“I think when you are shy there’s something very attractive about putting yourself in a situation where you’re comfortable and where you’re in charge and where you’re communicating with people. I think shy people often feel that they’re not getting across, that people aren’t understanding them because they don’t have the social graces to be … Continue reading Stand-up comic or preacher?
Recent blogs
Luke 1:53
It's Mary's song - the Magnificat. She's recently been told by the angel that she's going to conceive through the Holy Spirit and become mother to the Son of God. She dashes off to tell the good news to her older relative Elizabeth, herself pregnant through a work of God, and the baby leaps in … Continue reading Luke 1:53
1 Corinthians 15:3
It's perhaps the most concise summary of the Gospel in the whole Bible - just five words in English (six in Greek): "Christ died for our sins". In this is summarised all Christian faith. My sins separated me from God, and there was nothing I could do by myself to be restored to Him and … Continue reading 1 Corinthians 15:3
153 fish
It's one of the great human interest stories of the Gospels - you'll find it in John 21. Jesus has been raised from the dead, but is no longer always physically with the disciples. Peter appears to get a bit fed up and decides to go fishing, taking half a dozen other disciples with him. … Continue reading 153 fish
What’s in a name?
These days people just tend to choose names they like for their babies. Perhaps it's a friend's name, or a favourite Bible character or one whose meaning seems appropriate. It wasn't always that way, certainly in Scotland. There were strict rules for how you named your children. The pattern, which you can often follow through … Continue reading What’s in a name?
153 as a number between squares
153 can be expressed as a2 + b2 and as (a+1)2 - (b+1)2. In other words, 122 + 32 = 153 = 132 - 42. This feature applies for every natural number b, with a equal to b2+b. So if b=4, this means a = 16 + 4 = 20. This gives 416 = 400 … Continue reading 153 as a number between squares
153 as the sum of factorials
The factorial of a number n (normally represented as n!) is found by multiplying together all the natural numbers up to n. So, for example, 4! = 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 = 24. 153 is the sum of the first five factorials: 1 + 2 + 6 + 24 + 120 = … Continue reading 153 as the sum of factorials
153 as a combination of squares
Take three square numbers and add them together. What numbers can you get? Potentially any whole number except one in the form 8n+7, 4 x (8m+7) 16 x (8l+7), 64 x (8k+7) etc. and many numbers can be formed by several different combinations. 153 is the first number that can be formed by combinations of … Continue reading 153 as a combination of squares
Protestants: The radicals who made the modern world by Alex Ryrie
Do you consider yourself a Protestant? I do, though only really for the purpose of filling in forms that ask about religion. I'm a Christian first and foremost, an evangelical if it's important to distinguish from other groups, and if pushed I'll admit to Brethren roots and leanings. Protestant is well down the line, though … Continue reading Protestants: The radicals who made the modern world by Alex Ryrie
Johnny Cash Gospel songs – the first 11
No one sang Gospel like Johnny Cash. That booming baritone voice was ideally suited to the tales of judgement and redemption that characterised his Christian music, and of course you knew that much of what he sang about he had lived himself. Here are 11 of his best, spanning his career from 1957 to 2003, … Continue reading Johnny Cash Gospel songs – the first 11
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