Soul Food
Grow in Your Faith with Food for the Soul
-
Christianity & Architecture: Big Ben, the Bible & the Elizabeth Tower
Big Ben is the most recognised timepiece in the world. The Clock Tower known throughout the nations by its crowd-pleasing name Big Ben derides from the Great Bell. It resides at the north end of the Palace of Westminster and at its heart are some intriguing Christian themes. My journey to Big Ben begins at Portcullis House. Once through the security checks, I walk into the majestic light-filled atrium of Portcullis House, looking for a glimpse of the prime minister. I head down to the tunnel which connects the new building with the Victorian Houses of Parliament. Walking underneath Bridge Street, I turn left and enter a small doorway to…
-
Comparison Kills Your Joy
You will never do as well, as your imagination tells you others are doing. In our mind, we create an invented world of perfection for others. They have the best relationships, income and position of influence. We compare the full reality of our lives to the imagined perfection of another. It disappoints us. Your real life can never match to the dream world you believe others are living. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour’s – Exodus 20:17 Comparison is a mistake. Comparison kills joy. When…
-
The Crisis of the 2020s – What is God Saying? Ten Signs of the Economic and International Turmoil of 2021 +
“What does God have to do to get our attention?” This is what a prophet said to me recently. Why do the nations refuse to seek the Lord? What will happen to get us on our knees? The Lord wants to save millions of souls. How bad will things get first? The 1857 Prayer Revival began in New York after an economic crisis. People were forced to think of greater things than money. The Coronavirus Pandemic has focused our attention on what is important. Looking ahead into the 2020s, there are signs of hope for God’s work. The Lord is good and wants our salvation. However, people tend to seek…
-
Christianity and Art: The Royal Collection & the Faith of Queen Elizabeth II
Before the printing press and education made the Bible available to all, believers used their eyes and imagination to attempt to understand God. There was a danger of idolatry, which the Reformation sought to address, yet some paintings read like the pages of a book. On the 13 September 1940, a German bombing raid hit the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace, London. From the charred remains, the Duke of Edinburgh decided to convert the Chapel into an art gallery and display elements of the Royal Collection. I have been privileged to view the Queen’s masterpieces in several exhibitions in the Queen’s Gallery, and at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and at…
-
Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas: Discover the Gift Giver who Inspired the Legend of Santa Claus
Before he was called a Saint, Nicholas was an orphan who inherited great wealth from his family. Born in modern-day Turkey in AD c.280, he was raised as a Christian during times of persecution and believed he could use his wealth to help the needy. Cautious of the Lord Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 to give with a pure heart, he gained a reputation for secret giving. What precisely took place is unknown, but legend states he once heard of a poor man whose daughters could be sold into prostitution. To save them from destitution, he put money into a bag and threw it into their home at night and…
-
The Revelation TV Story: Hey Howie, Howard Conder & Gordon Pettie
The sixties changed everything. The Beatles burst into a world gasping for breath, from an age of post-war bleak austerity. It was all just a laugh to begin with. Partying replaced serious life choices. Promiscuity shunned commitment and responsibility. Consumerism hypnotised the soul. “God is,” they said, “a myth.” Into this world a young Howard Conder made his mark, playing the drums for big bands and taking home a packet of money. Soon he drove a Rolls Royce, hung out with his mate David Bowie and Eric Clapton greeted him by name. Howard played gigs with the revered celebrities of this ‘golden age’ of the sixties revolution and he passed…
-
Listen to Your Creator, not Your Critics: They’ve Dismissed You, God Hasn’t
Listen to your Creator, not your critics. In life you will discover an endless supply of doubters, critics and cynics. There will always be people waiting to talk you out of God’s will, pull you down and belittle you. How you respond to this criticism will determine your destiny. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way – Romans 14:13 Abraham could have died in Ur if he consulted others on God’s call. If Joseph ignored his God-given dreams because of his family, he could have died as an unknown shepherd instead of becoming…
-
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich – All shall be well
“All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well” – Julian of Norwich Everything you need is found in Christ and all your heart truly desires, is found in Christ. Out of the abundance of God’s goodness, His love will flow into your soul. “God loved us before He made us; and His love has never diminished and never shall.” These are the words of Julian of Norwich, a woman living in self-imposed house arrest – permanent social distancing – in a single cell attached to the Church of St Julian, in Norwich, England. In her estrangement from the world, she found…
-
Travel in a Covid-19 World: Coronavirus, a Worldwide Pandemic
You want to travel the world and explore, but the world has fundamentally changed. In this article, I will look at what happened with Coronavirus, how our lives have transformed and what can we do to protect ourselves when we travel. What happened? In December 2019, Coronavirus (Covid-19 / CV-19) broke out in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China and by January 2020 it infected thousands of people who infected still more. The Chinese authorities quarantined entire cities, nobody could leave, by road, rail or air and additional makeshift hospitals were constructed to help isolate victims and prevent further infection. At airports across the world, screenings for passengers who left China before cities were in…
-
Feelings, Faith and the Mind – How to Live Beyond the Emotional Roller Coaster
God invented feelings. He gave them to you to enhance your life; not to dominate it. Have you ever felt sky-high one moment and crashed down to earth the next? Listening to your feelings about your self-worth is a mistake. They are not the arbiter of truth. Your feelings cannot tell you who you are in Christ; only your will can do this. One of the seven manifestations of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control. You have the ability, in Christ, to tell your feelings to be quiet. “I feel depressed. I feel God is angry at me. I feel stupid for praying out loud at church. I…
