I remember it well. It was a Friday afternoon, I still had a few hours of work left to do. I was finishing up some tax returns for the wealthy client and then I had to dash out of the office to catch the 5:15pm train so I would make it to church in time to lead the 15 year old boys Bible study group.

The reason I remember this particular afternoon so well was because it was in that exact moment that it dawned on me for the first time which of the two things I was doing that day was going to last into eternity... and it wasn't the tax returns!

We are delighted this week to have the Sinclair family with us on home assignment from their ministry in Japan. Luke & Naomi are one of our overseas mission partners and it will be excellent to hear from them how they are going and how we can be praying for them.

I remember very clearly what my brother-in-law said when he was preparing to go to South Sudan to work in a missionary hospital. He said,

Reading God’s word is no doubt one of the best ways we can spend our time as followers of Jesus. 

But I’m also convinced that reading other books is an important part of the Christian life. Fiction or non-fiction, books can encourage us, nourish us and challenge us. They can help us to learn from the perspectives of others and deepen our understanding of God’s word. 
I have personally benefitted greatly over recent years from reading a range of theology books, especially those written by past saints such as Justin Martyr, Augustine, and C.S Lewis. 

I'm not sure how much longer Father's Day can continue to be a thing in our current culture. 

Sure, the marketing gurus will be loathed to give up another opportunity to hawk their wares in an attempt to get us to spend more money on things we probably don't need. And schools will miss the fundraising opportunity of coercing parents to buy their own child's art on a coffee mug, tea towel or other useless knickknack. 

As I've prepared the sermon for Sunday considering the image of the church as a flock my mind has constantly turned to Psalm 23, 'The Lord is my shepherd...'

Now what images does that conjure up for you?

I absolutely love the Olympic Games.

I love watching sports that I don’t usually get to watch. Ones like weight lifting, gymnastics, archery and the table tennis. I love watching the skill and the physical endurance of the athletes as they strive to win gold for their country.