iChaplain

Photo by Jon Tyson. Recently, I heard a discussion about British values and Christian values. The assumption seemed to be that they were largely the same. It made me pause and ask:  what are Christian values, exactly? Most people would mention kindness, fairness, compassion, respect, or tolerance. These are admirable qualities, and Christianity has undoubtedly helped shape them. But they are not uniquely Christian. More importantly, Christianity is not primarily a set of values. It is a response to the living God revealed in Jesus Christ. So when we think about Christian values and describe Britain as a "Christian nation", what do we mean? Do we mean a nation influenced by Christianity, or a nation made up of people who follow Jesus? Those are not the same thing. Jesus did not invite people to adopt a culture or defend a tradition. He invited them to follow Him: "Come, follow me." (Matthew 4:19) Perhaps this is where the distinction between Christianity and Christen...

Photo by Dana Luig. When many Christians hear the phrase Fruit of the Spirit , they immediately think of qualities they need to work harder to achieve: more patience, more kindness, more self-control. The fruit can easily become a spiritual performance review where people measure themselves against an ideal standard and feel discouraged by how far they fall short. Many of us have done exactly that. Looking back over the week, we remember moments when peace was replaced by anxiety, kindness by frustration, or self-control by poor decisions. Before long, the fruit becomes a list of personal failures rather than a reminder of God's work within us. But what if the purpose of the fruit has been misunderstood? The Fruit of the Spirit is not primarily a measurement of performance. It is evidence of transformation. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul writes: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Notic...

Photo by Marek Studzinski. I was wandering roads of my own, Never meant for me to tread, Chasing every fleeting promise, By a thousand voices led. But Your grace came running to find me, Your love refused to let go. Now I'm standing in Your freedom, Following the path You chose. Jesus, extravagant Saviour, Forever I proclaim Your name. Jesus, extravagant love, Forever I'll praise Your name. Jesus, extravagant love, You turned my wandering into life, And led me all the way back home. Jesus, extravagant love.

Recently, I was listening to Healing Begins by Tenth Avenue North for the first time in years. It's funny how a song you haven't heard in a long time can suddenly speak into exactly what God has been teaching you. As I listened, I was reminded of a phrase I've heard many times over the years and again in a sermon recently: There is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less. He loves us. The older I get, the more I realise how difficult that truth can be to fully believe. Like many people, I've spent much of my life measuring things by performance. Work harder, achieve more, do better. It's easy to carry that same mindset into our relationship with God without even realising it. We can begin to think that God loves us a little more when we're reading our Bible consistently, praying regularly, serving faithfully and generally getting things right. Then there are the other days.  The days when we struggle. ...

Photo by  Nicolas Messifet on Unsplashed . "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20) There are some Bible verses that are easy to quote but much harder to live. Genesis 50:20 is one of them. When life is going well, it's a comforting verse. When life falls apart, it can feel almost impossible to believe. Perhaps you've experienced betrayal from someone you trusted. Maybe you've received news you never expected. Perhaps a relationship has broken down, a dream has come to nothing, or you're carrying wounds caused by someone else's choices. In those moments, it's difficult to see anything good. More often than not, all we can see is the pain. That's why it's important to remember where Joseph is when he speaks these words. He's not standing at the beginning of his suffering. He's looking back over years of heartbreak. His brothers sold him into s...

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 ...