.
A treasure to enjoy, not a chore to endure
There’s nothing we can do to make God love us any more or any less. We are not a ‘better’ or ‘worse’ Christian based on whether we’ve read our Bible today or not.
If we trust in Jesus, we have been completely forgiven of all our sins—past, present and future. We can come to our Father freely without guilt or shame, because all our sin has been taken away.
In love, He has given everything of Himself to us—and He longs for us to respond by giving everything of ourselves to Him.
When we start by remembering God’s love for us, meeting with Him will become a treasure, not a chore.
And it truly is a treasure! The God who made the universe has given us a physical book, inspired by His Spirit, to make Himself known to us. He speaks through His Word to tell us how He has always been working to make a way for us to have a relationship with Him.
An invitation, not an obligation
God has given us the gift of His Word as an invitation to know Him more.
Whenever we open our Bibles, He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. He longs to show us the best way to live in the world He has made. He wants to help us grasp the height and depth of His love. He loves to hear our response in worship and prayer.
And as we read, He delights in transforming us to become more like His Son.
As we delight in hearing God speak to us, and as our hearts are warmed by His love and acceptance, our love for Him will grow. Like the writer of Psalm 119, we will develop a taste for God’s Word—it will become the sweetest thing to us!
So, when you start your next quiet time, lay down any guilt or distractions. Ask the Spirit to quiet your heart and show you the joy of the gospel as if it were the first time hearing it.
Approach God as your loving Father who longs to be with you.
Pastors love illustrating this point with this picture of the President, John F. Kennedy, sitting at his desk in the Oval Office with his son, JFK Junior, sitting at his feet.
Despite the bodyguards and the layers of security, one little boy had full and complete access to the most important man in the world. He was free to sit at the feet of his loving father.
How much more does your Heavenly Father long for you to sit at His feet each day? To show you His love and shape you to become more like Him?
He is inviting you to meet Him in His Word. Today, will you meet Him there?
With love,
Ruth
On ‘doing life together’, and other clichés
“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.” — Matthew 10:16
‘The church…is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God’s kingship.’ — Lesslie Newbigin
Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation with another Christian, and all of a sudden one of the following phrases (or something like them) just slips out without thinking:
‘Doing life together…’
‘Season of life…’
‘I just feel led to…’
‘Not religion, it’s a relationship…’
‘Step out in faith…’
‘Being intentional…’
They’re all examples of what you might call ‘Christianese’—or Christian clichés—and I’m as guilty as anyone for using this kind of language (sometimes ironically—sometimes not).
It’s a kind of shorthand way of talking that, if you’ve been around church long enough, you come to know and understand—and sometimes cringe at.
Not that there’s anything necessarily wrong in saying these things. More often than not, these phrases roughly correspond to Biblical ideas—‘Doing community’, for example, is just our way of talking about the Biblical concept of ‘fellowship’.
What interests me, however, is what our language says about the kind of culture—or, more accurately, the kind of sub-culture—we can live in as Christians.
What do I mean by that?
Regaining our evangelistic edge
If you’re reading this email, you’re likely a Christian living in the UK who has had at least some exposure to evangelical and/or charismatic church life.
The music. The events. The books. The clothing. The TV shows. The podcasts. The clichés.
We speak and behave a certain way. Our churches have certain codes and patterns of behaviour that, to an outsider, can feel weird and sometimes intimidating.
But for Christians, the Christian sub-culture is comfortable. It’s familiar. It’s safe.
(And no, the irony of saying this isn’t lost on me—as someone who writes for a Christian company that produces Christian books, clothing, podcasts and events.)
Of course, the Christian sub-culture has produced a lot of good things—God-honouring art, music and literature that glorifies Jesus and draws people to Him.
And we should be seeking to fill our minds and hearts with things that reflect and honour Jesus: ‘…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things...’, says Paul in Philippians 4:8.
The problem is that we can get so comfortable in the Christian sub-culture that we forget the thing Jesus has called us to— proclaiming Him to the world around us.
We say the Christian things, listen to the Christian music, read the Christian books, follow the Christian influencers, attend the Christian events.
But, over time, we can find it more difficult to relate to our non-believing friends, family and neighbours—because we simply don’t understand (or haven’t taken time to understand) the world they’re living in.
Or, even worse, we stop sharing the gospel altogether.
