iChaplain

image by Javier Esteban .  I've been thinking recently on what it means to be outward-looking as a  Christian. If I'm honest, I find it all too easy to become focused on myself. Sometimes that comes through busyness, worries, and responsibilities. Other times it can even come disguised as spirituality, where my attention becomes centred on my own growth, my own prayer life, and my own walk with God. Yet when I read the Gospels, I see something different in Jesus. Wherever He went, people mattered. He saw the people everyone else seemed to miss. He drew near to those others kept their distance from. He made time for people who were often treated as interruptions rather than individuals made in God's image. At the same time, Jesus was never driven by the demands of the crowd. Again and again we see Him withdrawing to pray. Before important decisions, after demanding seasons of ministry, and in moments of great pressure, He stepped away to be alone with God. As the Son, He liv...

Few words in Scripture are as simple and yet as profound as the words Jesus spoke to Matthew: "Follow me." (Matthew 9:9) Matthew was sitting at a tax booth when Jesus called him. To many people, he was an unlikely candidate for discipleship. Tax collectors were often regarded as traitors, collaborators with Rome, and people whose pursuit of wealth had come at the expense of their integrity. If there was a list of people most likely to be excluded from God's purposes, Matthew would have been near the top. Yet Jesus stopped, looked at him, and said, "Follow me." There is something remarkable about this moment. Jesus did not begin with a lecture about morality or a demand that Matthew first prove himself worthy. He did not tell him to change and then come. He simply invited him into relationship. This reveals something essential about the heart of God. Jesus sees people not merely as they are, but as they can become through His grace. The invitation was not si...

Few Bible stories are as familiar as the account of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. It is often presented as a contrast between activity and contemplation, with Martha representing the busy Christian and Mary representing the devoted disciple who sits at Jesus' feet. The lesson is usually framed as a warning against busyness and a reminder to slow down and spend time with Jesus. While there is certainly truth in that application, I wonder whether we sometimes miss the deeper issue altogether. When Jesus arrived at Martha's home, she immediately began serving Him. She prepared, hosted and attended to the needs of her guest. Given the importance of hospitality in Jewish culture, it is difficult to see her actions as anything other than an attempt to honour Jesus. The text never suggests that serving Him was wrong. In fact, it was good. The turning point in the story comes when Martha notices that Mary is not helping. While Martha is busy serving, Mary is sitting and listening to J...

Last weekend, as I watched news coverage of demonstrations connected to immigration and asylum seekers arriving on Britain's shores, I found myself increasingly troubled. Alongside the images of protest were reports of abuse directed towards RNLI crews for rescuing people crossing the Channel. What has stayed with me is not the politics of immigration itself, but the challenge it poses to Christians seeking to respond faithfully in an increasingly divided society. As a Christian, I found myself asking some uncomfortable questions. What should happen when a human being is in danger? How should we respond to those who arrive on our shores? How do we hold together compassion, truth and justice when public debate is often driven by fear, anger and misinformation? Christians can, and do, differ on immigration policy. Sensible, compassionate people can disagree about border security, asylum systems, integration, public services and the responsibilities of government. These a...

Have you ever wondered if God is trying to tell you something? Many people imagine that God’s voice belonged mainly to biblical times through prophets, burning bushes, dramatic moments. But Scripture paints a different picture: God has always been a communicating God, and He has never stopped. The challenge is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are listening. From the very beginning, God revealed Himself through communication. In Genesis, God spoke creation into existence. Throughout the Old Testament, He spoke to Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets. In the New Testament, He continued to communicate through angels, visions, dreams, and ultimately through Jesus Himself. Mary heard God’s invitation through the angel Gabriel. Paul encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Most importantly, God communicated His heart to humanity through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1–2 reminds us: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ...

Photo by Alena Plotnikova on Unsplash . Recently I've been reading through the book of James. I mention that only because sometimes Scripture has a way of catching us by surprise. A passage we've read many times can suddenly challenge us in a way it never has before. James 2 has done exactly that for me. Few passages in Scripture address such a deeply human problem as clearly as this chapter does. The issue is favouritism. We may like to think we've moved beyond judging people by wealth, status, or appearance, but James exposes how easily we can value some people more highly than others. His words are uncomfortable because they reveal something about the human heart that hasn't changed very much at all. James begins with a simple but challenging command:  " My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism." (James 2:1) James, the brother of Jesus and a leader in the Jerusalem church, wrote to Jewish Christians who...

