What Not to Expect from New Years Resolutions

As we begin 2023, many of us will be thinking about our New Years Resolutions, below we have featured a blog by Brianna Lambert, first published on thegospelcoalition.org, which seeks to remind us of the pitfalls that we can fall into when setting them, and how we can focus on God and on biblical truth as we set our goals for this year. Enjoy!

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With New Year’s resolutions in full force, you may have noticed an uptick of before-and-after pictures flooding your newsfeeds. These dramatic transformations encompass everything from weight loss to home makeovers, the pictures broadcasting all we can attain: smaller bodies; higher energy; bigger muscles; more beauty, organization, or peace.

While nothing is wrong with celebrating progress, these juxtaposed images can influence us in subtle ways. A steady diet of before-and-after pictures can slowly skew our expectations and perspective on reality. They whisper lies that can trickle down even into our spiritual lives.

Here are four lies to watch out for as we scroll.

Lie #1: We should expect and prize dramatic results.

Before-and-after images thrive on shock and awe, whether it’s body changes or a refurbished desk. Yet dramatic change doesn’t represent the majority of day-to-day life. Most of the change in our lives comes slowly, and this is especially true for our spiritual lives. God routinely compares our growth in him to the practice of farming—a slow and patient toil. He beckons us to wait on him and not grow weary while waiting for the harvest (Gal. 6:9; Ps. 27:14). This hardly sounds like a life of dramatic reveals.

Yet it’s easy to assume our battles with sin should be won quickly. We hope the Bible verse we read on Monday will cure our anger by Wednesday, but the Spirit works differently. He slowly changes us from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18). Prioritizing shocking changes steals our opportunities to see the active grace of the Lord in our lives and may cause us to minimize the importance of small steps of growth.

Lie #2: We are the main force of change.

Images are influential. We glance at the before-and-after pictures and the lesson is clear: my effort will bring me from picture A to picture B. But this bootstrap mentality falls short when we carry it into our Christian lives. While the culture around us prizes personal action, God reminds us he is the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2). We excel in good works because “God is able to make all grace abound” to his children (2 Cor. 9:8). We’re only able to work out our salvation because the Lord is working in our hearts to will and to work (Phil. 2:12–13).

We may rightly create goals, reading plans, and mission statements for the year, but we must remember that when December comes, every single bit of growth was accomplished through the power of the Spirit who enables us.

Lie #3: Easy formulas provide results.

As each makeover passes our eyes, we’re tempted to believe the same process will work for us. We print out the cleaning routine, add organizational products to our shopping cart, and wait for the promised idyllic home. Yet the images don’t tell the whole story. Did the redecorated room alone truly bring organization, or was it accompanied by decluttering and an overhaul in habits and mindset?

Unfortunately, we often sidestep the details in favor of tidy formulas in our Christian lives. But God isn’t a guru offering three-step guides to health and happiness. The wisdom literature of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes routinely demonstrates that life doesn’t always work out in tidy ways. Sickness may continue even as we seek after the Lord; children we’ve brought up in the faith may turn away. The righteous often face hardship, while the wicked seem to flourish (Eccl. 7:15).

The unpredictability of life forces us to ditch the formulas and cling closer to our Lord. It pushes us to stop viewing our Bibles as a handbook and instead as the means to know our covenant-keeping Father, who loves and shepherds his people through each mountaintop and valley. Jesus is so much better than any formula. He knows the truths and help we need today might be different than the saint sitting next to us in the pew. God doesn’t deal in rigid formulas—he actively guides us by his Spirit each and every day.

Lie #4: Our ‘after’ will look better.

Perhaps the greatest lie before-and-after pictures preach is that our “after” should always look better. Tighter muscles, fewer wrinkles, and growing beauty represent progress in our culture. Yet Christians follow a Savior who walked toward suffering rather than beautification. Christ emptied himself to the point of death (Phil. 2:7–10).

We follow in the same manner. As we pour out our lives serving our children, friends, church, and community, our bodies will be broken. Our frames will grow weaker from the weight of burdens shared with other saints. The wrinkles on our faces will tell the story of toil, tears, and even joy in a lifetime of following Christ. Though God inwardly renews us as we grow in him, our outer body will continue to waste away as it makes its journey back to dust (2 Cor. 4:16). Caring for our bodies is good, but we must remember that ultimately our “after” picture is one that displays a life poured out for another (2 Tim. 4:6).