We need to regain our evangelistic edge.
Shrewd as snakes
Jesus said to His disciples: “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
“I am sending you out.” It sounds obvious, but we often need reminding that our purpose isn’t just to remain in our safe, cosy Christian enclave—it’s to be sent out into a wolf-like world that is often hostile to His ways.
How are we to do that?
We can understand why Jesus would tell His disciples to be “harmless as doves”—a dove is a symbol of purity, innocence and peace.
But what about snakes?
In Scripture, the snake is associated with craftiness—the serpent in Genesis 3:1 is described as ‘crafty’ (NIV, ESV), ‘shrewd’ (NLT) or ‘cunning’ (NKJV).
Of course, Jesus didn’t mean that we should be deceitful or deceptive like the serpent of Genesis 3. But He does call us to be discerning, alert, wise.
Does that mean we should stop listening to Christian music and instead fill our playlists with expletive-laden tracks?
Or that we should start watching 18-rated films so that we can better understand the mission field Jesus is sending us into?
Not necessarily. But Jesus didn’t expect His disciples to be naive or ignorant of the world He was sending them into, either.
They were to live lives of radical purity—like a dove—but they were also to engage wisely and shrewdly with the culture around them.
Get out your (metaphorical) boat
Consider Paul’s sermon to the Athenians in Acts 17:16–34. During his sermon, he quotes secular literature and philosophy as he seeks to engage his audience (Acts 17:28).
Paul was perhaps the greatest evangelist of all time—and he was deeply familiar with the culture around him, because it gave him an evangelistic edge and plausibility to those God had sent him to reach.
Paul never diluted the gospel. He spoke the truth with boldness and without fear—sometimes in a way that offended people.
But he was also shrewd—he spoke the truth in a way that resonated with the Gentile audiences God had called him to serve.
He doesn’t change the content of the gospel—but he contextualises it to help them understand it.
So, let’s return to the question that opened this email. Is it wrong to use Christian clichés?
Not at all. But ask yourself—if that question struck a nerve, does it mean you are more comfortable in the Christian sub-culture than you are out in the world that God has called you to reach?
Can you relate to your non-Christian friends in a way that feels natural and authentic?
Do you know what they watch, what they listen to, how they speak?
Do you understand what they hope for, what they fear, what gets them up in the morning?
If not, perhaps it’s time—to coin a cliché (or three)—to get out of your boat. Be in the world, not of the world. Burst the comfortable Christian bubble, and preach Christ.
Because Jesus hasn’t called you simply to consume Christian content and build the Christian sub-culture.
He has called you, like the early disciples, to “fish for people” (Matthew 4:19).
And most of those people don’t know who Forrest Frank, John Mark Comer or Hillsong are.
Neither do they need to—but they do need Jesus.
So how are you going to reach them with the gospel today?
Love,
Mike
How to become happy like God
“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” — John 15:11
‘Celebration is at the heart of the way of Christ.’ — Richard Foster
Do you know that God is happy?
So many people imagine God to be a resentful old man who scowls disapprovingly at the world from afar.
Even as Christians, we can secretly view God as generally being pretty unhappy.
After all, surely there’s a lot for Him to be unhappy about: the fallen state of His world, the devastating effects of our sin, the hatred or indifference that so many people feel towards Him.
These things matter to God. He’s not indifferent towards evil, uncaring about injustice or untouched by suffering. You only have to turn a few pages in your Bible to see that this is true.
But none of these things can ever change God’s nature—and His nature is to be happy.
He is happy beyond our ability to understand. He is infinitely, eternally, perfectly joyful. The exceeding delight between His three persons had no start and has no end.
In fact, God is so happy, so satisfied, so full of joy, that He chose to create the world and a people that might share in His happiness. Even though we sinned and severed our relationship with Him, it gave Him great pleasure to bring us back to Himself through His Son Jesus (Ephesians 1:5).
God has always intended for His children—those who have united themselves to Jesus by believing in Him—to share in the infinite depths of His joy.
Learning to experience the joy of Jesus
In John 15, Jesus tells His disciples:
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:9–11).
Earlier, Jesus has shared with His disciples that by obeying Him out of love for Him, God Himself would come and live within them. They would become one with God, just as Jesus is.
Now, Jesus tells His disciples that He’s shared this with them so that they would experience the completeness of His joy.
