Guest writer
Top tips on leaving a legacy in your will
29 June 2023The decision to leave a gift (a legacy) in your will to a loved one or a charity close to your heart is a very important one. Legally, you are free to distribute your estate (everything you own) however you wish. This can include leaving legacies to certain people, organisations, or charities. 1. Why should I leave a legacy? If you wish to leave a legacy, it must be set out clearly in a will. This makes it legally binding and will ensure your wishes are followed. Unfortunately, all too often…
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Brendon Christian: My conversion story
1 March 2021Since the Brexit vote in 2016 I’ve been back and forth between London and Dublin for my work – I’m a commercial lawyer. I spent next to no time at the apartment I bought in Penarth, despite immediately falling in love with Wales when there with a client one day in spring. I was considering selling it, actually, so decided to stay there during lockdown in order to arrive at a decision, rather than at the houseshare in Dublin where I was at the time it was announced in March. As I opened the door…
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Advent lament: “O come, O come, Emmanuel”
25 November 2020Frustration is building as we slowly contemplate a Christmas, perhaps without loved ones and well-worn traditions. We hear the science and the logic and tell ourselves that needs must; however, we can’t hide forever the emotions this crisis is bringing out in us. Frustration can build to anger and fear can lead to desolation, but probably the most dangerous reaction is to ignore the emotion and simply burry it deep within us. That well-trodden path is the way to depression and deeper distress.…
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In God's strength we can
25 August 2020Though the gospel is as glorious as it ever was, the world has changed dramatically. Today our western culture is increasingly post-truth and post-Christian: not merely not Christian but set against Christianity. Our challenge in the west comes from living in a culture that reflects the distortions of post-modernity: the collapse of absolute truth; the shift from authority to personal preference; the ‘designer religion’ approach of picking and choosing what we believe, cafeteria style; the…
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Public Leader: England - Seeking the welfare of the city
18 October 2019In terms of initial learning, discovering there is more to Jeremiah 29 than the eleventh chapter’s much used, and misused, “For I know the plans I have for you”, was as refreshing as much as it was challenging, as it encouraged me to consider how we might play a part in achieving ‘the city’s’ peace and prosperity (verse 7). This new perspective set the tone for the entire weekend.Having spent time considering what we thought to be our ‘cities’, we learnt about the wider cultural landscape from…
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Call to pray for Muslims this Ramadan
3 May 2019Over the years, a growing number of churches around the UK have been welcoming new believers from Muslim backgrounds. A few years back, Dr David Garrison, who has spent much of his life studying the interrelationship of Christianity and Islam, attributed this shift to a combination of factors. He said “the ageless story of men and women encountering the living Lord in humble submission” remains, of course, the key driver, but “the unique confluence of Bible translations, the prayers of God’s…
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Top tips to thrive on your leadership journey
23 November 2018Leadership is not simply a task: it’s a journey. Based on his doctoral research, podcast and other interviews with a series of leaders, Dr Alan Wilson shares five important lessons for any Christian leader whether in church ministry or public leadership) with public leadership coordinator Abi Jarvis. 1. Surround yourself with good people In recounting their stories, many leaders look back to people who have helped inspire and encourage them. Biblical examples include Jethro and Moses, Moses and…
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Keith Getty OBE: "We want new hymns that build deep believers"
24 September 2018In a recent interview with the Evangelical Alliance, the founder of Getty Music in the US and New Irish Choir & Orchestra in the UK, reflects on his heart for music, considers whether this commendation marks a shift in attitudes towards hymns, and shares his hope for the UK church. Your passion for music was ignited more than 30 years ago and, evidently, it’s stuck and has only got stronger. Where has this zeal come from? I think it’s because I grew up in a home that was filled with…
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Stewardship's new CEO talks money, leadership and more
10 September 2018Ram Gidoomal CBE, Stewardship’s chair of trustees, says the panel had to choose from a competitive field of candidates, and they unanimously selected you. In your view, what made you stand out? I was humbled to be selected by the trustees to lead Stewardship. I obviously have no knowledge of the other candidates. I believe that the trustees recognised in me: a Christian spirit with the heart to take on this ministry, an experienced professional equipped to be a good steward, and a servant…
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Ealing Council’s decision to institute a censorship zone is a brazen attack on civil liberties
19 April 2018On Tuesday, 10 April, Ealing Council’s cabinet voted to introduce a ‘safe zone’ outside of the Marie Stopes abortion centre on Mattock Lane. Ealing Council said that it was an “absolutely necessary” move to combat rife “harassment and intimidation” occurring outside the centre. Council leader Julian Bell, noting that he was a practicing Christian, said that he was “very proud” that the council had taken action that led the way on the issue nationally. I’ll start by saying that I do not think…
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From suicidal despair to a life filled with love
1 March 2018I was almost committing suicide because I just hated life, it was just too much for me, and life meant nothing at all. Life was just crumbling and I did not want to live anymore. I thought I am studying so I can get a good job, then I can get a family, and then I can get kids, and then the cycle would continue for them and I just thought, this is just... I cannot do this, you know? After working so hard and then you die and then what? Just right before I crashed, really, a friend of mine came…
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