As we swipe through our news feeds this year and absorb each shocking reveal, may we do so discerningly. The Christian’s before-and-after picture may not go viral on social media, but it’s the picture that most closely resembles our Savior.

Brianna Lambert lives in Indiana with her husband and three kids where they attend Crosspointe Community Church. She is a staff writer at Gospel-Centered Discipleship and has contributed to various online publications such as Christianity Today and Risen Motherhood. You can read more of her writing at lookingtotheharvest.com or follow her at Instagram or Facebook.

Eternal Life Starts Now

We only need to look out of our windows to see that this world is a wonderful place. As I am writing this, I can hear the sounds of laughter as children make snowmen on a Sunday afternoon in January and I am reminded that God has placed us in a world, in which beauty and joy abound. However, at other times we become painfully aware of how turbulent life on this side of heaven can be. This past year has undoubtedly acted as a reminder for many of us that financial difficulties, loss, loneliness, and many other kinds of hardships, can come quickly and without warning. In such situations we can find comfort in Bible passages, such as in Revelation. 

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:3-4

The vivid and hopeful picture of heaven Revelation paints can make it easy to look forward to the time when we will be taken home by our loving Father. He will be our God and dwell with us. He will wipe every tear away. There will be only rejoicing. The difficulties of life on earth, and resulting feelings of insecurity and hopelessness, can tempt us to look forward to heaven, at the expense of knowing our eternal life has already begun. The truth is that we are not insecure and hopeless, even now. 

The death of loved ones, financial hardships, persecution, and emotional weakness are nothing new to humankind. Jesus’ disciples themselves experienced such times of trouble. The same John who went on to write the Gospel of John, as well as other books in the New Testament, witnessed his brother, James, be martyred for Christ (Acts 12:2). Paul describes how he was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked and more (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). And even Jesus wept over the death of His friend (John 11:35), showing that even our Lord and Saviour is a compassionate God, well acquainted with sorrow and grief. 

A Godly Response

In all of these stories, we see a response of rejoicing and hoping in the most dire situations. This joy and hope is a result of nothing less than the faith and trust in a relationship with Jesus Christ, our God, which does not start when we get to the wonderful heaven that is described in Revelation, but which begins right now when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. This relationship should transform our response to difficult situations life can bring our way.  It has been my mistake in the past to say in difficult times, “If only I were in heaven, where I can live eternally and happily with Jesus”. Of course, heaven will take away weeping from life, but when we begin our eternal life with Jesus, it should change our entire outlook on life right then and now. 

The Bible tells us we can praise God always, finding hope, joy, and strength in Him in the darkest of times. In the Old Testament, Nehemiah beautifully states that the joy of the Lord is the strength of God’s people. This should set a pattern for us, to respond by finding strength and joy in God when we are tempted to despair. 

We can praise God in difficult times, because the Bible is clear to tell us that such situations and experiences will grow and mature us. Suffering allows us to learn endurance, develop our character, and grow in hope, as we see God working and helping us through (Romans 3:3-5). James gives an encouraging description of the outcomes of suffering for believers if we stand firm in God’s grace and truth. 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4

The trials we face in life may hurt us deeply, but they are also producing in us characteristics of a mature Christian. And while Paul assures us that the troubles we face on earth are nothing in comparison to the eternal glory awaiting us in heaven (2 Corinthians 4:27), we can already rejoice in hope now and cling to God in times of trouble, knowing that He is working all things for good (Romans 8:28). We must only trust and obey God, echoing Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 26, that His will be done. But how do we do this when everything around us seems overwhelmingly negative? 

Look to the Son

John states that God has given us eternal life, that this life in His Son, and that we get eternal life when we believe in the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:11-13). It is the relationship with Jesus that should lead us in hope, strength, love, and faith as we go through life, with its ups and downs. We are not alone even now; God has already dwelled with us in human form and, after giving us Jesus, has already given us His Holy Spirit, pouring His love out over us to be with us forever. Whereas in the Old Testament, God dwelled with His people in the tabernacle, He now dwells with us in our bodies. And this is not something that can be taken away from us. Where humans may have left and hurt us, God will never leave nor forsake us. We have complete security in His love and this relationship with Him. The Gospel of John records what Jesus Himself said regarding this. 

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
John 10:28-30

Jobs may have been snatched from us throughout the past year. People may have passed away, or we may have simply not been able to see them when we would have liked to. But really this only shows what has always been true: that the things of this world are fleeting, and that the only thing which truly satisfies and lasts is our relationship with Jesus. 

