Rachel Platten had a dream to become a successful singer-song writer. For over a decade she tried to make this dream come true. She wrote a lot of songs. None of them were hits. She travelled across America and sang in small venues sometimes with an audience of just 20 people. She made many CDs of her music, but sold few. What was she doing with her life? She was 32. Most of her friends had solid jobs, houses and families while she was struggling to get by! She had written over hundred songs that no-one seemed to want to hear. Should she give up or keep on singing?

Do we as the church really understand what the Bible tells us about women? How do we teach our boys to view their mothers, sisters and other ladies in the church? What are we teaching our girls as they grow up in an age of raging feminism and increased sexualisation? Do you really know what the Bible teaches about half of the church?

In response to ‘An Epitaph in Kilraughts Old Graveyard’

This film deserves a whole lot of attention, and a lot more viewers. It will break your heart (and put it back together again). It’s powerful, moving, beautifully made, and will leave you thinking for days. If you haven’t yet seen it, go no further with this review: just go watch it

A few weeks ago I grabbed a bag of popcorn and a bottle of water and was ready to settle down to enjoy another film in the Avengers franchise! Yes, you’ve guessed - Captain Marvel! This film is similar to most Avengers films in that it’s aimed primarily for late teens to young adults. With plenty of action-packed scenes, witty jokes and a star-studded cast, what’s not to love!

Albania achieved fame for being the most closed country in Europe during the period between WWII and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was subject to an even more extreme form of Marxism than the rest of Eastern Europe. During that period, it was well known that it was the first country in the world to outlaw all forms of religious expression – except worship of the Party of course! Then, in a spectacular turn around, it became one of the most open countries for Christian outreach during the 1990’s

The biography by Ron Chernow is the inspiration behind the Tony award-winning musical, which has recently arrived to the West End. The story of Alexander Hamilton is indeed a remarkable one, a penniless orphan (well almost) immigrant who manages through his diligence and hard work to become the advisor to Washington penmen of the American constitution.

The jeweller displays the beauty of a diamond against the blackest cloth, the contrast highlighting the clarity and purity of the stone. One recent news story which carried the darkest details was the trial of former US gymnastic team doctor Larry Nassar who used his position of respect and responsibility to prey upon vulnerable young girls. Yet against this horrific backdrop God used one of his children to display the fierce beauty of the gospel.

Christianity is far from a hobby you can just add on to your life. Rather, it is something that reorders your life from top to bottom, with this person called Christ (his title) or Jesus (his given name) at the very centre. Something Jesus said only hours before his arrest points out just how important he is, “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). A Galilean peasant in his thirties is saying that he – in his person and his work – is the exclusive means of access to the God of the universe. It is a breathtaking claim that must be accepted or denied.

It was on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were sitting together that the place was filled with a sound like that of a mighty wind and ‘there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each one of them’ (Acts 2:1-3). The result was that ‘they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance’ (v.4).

Bruno Mars released this simple but very catchy song on his first studio album in 2010. In an interview, Bruno Mars talking about the song, said he was trying to capture the feeling “when you’re in Vegas, and you’ve had way too many drinks, and you love everybody, and you want to do something that you probably shouldn’t do and you’ll regret in the morning.” In the song that ‘something’ is to spontaneously marry someone.

In the aftermath of Covid, the theme of rebuilding is at the forefront of many people’s minds. Nations around the world are wondering how they can rebuild their economies after the events of the last two years. Business owners are trying to rebuild their businesses after lockdowns, and many people are wondering if friendships can be rebuilt after not seeing the other person for a year or more.

Would you describe yourself as a joyful person? Would other people describe you as a joyful person? If you know Christ as your Saviour, they should be able to. For the Bible plainly teaches us that being joyful isn’t optional for Christ’s people. Being joyful is imperative!

Ezra is the man who God will use for the third phase of the restoration: faithfulness to God’s Word. As we look at Ezra the man, at least three things are worth noting about him:

Time and again the Gospels tell us that Jesus saw the crowds and was filled with compassion (eg. Matthew 14:14). Crowds full of sinners, unlovable mistake makers, needy people. We are often surrounded by the same sorts of people (we are the same sorts of people) but we rarely feel that same sense of compassion for them.

Someone recently said to me that “now the US is gone things will return to as they were in the past.” That is a complicated statement as many do not realise what Afghanistan, and particularly Kabul, used to be like.

Guilt is not a pleasant feeling. It gnaws away at our consciences, our relationships with others, and can taint every experience in life. Yet, it can also be a gift from God.

Every name has a meaning. Whether or not the individual lives up to their name is a different or perhaps even irrelevant matter. Whilst arguably our names and titles hold little importance and provide no more than a small glimpse into our lives, there is a Name above all others (Philippians 2:9). His name holds the greatest of importance, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In these changing days, our history is suppressed

But remember us, remember our name.

We are the covenanters

And we stand with Christ.

As most of you will know with this pandemic going on the cinemas have not been that easy to get to. So, I have taken this version of the messengers review to an Amazon prime movie. I realise not everybody has Amazon prime, but you can't get this movie through other means either by buying as a DVD or renting it or whatever floats your boat. The movie I have chosen Is ‘Knives Out’.