Blog
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And breathe…
Where do you go, when you need to go and breathe... A few months ago I had a rather full on and challenging few days and it got to 4pm in the afterno
29 January, 2025
How to handle (not so) friendly fire
Israel’s recent accidental bombing of the World Kitchen food trucks in Gaza resulted in the tragic deaths of seven people, including three British n
16 April, 2024
Turning 60
I’m turning 60. How did that happen? One moment I’m enjoying my childhood, riding my chopper bike, building go-karts, playing footie and building dens
24 September, 2023
Don’t miss God’s voice
“Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies – make your way straight before me.” (Psalms 5:8) As I read the verse above, I had a flash
16 August, 2022
How to change the narrative of your life
I wonder how you feel about your life right now? Perhaps you are disappointed, frustrated or even completely disillusioned? Perhaps you left school wi
02 February, 2022
Be the answer to somebody’s prayers today!
Did you realise that you could actually change somebody’s life today? You could be the answer to somebody’s prayers. You could be somebody’s miracle t
03 August, 2021
Time to reset your life?
As we continue to come out of lockdown – isn’t this the moment for each one of us to pause (with God’s help), take stock and reflect. To conside
16 June, 2021
What to do when life doesn’t make sense?
Life can be challenging at times. God may appear silent or even absent. Praying becomes difficult. So what do you do when life doesn’t make sens
09 June, 2021
Hanging in there (Guest post by Eric Gaudion)
Acute pain can cloud your thinking, and chronic pain can scour your soul. I should know after 22 years of some of the most dreadful pain known to huma
28 April, 2021
Facing eternity
This week marked one year since the first coronavirus lockdown in the UK. Over 126,000 people have tragically lost their lives during the pandemic and
23 March, 2021
Seven things that waiting teaches us
I recently experienced a pretty tough season which took place during the pandemic and resulting lockdowns. Sadly my pastorate in Birmingham just didn’
10 March, 2021
Get Wisdom
We live in extraordinary and uncertain times. A year ago none of us had any idea what was ahead and for those of us in the UK and much of the western
17 February, 2021
Trust and obey
When I was a teenager I attended a youth camp on Anglesey at Benllech Bay I learned an important lesson – to trust and obey. The adjacent bay wa
03 February, 2021
Lost identity
Have you lost your identity? My heart goes out to all those who have lost jobs, careers, businesses and livelihoods during the pandemic. I can only im
27 January, 2021
Keep a grip on hope
The name Stuart Bee might not mean anything to you at all. He made the headlines towards the end of November last year when he took his motorboat alo
13 January, 2021
Adore Him
I love Christmas – it surely is the most wonderful time of the year! One of the many things I look forward to is singing carols and one of my fa
22 December, 2020
Don’t focus on the waves
Julia and I recently spent a few days in a beautiful Caswell Bay apartment on the Gower peninsula. The area is classified as an area of outstanding na
16 December, 2020
Be generous
It’s Christmastime (in case you didn’t realise!) and in conversation last night Julia and I discovered that, in separate incidents on the same day thi
08 December, 2020
His eye is on the sparrow
We have a comfy chair in our dining room that faces out onto our back garden. I will often sit in it, pray and reflect. I find it therapeutic, relaxin
03 December, 2020
Pray, wait, trust
There are times in our lives when we simply do not understand what God is doing or what God wants us to do. Personally I have been without a job since
18 November, 2020
Are You Looking In The Wrong Direction?
Have you ever stopped at a level crossing waiting for a train and whilst the warning lights flashed, tried to guess from which direction the train was
25 September, 2020
How to deal with fear and anxiety?
How to deal with fear and anxiety? These are challenging, uncomfortable, crazy and I'm sure for many, anxious, fearful and perplexing times. None of
27 March, 2020
More Grace!
We used to have a friend who had a sometimes difficult husband (he was lovely really!) and we would ask her how she coped with him? Her response was a
27 February, 2020
Attracting the favour of God
How do we go about attracting God’s favour? Can we actually attract His favour? Does God simply choose to favour some people above others? Does God ha
30 January, 2020
Embrace Change
Church is barely recognisable today from those that I attended in my childhood. I grew up sitting in my Sunday best on cold hard pews, in poorly heate
09 October, 2019
God can’t answer the why in the now
Sometimes you just never see it coming. In the space of about ten days God turned our world upside down. One moment we’re settled and committed to bui
18 January, 2019
Finding Peace In A Noisy World
A few years ago on New Years Day, I emerged out of the shower and said to Julia, ‘How do you fancy going to the New Year sales at the Trafford Centre?