The Bible is abundantly clear that there is hope for all of us at the end of our walks with Jesus, if we endure and choose to follow Him all the days of our lives. Peter reminds us that while life may be hard in the meantime, Jesus will establish us and restore all things when He comes again (1 Peter 5:10). More than that, James tells us that if we love God and remain steadfast in faith during trials and tests, we will receive the crown of life (James 1:12). There is so much to look forward to!

But we are not there yet and my hope is to encourage you to look to Jesus today and the beauty of a relationship with Him even now, which will transform your outlook on these trials and tests in this world. Psalm 34:18 says that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. He is here for you and close to you, readily available for an intimate and life-giving relationship beginning today. When we humble ourselves before Him and cast our anxieties on Him, He is ready to lift us up and care for us (1 Peter 5:6-7). When we feel weary and burdened, He is ready to give us rest, with his beautifully gentle and humble heart (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus may have placed you in this world, but He did not leave you alone or hopeless. He is the Light of the World and Prince of Peace. All you need to do is commit your sorrows into His hands, and allow Him to be at work in you. 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27

Esther-Maria is one of our Redeemer students, a core member of our kids ministry, and is passionate about the word of God. In 2021, she’ll be sharing her thoughts on how scripture should change the way we live our lives! Check back here every month for more.

Poet's Corner - A new blog for 2021

Hi there, and welcome to our second brand new blog series here at Redeemer for 2021! Once a month, our resident poet Steve Page, will be sharing with us some of his favourite poetry. We’ll be hearing from a range of voices, from famous poets to some of our very own Redeemer family members. We hope this blog builds you up, and helps you to grow in your relationship with God, maybe it will even stir you to write some poetry of your own!

Without further ado, here’s the first Redeemer Poet’s Corner of 2021…

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Hope

This is my favourite poem on the theme of hope. It calls us to not give up.

(And we know a hope that keeps singing.)

”Hope” is the thing with feathers
Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I've heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

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Jesus was poetic too, using vivid imagery to communicate timeless truths - painting pictures that stick in the mind.

Here's what he had to say on the topic of hope and worry.

Matthew 6:26-34
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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You might say that Hope is a person called Jesus.

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Poet’s Corner is arranged each month by our resident poet, Steve Page. In addition to being a poet, Steve is a deacon at Redeemer, a true friend, a trusted advisor, and a giver of great hugs. You can find more of his poetry at hellopoetry.com and follow him on Instagram.

Sounds of the Season - Joy to the World

Sounds of the Season

Welcome! It’s December the 22nd, and we’re continuing with our very first Redeemer Digital Advent Calendar! This year, in the lead up to Christmas, we’ll be producing daily content which we hope blesses you, encourages you, and reminds you of the hope that we can celebrate this Christmas!

We’re continuing today with the last of our 4 Advent blogs which have been released every Tuesday until Christmas to make up a series called ‘Sounds of the Season’. Each week we’ve been taking the opportunity to appreciate the deeper meaning behind Christmas music, with a focus on a specific Christmas carol that helps to shed light on the true meaning of this Christmas season.

Today, we look at my personal favourite carol - Joy tothe World! You can hear a version below.

Creation is groaning.

In Romans 8:19-22, creation is described as ‘waiting with eager longing for the revealing of the songs of God’ and that it has been ‘groaning with the pains of childbirth until now’. This year has been a year of difficulty for all of us, but it is not us alone that groans, but creation itself has been groaning, ever since the fall.

It’s not difficult to see the effects that the actions of humans have had on creation, and to recognise the reason that it groans, however as we sing Joy to the World this Christmas, there is an opportunity to remind ourselves that there is hope! Both for creation, and for us!

Heaven and Nature Sing!

Though we recognise that the world in which we live is broken, in many ways beyond repair, we also know as Christians that God promises this won’t always be the case! We sing about it in Joy to the World…

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, 
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found. 

This verse is inspired by Revelation 22:1-5, where we read of the glorious future promised to those who follow Jesus! A place where there is no curse, no darkness, no pain!

In his book The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis gives us a glimpse of what it might feel like to arrive there.

It was the unicorn who summed up what everyone was feeling. He stamped his right forehoof on the ground and neighed, and then cried: ‘I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up! Come further in! 
(C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle [New York: HarperTrophy,1984], 213.)

This is the feeling that we sing about when we sing this carol at Christmas!