I was watching a discussion on BBC Breakfast about Wetherspoon's recent decision to discourage customers from using speakerphones and playing music or videos aloud from their devices in pubs. The policy was introduced after complaints from customers who wanted to enjoy a quieter environment. What interested me most was not the policy itself, but the wider discussion around it. One contributor suggested that we are living in a culture where many people struggle to take responsibility for their actions. If someone is asked to turn off their speakerphone or lower the volume on their device, there is a risk that the situation could escalate unnecessarily. Rather than considering the impact of their behaviour on others, some people respond defensively or aggressively. This raises an important question: why do we find it so difficult to listen when someone suggests our behaviour may be affecting others? Perhaps part of the problem is that we struggle to admit when we are wrong. Humility ...

image by Stomseeker Everyone has mental health. Just as a broken arm or toothache is taken seriously, mental ill health deserves the same care and compassion. It isn’t weakness; it’s part of being human. Many people carry quiet struggles they don’t feel able to name. Mental ill health can be heavy, confusing, and isolating, and much of it is unseen. As Revd John Beauchamp says, “Much mental illness is hidden, endured in secret, and often misunderstood.” When we talk about mental ill health we think of crisis, breaking point, or moments when everything feels overwhelming. But a lot of people live in the quiet middle: managing but not thriving, getting through the day while feeling more drained than before. These experiences are real and deserve gentleness and attention. Grace meets us in the ordinary days, especially in the moments when life feels heavier than it should. When you’re tired in a way sleep doesn’t fix, when you’re carrying things quietly because you don’t want to add to an...

Over the past few weeks, I've had a number of conversations around Christianity, what it means to follow Jesus, and why Christians don't always seem to look much like Him. Those conversations got me thinking, so I thought I'd put a few thoughts into writing. If Christianity is about following Jesus, then shouldn't Christians look more like Jesus?  It's a fair question. In fact, it's a question I sometimes ask myself. Jesus was known for His compassion, humility, grace, mercy, truth, and self-giving love. Yet many people looking at Christianity today wonder why it sometimes appears that some Christians are moving in the opposite direction. Sometimes Christians seem more known for arguments than kindness, more defensive than humble, and more eager to point out other people's faults than their own. The uncomfortable truth is that there is often a gap between the teachings of Jesus and the way His followers live them out. Many people carry wounds from experience...

While watching the recent eclipse, I found myself thinking about how awesome God is. Well, "watching" might not be the right word. Everyone else seemed to have the proper eclipse glasses that they'd queued all day for.  Meanwhile, my plans were less sophisticated. My pinhole projector skills turned out to be completely non-existent, so I spent most of the eclipse running between the garden and the living room.  Obviously, I wasn't looking directly at the sun. I was trying to catch glimpses of what was happening outside and then dashing back inside to watch the coverage on TV. By this point, I felt less like an amateur astronomer and more like a contestant on some bizarre fitness challenge. My step count was excellent, even if my eclipse-viewing technique wasn't. This continued for a while until someone pointed out that I could simply stream it on my phone. That certainly made life easier. But even in the middle of all that running around, I was struck by what I wa...

Have you ever felt like you didn't have what it takes to do something God was calling you to do? Perhaps you've looked at your lack of experience, your past mistakes, or your own limitations and wondered whether God could really use someone like you. Maybe you've compared yourself to others and felt they seemed far more gifted, prepared, or capable. If so, you're not alone. Many faithful believers have wrestled with those same feelings. In fact, some of the people God used most powerfully in Scripture were people who, by human standards, seemed the least likely candidates. Alton Garrison, a Christian minister and Assemblies of God leader, once said, "If God qualifies you, no one can disqualify you." Those words capture a deeply encouraging biblical truth. Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly chooses ordinary people and uses them for extraordinary purposes. He does not call people because they possess all the right qualifications, skills, or experience. Rather,...