From time to time — usually when I’m on holiday — I have the opportunity to join another church at its prayer meeting. That’s always a very interesting experience. You can learn a lot by attending the prayer meeting in another church — often more than by attending its Lord’s Day services. You learn…
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We are repeatedly warned that modern technology is changing the way we think, the way we remember. Tech gurus tell us that no longer do we remember information, we remember where to find it. So, for example, rather than remembering the kings and queens of England, we remember the webpage (or kind of webpage,…
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Have you ever wondered about the unpredictability of God’s grace? In other words, have you wondered why so many different men and women, from all social classes, have been brought into the kingdom of God? Perplexity Acts 4:13 reads, ‘Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were…
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The love of God as understood from the Scriptures is a most precious doctrine. To be loved by God and to love him in return is the joy of salvation, ‘Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory’…
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A junior researcher recently sent me an email with a small typo. She referred to me as an ‘old aged psychiatrist’. I replied that I may not be as young as I was but I’m not aged yet! I explained that I think the current UK term for my NHS job ‘Old Age Psychiatrist’…
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How many times has it happened over the past few weeks? I’m accosted by a smiling lady as I leave the supermarket. ‘Hi, we’re raising funds for the local hospital. Would you like to buy a lottery ticket?’ One of the neighbours’ children is standing on the doorstep looking hopeful. ‘We’ve got a raffle…
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I filled my car up with diesel this morning. I pulled up alongside the pump, climbed out of the car, pushed my credit card into a slot, pressed my pin number into the keypad, started fuelling, collected my receipt from another slot, drove away. Quick, convenient — and I was in and out of…
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Many people believed that at last the old adage ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’ had been proven wrong. On the internet you could get lots of free things. Free emails with Google, free social media with Facebook, free online bookings and shopping. It was wonderful, it was all free. How…
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Oh no. I dread phonecalls like this. It’s from a friend. Ian’s ringing to tell me that he and his wife have left the church they’ve been attending for the past twenty-odd years. It’s a sad story. They were pillars in that church, working faithfully, doing the jobs no one else wanted to do,…
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Am I in conflict with myself? I am not referring to Romans 7 and wrestling with my sin, but rather to a potential role conflict. As both a serving elder with some pastoral responsibility and a practising consultant psychiatrist, do I experience a tension between these two roles? Do I find that my ‘psychiatrist…
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Jesus Christ offers himself as the Saviour for sinners. As Christians it is our privilege to proclaim this glorious message to mankind. But it is important that all pastors, evangelists, and Christian workers propose salvation on the terms which Christ himself intended. I have a particular point to make in this article relative to…
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Over a twelve-month period, we have invited Stephen Rees — an experienced pastor — to share his thoughts on various topics. Whilst his column may be edited for reasons of length or style, his views are his own and may not necessarily reflect positions held by the Evangelical Times. It’s exam time. Over the…
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