Joy to the World

I think that’s the reason that this is my favourite carol, because its title describes the effect of Jesus’ birth. He came to bring Joy to the World! The reason that we can look forward to an eternal future where heaven and nature will sing, is not because we’ve found the solution ourselves, but instead because Jesus came! He came to live and die for us, to pay the price for our failings, and bring an end to the groaning of creation forever!

We are in a season of great pain, turmoil and difficulty this Christmas, but it is into the midst of all of those temporary feelings that Jesus comes, and he comes to bring unshakeable, everlasting joy. Joy to the World!

Merry Christmas!

Redeemer Advent Calendar Blog - Sounds of the Season!

Welcome! It’s December the 1st, and the start of our very first Redeemer Digital Advent Calendar! For the next 24 days in the lead up to Christmas, we’ll be producing daily content which we hope blesses you, encourages you, and reminds you of the hope that we can celebrate this Christmas!

We’re starting off the month with the first of 4 Advent blogs which will be released every Tuesday until Christmas and will make up a series called ‘Sounds of the Season’. Each week we will be taking the opportunity to appreciate the deeper meaning behind Christmas music, with a focus on a specific Christmas carol that helps to shed light on the true meaning of this Christmas season.

Today, we begin with an old favourite - Hark the Herald Angels Sing! You can hear a version below.

Pleased as man with man to dwell…

When we sing this carol together every Christmas as we get to verse 3 there is a specific line that sticks out to me - “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man, with man to dwell…” This is one of the most incredible truths of the Christmas story, that God himself came to dwell with us. How do we know this? It’s written into his very name - Immanuel, that means God with us! We read in Matthew 1:22-23, a recalling of the prophecy brought by Isaiah and which we can read in Isaiah 7 & 8. In the book of Isaiah, the arrival of Immanuel signals temporary salvation for the people of Judah, but we know that the arrival of Jesus means salvation is available to all people! God became man, that we might be eternally saved from sin and death.

What does that mean?

The question for us today is how do we live out this salvation here on earth, how does our eternal hope influence our life right now?!

One thing we do is we honour and care for our own bodies! Christmas is often a time of indulgence, and though I’m not saying we should ditch our Christmas dinner, it is important to remember that we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and that we bear the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), it’s important that we look after ourselves physically.

It’s equally important that we choose to honour and care for others. We are called as his disciples to follow the example of Jesus, to be his presence here on earth. Let’s seek this Christmas to be a voice for the voiceless, to care for the vulnerable, victims of abuse, and to meet the needs of those who would otherwise go without. As we celebrate our own rescue from brokenness, we are called to care for others who are broken (James 1:27).

Another thing we are called to do as followers of Christ, is to speak truth in situations where it needs to be heard. There is a tendency in our culture today to think of the spiritual as separate from every day life, but as we sing of Jesus’ coming as a baby, to dwell with us, we are reminded that God wants our relationship with him to impact every aspect of our lives.

We were made for close connection

In 2013, a World Health Organisation study concluded that skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her baby led to increased connection between the two, better feeding, and more robust physiological development.

This is a scientific way of making the point that we were designed to have close connection with the one who made us. We believe as Christians that this means more than just close relationship with our earthly parents, but that we are made for intimacy with our heavenly Father. We are brought near to him in and through Christ! (John 17:22-23)

The TV show Undercover Boss features a CEO disguising themselves as a regular member of staff, and interacting with people at their company they would never normally meet. It is always interesting to see the realisation that though they are leading these people, they don’t truly know them at all. This is not how God loves us, he did not send Jesus simply to observe us, he came to serve, to dwell with us, and to restore us to relationship with our heavenly father.

This Christmas as we sing this carol let’s remember again the wonder that God came to dwell with us.

Wednesday Prayer - A New Blog Series

Over the past several months, we often met as a church community on a Wednesday to pray together. As meetups have started, and many of us are now meeting regularly to study Ephesians together, we are no longer meeting together as a church to pray. This doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop praying! So over here on the blog we’re starting a new series on Wednesdays, giving you a few ideas of what you could be praying for today and for the rest of this week.

Today we’re praying for…..

Our neighbours!

The first few weeks and months after lockdown began back in March gave many of us more opportunity than ever before to connect with those closest to us geographically! Without the need to travel to work, or the ability to spend our free time further afield, we got to know our neighbours, whether that be through a community WhatsApp group, shopping for those who were isolating, or clapping together in the street on a Thursday evening. This was brilliant, but….