12 October, 2018
Game Changer
Game Changers In sport one change can transform the result. We can probably all remember a sports event where a coach has made a decision that has lit
03 September, 2018
Blindspots
Have you ever been driving and not seen someone and nearly hit them!? I was driving on the motorway in England a couple of years ago and having checke
25 July, 2018
Imagine Trusting God More
Charles Blondin, was famous in the 1800’s for walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope numerous times. He even crossed blindfolded, with a stove an
28 March, 2018
Don’t Worry Pray!
When Bob Marley sang the immortal words, ‘Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little things gonna be alright’ (Three Little Birds) he was pre
21 August, 2017
God Sees
Just recently I was attending a conference at a hotel in the north east of England. We headed for breakfast and I noticed a waitresses rushing around
05 May, 2017
Fake News
In both the USA and Britain it has becoming increasingly difficult to work out what is true! This has become a massive issue and talking point. I real
23 March, 2017
The Missing Key To Success
I regularly come across people who know that something is missing from their lives and in particular their faith. The search is on for the missing key
28 January, 2017
Be Thankful
How do you start your day? In our house either the alarm goes off or our dog starts barking. I’m always the first one up and the kettle goes str
23 November, 2016
Five Ways To Grow Your Faith!
Are you stuck? Frustrated? Is your faith growing? In this post I will share with you five ways to grow your faith! As a boy growing up I attended my l
09 November, 2016
Stay Strong
There were some incredibly strong men and women in Judges. One of my favourite characters is Samson. He is the biblical version of the Incredible Hulk
06 October, 2016
The One Who Calls You Is Faithful
I used to take my little black dog for a long walk through the local Northumbria countryside. I love walking and talking to God and my dog seems to en
09 September, 2016
Do You Know Who Your Father Is?
Father’s Day is always a special occasion each year as we honour our earthly fathers. For some it’s clearly a difficult day as they rememb
23 June, 2016
Try Praying!
We recently enjoyed a great holiday in Lanzarote and on our outbound journey the flight became a little bit bumpy. Why does turbulence always occur wh
02 June, 2016
Don’t Lose Hope
I want to really encourage you as you read this. No matter how bad your circumstances are right now – please don’t lose hope. Thankfully I
05 April, 2016
What Are You Doing With What God Has Given To You?
I was reading the parable of the talents recently which is the story of the master who gave each of his servants money to look after while he travelle
11 March, 2016
Don’t Leave It Too Late To Face The God Question
I love the journey I have been on. It’s been an amazing adventure with God and I love the calling that God has placed upon my life and se
18 February, 2016
Why Does My Faith Suck?
As a pastor I sometimes meet people who are struggling with their faith and are even contemplating giving up on God or church. They’ve perhaps b
23 January, 2016
How Was Your Year?
It’s the time of year when the media and newspapers review the year and look back across the world of politics, sports, royalty, celebrity, scie
19 December, 2015
The Power Of Choice
It was a beautiful summer’s day and my childhood buddy Pete had come to stay with me – we thought it would be great to head for the Norfol
23 November, 2015
Child Like Faith
Our children used to have what we described as a ‘mad half hour’ – and at such times they would just be bursting with energy, excite
05 November, 2015
Stop Worrying – Start Living!
The old song ‘Don’t worry about a thing – cos every little thing is gonna be alright’ (Bob Marley) is easier said than done at
19 October, 2015
Celebrate!
It’s exactly a year since I published my first blog post with great fear and trepidation! Would anyone read them? Would people think I was getti
12 August, 2015
Honesty Is The Best Policy
Recently my daughter and I went to watch a football match at the home of renowned FA Cup giant killers Blyth Spartans. Just before the game started I
27 July, 2015
Discover The Hidden Power Of Weakness
I guess that we all find it difficult to admit our weaknesses however I want to help you to discover the hidden power of weakness. Whilst I can’
08 July, 2015
Suffering Well
Life is far from easy at times and most of us at some point will experience suffering or trials of one kind or another. In my life….I’ve f
15 June, 2015
Lost Vision?
I was walking my little black dog recently and came across the pair of glasses (pic)that someone had clearly lost. I imagined some guy stumbling home
21 May, 2015
Doubting Thomas Got A Bad Press!
