Ray Bell

This week Wayne resumes our Deuteronomy series. looking at the whole of Chapter 30 under the title ‘Choose Life (Choose Christ)’. He writes, “The Chapter begins with the promise that God will restore the fortunes of his people when, after having rejected him and suffered the curse of being driven out from the Promised Land,…

This Sunday, Simon Dent will be preaching from Mark 6:45-56 under the heading, ‘God In My Boat’. He writes, “There are two accounts in the gospel of Mark where Jesus stills the waves. After the first event, the disciples wondered about him asking, “Who is this, that even the wind and waves obey him?” In…

In Deuteronomy 10:12-22 this week, we find that as God’s beloved and chosen covenant people, Israel are to circumcise their hearts and no longer be stubborn. This is what the Lord requires of his people if they are to enjoy the fulness of his covenant blessings. Sadly though, even before they enter the land, the…

As we make our way through the next few chapters of Deuteronomy this week our readings will come from Deuteronomy 8:1-20 and 9:1-7. Here we find the Lord exhorting his people to remember him as they move forward and ‘go in and take possession of the land’ he has promised them. For the people to…

A father knows how to give good gifts to his children. This week, in Deuteronomy 5, we hear of the Lord giving the law to his people – and this is a good gift! The law given at Horeb, and repeated here on the banks of the Jordan, is not the condition for entry into…

This week we are looking at Deuteronomy 2 and 3 where we hear a little more of Israel’s time in the wilderness, yet, when all the men of war have died, the Lord tells them to be on the move once more towards the Promised Land. As they are directed by the Lord in every…

As we look at the second chapter of Jonah this week, we find the prophet was not only reluctant to call out God’s word against Nineveh, but in his guilt and anger is also reluctant to call out to the Lord himself. Not until Jonah reaches the depths of despair – quite literally – do…

We conclude our series, ‘The Things That Make For Peace’ this Sunday by looking at Philippians 3:17-4:9. From the nations across the globe to the families around us, where there is any sense of peace we feel it is good and right to maintain and guard that peace. Humanity will go to great lengths in…

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” There are numerous other exhortations and promises relating to the making and pursuing of peace also (eg. Romans 14:17-19; Hebrews 12:7-14 and James 3:13-18). How are we to go about such ‘peace-making’ in the world…

This week’s readings come from Psalm 120 and Mark 4:35-41 and I will be preaching on ‘Peace In Times Of Trouble’. So often in difficult situations or times of trouble we are encouraged to ‘look for the silver lining’ or else be assured of ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’. However, as children…