As lockdown went on, and more of us were able to travel further, see old friends again, and generally spend less time at home, we became less connected with our neighbours and our conversations and interaction became less frequent again.

As we enter into a time where lockdown measures may become more strict, there may be more opportunities to connect again in future, but we can be praying for our neighbours right now! Below are a few prayer points to help you out.

1. Pray for good health.

   Many of us will have neighbours who are vulnerable or elderly, and may already be shielding or self isolating in their homes. Pray for their continued protection from the virus, and for healing miracles to happen in their lives, be that a healing from covid-19, or another existing health issue. 

2. Pray for peace of mind.

   One of peoples biggest concerns about the recent pandemic is the unknown nature of the regulations. No-one quite knows what is going to happen and when. This creates pressure within families, in relationships, and gives rise to panic and insecurity. Pray for those who live around you, that they might receive peace in a stressful time, and that the Holy Spirit might be at work in them to reassure them and bring hope when fears about the future come to mind.

3. Pray for opportunities to witness!

   More than ever before, those around us are seeking answers, and though we may not know the answer to every practical question, we do know one who has the capability to fill every spiritual need! As our lives and the way we live our lives become more visible to our neighbours there is opportunity for us to display the peace, the hope, the reassurance about the future that comes from being a follower of Jesus, in the way we go about our daily lives. Why not be bold and pray today that you have an opportunity over the next few weeks to chat to a neighbour about your relationship with Jesus, and the way it helps you to deal with your current situation.

We believe in the power of prayer, and that God not only hears each and every one of us as we pray, but that he loves to be at work in our lives as a result of what we pray! So let’s pray together this week, and be expectant that things will change as a result!

#RedeemerRecommends - Faith Locked Down

Over the course of lockdown there has been a wealth of content produced by the incredible creative individuals here at Redeemer (though the blog took a bit of a summer break!) As we look forward to returning to physical services again, we thought we would restart the blog with a home grown edition of #RedeemerRecommends, and point you towards some of the inspiring and challenging pieces of writing produced by the Redeemer Creatives over the past six months.

These Psalms, Prayers, Poems, Posts and Portraits tell the story of how some of our closest friends and family have processed the events of 2020 so far through the written word, I hope that as you read them you are inspired, challenged and comforted, but most of all I hope your faith is stirred, and your eyes are drawn not towards the mountains you may face, but to the one who can move them.

Some of the co-authors of the book have recorded audio versions of their written pieces, you can find them on the Redeemer Youtube channel, or by following the link below.

I’ll leave the final word to our senior pastor, Pete Cornford…

“During these difficult and uncertain times these believers have fought for faith and we get to walk the path behind them. Raw, honest and real; let their encounters ignite and fan your faith!”

#RedeemerRecommends - 9 Things You Should Know About Hinduism

This week Hindus across London and the rest of the world have been celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights!

As a result, our latest #RedeemerRecommends is a blog from Joe Carter, which is a summary of the Hindu faith, and is incredibly helpful if you’re a Christian trying to learn more about how to connect with those from different religious backgrounds.

If this blog interests you, then why not sign up to our event on Saturday - ‘Discovering Jesus through Asian Eyes’, as we seek to equip ourselves as Christians to better reach our friends, neighbours and colleagues who come from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

You can read the beginning of the blog, and find a link to the whole thing below…

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This week more than a billion Hindus across the globe are celebrating Diwali. The five-day religious observance, which is also celebrated by followers of Sikh and Jain faiths, is the biggest holiday of the year in India, the country with the largest population of Hindus.

Here are nine things you should know about Hinduism.

1. Although Hinduism is often treated as a single religion, it is more accurate to describe it as a family of religions that share common beliefs and characteristics. Some scholars claim that early Hinduism originated around 5500 BC, making it one of the world’s oldest religions. The term Hindu was first used by the Persians, dating back to the 6th century BC, to describe the people living beyond the Indus River. For more than a thousand years the label had no specific religious connotation. In the early 19th century, though, the term Hinduism was coined by British writers to refer to the family of Vedic religious traditions. Some modern Hindus prefer the name “Vedic religion” or sanatana dharma (“eternal law”) rather than the label Hinduism.

#RedeemerRecommends - How Pornography Makes Us Less Human and Less Humane - a blog by Matthew Lee Anderson

Many of us as Christians will be aware of the damaging effect that pornography can have, whether that be on our own lives, on the lives of those close to us, or simply on the society in which we live.