Why was Jesus so joyful? Because He had the fullness of God’s joy within Him.
And when you read the Gospels, you can see how this joy overflowed wherever He went.
He celebrated all the Jewish feasts and festivals. He went to weddings and enjoyed going round people's houses for dinner, to the point where the religious leaders accused Him of being "a glutton and a drunkard". Little children always wanted to be around Him, which tells us something of how fun Jesus must have been.
If we follow Jesus, the goal of our lives is to become like Him. And if we want to be like Him, we have to become joyful like He is.
But how do we actually do this? How do we come to experience the complete joy of Jesus?
By practising celebration.
This is how I would define the practice of celebration: doing things that help us experience the fullness of Jesus' life and joy.
Richard Foster writes that "Celebration is at the heart of the way of Christ". It is absolutely central to who Jesus is, and so it should be central to those who follow Him.
The really fun thing about practising celebration is that you can get so creative with it! But to help get us get started, here are three ways we can start training ourselves to become joyful people just like Jesus:
1. Sing and dance
The Bible constantly tells us to sing praise to God. In fact, Hebrews 13:15 instructs us to ‘continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God’. This is basically commanding us to be joyful in God!
When we’re at our most joyful, singing and dancing bursts out of us. But you don’t have to wait for the next wedding or party or gig or night out to do these things. Do them every day! Have a little praise party every morning. Find some songs that help you feel so happy to know Jesus that you can sing throughout the day.
2. Play
Life can so easily get lost in work, admin, tasks, to-do lists, and often feeling like you’re behind. But while we’re no longer children, we have to remember to stay child-like. Jesus says that those who are like little children will inherit His Kingdom. And what do little children do? They play, all the time. They engage their imagination. They have fun by themselves and with friends.
So, have fun. Carve out time—even just half an hour—each day to enjoy yourself and the gifts God has given you. Paint. Dance. Listen to your favourite album. Bake a cake. Read a brilliant book. Learn a new skill. Call up an old friend. Play sport or watch a game with some mates. And whatever you do, enjoy doing it with God, who loves to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11).
3. Say thank you all the time
This is probably the easiest and the most important one: gratitude. Say thank you to God all the time. See a tree that you love? Thank Him for it. Take a bite of some amazing food? Thank Him for it. Enjoy hanging out with a friend? Thank Him for them.
Make it a habit to say thank you to God as much as possible for everything, big and small. Being grateful is one of the most formative practices we can do to become like Jesus, because it’s His will for us: ‘Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
As we’re gradually transformed into joyful people through practising celebration, the world around us will start to change as well.
Our joy in Jesus and our consistent cultivation of celebration in our lives can only shine all the brighter in the joylessness of our world today.
Celebration is a subversive act. It laughs and dances in the face of a defeated enemy. It eagerly welcomes in the hurting, the broken, the hopeless to take a seat at the table. It releases us and others from our heavy yokes. It shouts with a smile into the surrounding darkness that God is good, that He has destroyed sin and death, and that He is coming back to make all things new.
Celebration is the very nature of God Himself. May it become our own nature, too.
Love,
Theo
A diamond with a thousand glittering faces
‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!’ — Isaiah 52:7
‘Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy, cast off that I might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend, surrendered to hell’s worst that I might attain heaven’s best… Help me to adore thee by lips and life.’ —The Valley of Vision, ‘Love Lustres at Calvary’
Today could have been called ‘Bloody Friday’.
Or ‘Ugly Friday’.
Or ‘Horrible Friday’.
The Son of God hung naked, scarred and bloodied on a criminal’s cross—one of the cruellest instruments of torture ever devised by mankind.
There He was mocked, ridiculed and spat at by the very people He came to save—the victim of Rome’s brutality and the Pharisees’ deception.
Exhausted, abandoned, in agony—there, as darkness descended across the land, Jesus cried out for the final time.
It could have been called ‘Bloody Friday’.
Instead we call it ‘Good Friday’.
But perhaps we could also have called it ‘Beautiful Friday’.
Beautiful, not because there is anything good or glorious about the barbaric execution of an innocent man—but beautiful because of what Christ achieved for us on the cross.
A diamond with a thousand glittering faces
The message of the cross—the message of the gospel—is unparalleled in beauty.
