Dan Wells

compassion

The joy of self-compassion

Self-compassion is not only good for our mental health, it is a supremely Christian practice.

glory

Unveiled Faces

Our encounter with Jesus is made visible on our faces

weakness

Being weak

Weakness is not something to hide but to be honest about.

update

A new look

The blog has a new look!

growth

Sprouting and spending

How are you doing on your new year’s resolutions? As we move toward the end of January we can really start to see how the commitment is going, and whether we have made sensible and realistic goals. There are plenty of good things to resolve to do at the

generosity

An open hand

> The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. (Psalm 145:13,14) As Christians, we give because God has first given to us. Generosity should be a hallmark

challenge

A sharp-edged gem

The teaching of Jesus is like a precious jewel. Jesus tells us that he speaks only what God the Father gives him to speak. Those words are full of grace, truth, power and blessing. His words speak to the heart of the human condition and give hope to the troubled

anxiety

A tottering fence

> How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence? (Psalm 62:3) Do you ever feel a bit broken down and about to fall? One of the things I love about the Bible in general, and the psalms in

christmas

Epiphany for all

Tomorrow (6th January) is the Christian celebration of Epiphany. Yet unlike its more popular cousin, Christmas, Epiphany is often not noticed and celebrated by many. Which is a shame, because Epiphany tells us who the gift of Christmas is for. If you are given a gift which is wrapped, it’

christmas

All I want for Christmas…

What is your favourite Christmas song? There are lots of possible contenders. You might pick a traditional carol like “O little town of Bethlehem” or “Silent Night”. Maybe you prefer one of the Christmas classics like “White Christmas” or “Winter Wonderland”. You could enjoy dancing around to “Step into Christmas”

christmas

Deck the halls

> Deck the halls with boughs of holly Fa la la la la, la la la la ’Tis the season to be jolly Fa la la la la, la la la la Have you decked your halls with boughs of holly yet? That might not be the way we choose

advent

Prepare the way

> But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20) A number of years ago now, my wife and I decided to take a walk around the Southbank in Central London. We travelled to Waterloo Station and started

advent

Lift your head

> There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. (Luke

blasphemy

The unforgivable sin

> Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin. (Mark 3:28, 29) This verse has caused a great deal of fear among Christians.

devil

Beating the strong man

What do you think about Jesus? That is a very important question. Yet it’s surprising how few people have thought that much about Jesus. Which is surprising because when we open the New Testament, we find that people who meet Jesus seem to have a very strong opinion about

completion

He sat down

> After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3) Who doesn’t like a good sit down? I think there might not be anything more British than a nice sit down. Especially when accompanied by a

glory

Mark and mirror

> The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:3) One of the aims of the book of Hebrews is to ensure we have a big and accurate view of Jesus. All through

glory

Service not promotion

Have you ever tried to get a promotion at work? There is lots of advice out there to help you, and perhaps you have tried some of these at some point: making yourself very visible, for instance. Ensuring that your boss sees you arrive early and leave late, contribute to

action

A healthy soul

> Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk

expectation

Wisdom not wildness

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I imagine we would have some interesting answers to that question! Many of us might be still waiting to feel grown up! We might have all sorts of ideas of what we wanted to be when we

bible

Inwardly digest

> “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16) Each Sunday, the Church of England has a set prayer, or collect, for that day. It’s rather lovely to think that, along with the many other things we pray

confidence

Pulling back the curtain

> So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. (Proverbs 22:19) Why study the book of Proverbs? We have started a sermon series looking at a part of Proverbs in our church, so this question has been on my mind. Proverbs is

faith

Visible faith

> When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) In Mark chapter two we find a familiar story with a curious twist. The story, which might be familiar to many, is that of four friends who bring their fifth

busy

Led to the lost

> Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) Jesus spends time with the lost. If you read the pages of any of the four gospels you find Jesus

choices

Chosen first

> God chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. (Ephesians 1:4) I don’t know what your experience of being chosen is like? Whenever I think about being chosen, my mind goes back to picking teams for football