Matthew Lee Anderson’s fantastic blog is the subject of this week’s #RedeemerRecommends, it challenges and stirs the soul, and inspires a desire for purity.

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Pornography deceives. Its sexualized depiction of human persons promises the viewer what it cannot deliver. But how pornography lies is difficult to see, if only because our eyes have gone blind from our frequent exposure to the medium. Pervasive consumption of pornography dulls the mind: if we delightedly give ourselves over to falsehoods, we lose our ability to sort truth from fiction. Sin has a compounding effect. The twin wraiths of confusion and ignorance preserve the charm of its false pleasures. It is easier for those drowning in a whirlpool of deceits to embrace their situation as “normal” than it is to escape.

The inescapable availability of pornography, and the corrosive “pornification” of all other forms of media, means that the most pressing challenge for Christians is rediscovering what purity feels like. C. S. Lewis famously proposed that spiritual mediocrity is the equivalent of playing with mud pies instead of taking the seaside holiday God offers us. Our situation is more dire, though: we are in danger of forgetting what the sea even offers. The warmth of sunshine that lifts our eyes and our hearts to heaven has been hidden by the stale pollution of our passions. Pornography is the only atmosphere we know: it has clotted our lungs, and we cannot get enough of it.

You can read the rest of the blog HERE.

#RedeemerRecommends - Andrew Wilson's Newday Blog

We will soon be publishing a list of Redeemer’s Newday highlights, so keep your eyes peeled for that! For now, take a look at this blog from Andrew Wilson, who was the speaker at the 15-19s venue this year.

https://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/ten_things_i_loved_about_newday

#RedeemerRecommends - Bread

Here at Redeemer we love to celebrate the gifting of members of our family! This week on #RedeemerRecommends we are pointing you in the direction of another blog contributed to and curated by Ann Ajet, who attends Redeemer with her family!

Bread is described as being ‘for today’s emerging generation of thoughtful disciples.’ We hope that you will be challenged and informed by their articles! We are also hoping to publish some articles written by Ann on the Redeemer blog in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled!

#RedeemerRecommends on Valentine's - salt.london

If you’ve walked past a shop front or been on social media at all today, you will be aware that it is Valentine’s Day! A day which I’m sure brings about mixed feelings for many of you reading this.

There are many Christian blogs out there focusing on the subject of love, but this week’s #RedeemerRecommends has picked out one in particular which we think is worth a read!

salt.london is a blog which is run by a few friends from another Advance church in Waterloo, led by Andrew Haslam. It describes itself as a blog which seeks to “engage with thoughtful Londoners on matters of faith, philosophy, and life.”

The blog focuses on a range of topics, but you can find some links to their specific Valentine’s themed posts below. We hope you will find them thought provoking and encouraging, whether you’re single or married!

Get thinking. #RedeemerRecommends

In the first of our #RedeemerRecommends blog posts, Rich Smith introduces to a blog he has been inspired by recently. Look out for more recommendations over the coming months as others from Redeemer let you in on what they’ve been reading. Over to Rich…

Get thinking.

At the end of November we have close friend of the church Matt Hosier returning to speak at our Sunday meeting. Matt and his wife Grace first visited Redeemer a year ago to preach about eldership, and to stand with and pray for our church as we started a new chapter of our story. 

Matt is a gifted preacher. Just as he served us so well last November, we’re anticipating he’ll bring a combination of theological clarity and heartfelt encouragement this November! 

Those who were at the Advance conference earlier in October will know he’s a wise, measured and phenomenally well read theological thinker, and it’s with that in mind that I wanted to point you in the direction of an excellent website to which he often contributes, Think Theology.

“Think” describes itself as a “collaboration of thinkers and writers who are passionate about the Church, and who enjoy spending time wrestling with deep theological questions and helping others to engage with them.” Matt, Jennie Pollock (another speaker from the recent Advance conference in fact), and Andrew Wilson produce the majority of the content for the site and you’ll find roughly a post per day on a broad range of topics.

Looking back at posts over the last two weeks you’ll see posts covering social media, wisdom in engaging politically, sexual identity, reading well, TV show theology, book reviews and Psalms. 

Whether you’re starting to explore theology for the first time or looking to expand your regular reading, posts from Matt and others at Think are worth your time. I find they’re perfect for the commute, and regularly engage the mind, the emotions and stir the spirit. Enjoy.

https://thinktheology.co.uk/