Dan Wells

growth

Time to grow

> “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2–4) When do we grow the

care

Get messy

I am convinced that the Bible calls us to get messy. Some who are naturally less than tidy might be quite excited at this point, but I’m not talking about the state of your living room. I’m actually quite a tidy person, and love to get my desk

fellowship

An active faith

When I was at school, I had to play rugby. I wasn’t particular interested in sports when I was at school, nor was I very good at it (I suspect those two things are linked in some way). I actually enjoy watching the game of rugby, but I really

forgiveness

Starting afresh

Idina Menzel is a talented and accomplished Broadway actress, who is best known for her role as Elsa in the Disney film Frozen. A few years ago she was invited to sing the signature song from that film, ’Let it go’ at the New Year celebrations in Times Square, New

church

Pursuing relationships

I want to introduce you to Simon. Simon is from Turkey and is a Christian. He became a Christian at the age of 13 having read Matthew’s gospel. Ever since Simon has been passionate about Christianity. In many ways he is a fairly typical Christian … except for 37 years

freedom

Harassed and helpless

> When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) I got stuck in a lift this week. In the range of experiences of being stuck in a lift, it certainly wasn’t the worst

contentment

The secret of contentment

> “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through

struggles

Unseen footprints

> “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.” (Psalm 77:19) What gives us strength when times are tough? That’s an important question for us to grapple with, because we live in a world where circumstances are often

leadership

Leading by honouring

> “Honour one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10) There is a popular view of leadership that puts the leader in the spotlight. Leaders are the ones with talent, skill and energy; their gifts are to be exercised to release their potential and allow them to make the most of

sin

I believe I can’t fly

> “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” (1 John 3:6) “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) The miracles of modern technology and convenience

ascension

Don’t look up, look out!

I don’t suffer from a particular fear of heights, but I do get wobbly when I’m up very high without much protection. I’m guessing that most people feel the same way, unless you are a particular daredevil! Sometimes we can avoid being up high, but for various

hospitality

Practise hospitality

> “Practise hospitality.” Romans 12:13 Christians are called to practise hospitality. Those two words from Romans chapter 12 are a summary of teaching that runs throughout the Bible. Yet, I wonder how often we think about what exactly that hospitality looks like. Hospitality has perhaps lost something of its

rest

The gift of sleep

Sleep is vitally important and essential for our health. We all know you can cheat sleep for a while if you want to. But stack up too many nights with little or no sleep and it will start to have serious consequences. Your immune system will be compromised, and you

attention

Seek out silence

This is the last in a series of posts on the subject of information overload. You can read the previous posts here [http://www.keepingtheheart.com/2019/06/12/information-overload/], here [http://www.keepingtheheart.com/2019/06/19/the-spiritual-issue-of-information-overload/] and here [https://www.keepingtheheart.com/2019/06/26/be-a-curator/]. We

choices

Be a curator

This is the third of a series of posts about information overload. You can read the previous post here [http://www.keepingtheheart.com/2019/06/12/information-overload/] and here [http://www.keepingtheheart.com/2019/06/19/the-spiritual-issue-of-information-overload/] . Over the past couple of posts we have been thinking about the subject

attention

The spiritual issue of information overload

This is the second of a series of posts about information overload. You can read the previous post here [http://www.keepingtheheart.com/2019/06/12/information-overload/]. We live in a world of too many choices and too much information. As we have seen already [https://www.keepingtheheart.com/2019/

attention

Information overload

We live in world that suffers from too much choice and too much information. I imagine most of us would easily agree with that, and it’s not too difficult to prove. Just take a walk in your local supermarket and see the number of messages and choices you are

prayer

The prayer we all pray

Everybody worries. I don’t think I have ever come across a person who doesn’t worry at some point about some thing in their life. Worry seems to be a universal human experience. I worry all the time – about things that are important, and things that are not; about

friendship

Godly friendship, part two

In the previous post [http://www.keepingtheheart.com/2019/05/22/godly-friendship-part-one/], we looked at the importance of friendship, and why friendship matters to God. So with that in mind, what does good, godly friendship look like? How can we cultivate those kinds of friendships in our lives? It ought

friendship

Godly friendship, part one

How many friends do you have? That can be a tricky question to answer. Many of us will turn to social media as a measure of our friendship circle: I have this many friends on Facebook or so many followers on Twitter. While there can be tremendous value in those

pain

From pain to praise

The Bible is full of calls to praise God. It is a constant theme through God’s word that we ought to say, sing and shout praise to our awesome Creator. The book of Psalms in particular is a constant reminder to give God glory and praise. Almost every psalm

peace

Seek peace and pursue it

> “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” Psalm 34:14 In the midst of Psalm 34 come these challenging words: “seek peace and pursue it.” As King David writes this psalm, he reflects on God’s salvation towards him. Rejoicing in God’s goodness, David

church

The numbers game

This past Sunday was a significant point in our church’s life: our annual church meeting. It’s a powerful time for us to celebrate what God has been doing over the past year and look forward prayerfully to what God is doing in the future. Along with all these

repentance

Turning Godward

‘Repentance’ is a word that you come to know quickly in Christian circles. It’s not a phrase that is used all that much in daily life outside of the church. You might talk about someone as being ‘repentant’ if they are particularly sorry about something or other, but repentance

easter

Being washed

The night before Jesus was crucified, he taught his disciples an important lesson. He gathered with his closest friends to celebrate the Passover meal. But before the meal began, he took off his outer garments, wrapped a towel around his waist and washed their feet. It was an act that