I’ve always felt sorry for Thomas – after all, ever since he doubted Jesus’ resurrection, he’s been hung out to dry! Yet, in a
09 May, 2015
Ruling In The Midst Of Enemies
‘With friends like you – who needs an enemy?!’ It’s the kind of thing we say to someone, often lightheartedly but occasionally
17 April, 2015
What Makes A True Disciple?
I wonder what being a disciple of Jesus Christ means to you? In fact what makes a true disciple? What does following Christ mean to you? Easter is alw
04 April, 2015
Whatever!
Sometimes I can be having a conversation with my wife or daughter about something that I’m really interested in – say football, current af
25 March, 2015
Just Say Grace!
We rarely say grace before a meal in our house and yet it seems like every time we go for a meal at someone’s house they ask me to say grace!! I
13 March, 2015
Getting Your Edge Back
Getting Your Edge Back ~ I hate losing things! Just recently I’ve been trying really hard to get something back! I’ve been working hard to
04 March, 2015
It’s What You Do In Secret…
Many years ago I arranged a surprise treat for my wife Julia, to go to London’s West End to watch Phantom of the Opera. It was before the days o
19 February, 2015
When The Going Gets Tough
‘When the going gets tough the tough get going’ was a massive hit for Billy Ocean in 1986.The question is what do you and I do when the go
05 February, 2015
Finish The Sentence…
Have you found yourself finishing other people’s sentences?! We’ve all done it! Several years ago there was an incredibly funny sketch by
22 January, 2015
The Day That Changed My Life Forever!
Little did I know when I rose on that winter’s morning that this was going to be the day that changed my life forever! It was another ordinary w
11 January, 2015
At The Gate Of The Year
‘Happy New Year!’ The question is how are you feeling about this coming New Year? Some people love the turn of the year. It’s a tim
30 December, 2014
Build Your Own Blog
I’ve been blogging now for over nine years and I love it! It’s become a great hobby and to be honest, when I started, I had no idea what I
13 December, 2014
Let God Promote You!
When I was growing up I had to deal with, among other things, some rejection issues and this resulted in my becoming incredibly ambitious and driven.
07 December, 2014
Prioritise Your Life!
Are you one of those people whose life seems to be in a constant state of disarray?! Some of us are naturally organised and others just seem to live f
28 November, 2014
How To Kickstart Your Prayer Life
When I was a young man my favourite motor bike was a Kawasaki KE175 and it went like a rocket (particularly due to the fact that the previous owner ha
24 November, 2014
No Fear!
I wonder what your greatest fear is? I guess for me my greatest fear is not living to see the fulfilment of the vision God has given me for our church
06 November, 2014
What If?
What if its true….. An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Chicken soup fights a cold? Eating boiled eggs can make you constipated? Pulling one g
28 October, 2014
Discontent or Content?
I was talking to someone recently who was really discontented with their life. They had prayed and prayed for something for years and God, seemingly,
24 October, 2014
What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do?
There are moments in our lives when we simply don’t know what to do next. It could be the loss of a precious loved one, bad news from the consul
18 October, 2014
What To Do When You Can’t Sleep
Many of us struggle with sleep and even more so during the lockdowns we have experienced. So what should you do when you can’t sleep? From my ow
08 October, 2014
What are you doing with the time other people waste?
“It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.” (Henry Ford) This happens to be one of my favourites quotes
29 September, 2014
Life changing books
Life changing books ~ We are what we read! People often ask me, as a Pastor, to recommend books. Apart from the Bible (which has clearly had the bigge
27 September, 2014
12 Questions For Leaders!
Leadership is influence. Leadership brings direction, change, strategy. As a leader…guess what….the only person in your dept who can truly
23 September, 2014
Life’s A Journey So Stay On Track (Guest Post By Julia Lawton)
I recently made a train journey which didn’t start too well. I found my seat and couldn’t get my luggage overhead so put it by my feet. It
17 September, 2014
Understanding The Season & How To Respond
Have you ever asked yourself ‘What is going on?’ or ‘Why is this happening to me now?’ I’m a great believer that, just a
14 September, 2014
Just Ask!
Why is it so difficult to ask?! Whether it’s the girl of our dreams on a date (I still remember my knees knocking as I asked Julia out to watch
05 September, 2014
Don’t Quit!
One of the greatest temptations in our lives is to quit! However whatever this life throws at us we must never ever quit! Winston Churchill: “Never gi
28 August, 2014
Prayer Changes Things!
I’ve seen so many amazing answers to prayer during my life and even more so as I have learned to really persevere in prayer. One of my heroes an
18 August, 2014