It’s so beautiful, in fact, that Scripture even calls the feet of the messenger who proclaims it ‘beautiful’:
‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!’ — Isaiah 52:7
The message of the cross—the ‘good news of peace and salvation’ prophesied by Isaiah—is like a diamond with a thousand glittering faces.
Every time we examine it, we see something new of God’s glory and grace—we behold the radiant light of His perfect love and goodness.
Today, meditate with me on seven glorious aspects of Christ’s saving work on the cross—seven faces of the beautiful diamond of the gospel.
1. The glory of His justice
‘But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.’ — Isaiah 53:5
‘For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.’ — Romans 3:25–26
2. The glory of His victory
‘You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.’ — Colossians 2:13–15
‘“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ – 1 Corinthians 15:55a–57
3. The glory of His grace
‘But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.’ — Ephesians 2:4–7
‘When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.’ — Titus 3:4–7
4. The glory of His love
‘But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.’ – Romans 5:8
‘We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.’ — 1 John 3:16a
5. The glory of our justification
‘Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.’ — Romans 5:1
‘For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.’ — 2 Corinthians 5:21
6. The glory of our assurance
‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.’ — Romans 8:1
‘My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.’ — 1 John 2:1–2
7. The glory of His completed work
‘When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.’ — John 19:30
‘For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.’ — Hebrews 10:10
This list is not exhaustive. These wonderful realities are just seven aspects of the thousand—and more—glittering faces of the gospel.
They are a taste of the glorious feast that Scripture invites us to enjoy and satisfy ourselves on—not just during Easter, but each and every day of our lives.
Behold Him—and share Him
Today, as you behold again the man on the cross—Jesus Christ, who died so that you could live, who took the form of a servant so that you could be raised up as a son, who rose triumphantly in the power of the Spirit on the third day to vanquish sin and death forever—fall again at His feet in wonder.
See His justice, His victory, His grace, His love, His justification, His assurance, His completed work—and praise Him.
Lay your sin before Him. Lay hold of His grace and mercy once again. Know the assurance of His forgiveness. Delight in His presence.
And there, from that place of heart-filled gratitude, go and tell the world that life, forgiveness and freedom is found in Him alone.
Today, and every day, let your life be a mirror for the beauty of the gospel—‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!’ (Isaiah 52:7).
With love,
Mike
The secret to being joyful every day
‘This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.’ — Psalm 118:24
‘The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus means that one day everything sad will come untrue.’ — J.R.R. Tolkien
It’s easy to say, ‘This is the day the LORD has made’ when the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and life is going well.
But when it’s dark and cold, and we face problems or pain, we can easily find ourselves asking:
Lord, is this really the day you have made? Do you really expect me to rejoice in it?
Psalm 118 challenges us not to wait until things get better or for our circumstances to change before we rejoice. Instead, we are to rejoice and be glad in each and every day—because God makes and wakes us up into each and every day.
A day that’s worth rejoicing in
This joy isn’t just naive optimism, positive self-talk or toxic positivity. It’s a joy that’s found in something tangible. It is a certain hope.
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.
This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.’ — Psalm 118:22–24
The Psalmist is able to rejoice because he looks forward to an even better day. He celebrates the present day of a victory in battle, but also prophetically rejoices about a greater battle to come.
Jesus uses verse 22 to describe Himself (Mark 12:1–12). He was rejected by those who should have known Him. He was crushed, taking our place and receiving the punishment for our sins so that we might be forgiven, so that He might be the cornerstone of our salvation
As He rose again, Jesus won the victory over sin and death to give life to all who trust in Him. As the Psalmist sings, ‘This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see’.
Through faith in Jesus, we are living in the ultimate victory that He has won for us, and we can be completely confident that our future is forever secure in Him.
With Jesus as our cornerstone—the foundation of our lives—we can rejoice in any circumstance. We can be confident that God’s love and goodness won’t change, even when everything around us is changing.
A change in perspective
Each morning, before you reach for your phone or put the kettle on or head out into your day, thank God for another day in His presence.
As you meet God in His Word, you will see more and more of His unfailing love. And by asking the Holy Spirit to help you look back at the cross and forward to Jesus’ return, He will transform your perspective, and you’ll find that rejoicing in Him becomes second-nature.
With the Spirit’s help, you really can rejoice in all circumstances.
The victory has been won.
Death is defeated.
Your future is sure.
This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it.
With love,
Ruth