Streams of Living Water

Every generation has it’s heroes, but I wonder if Scotland will ever again be blessed again by the concentration of spiritual giants gracing the land in the mid to late 19^th Century. The names of Thomas Chalmers, Willam Cunningham, Rabbi Duncan, Robert Murray McCheyne and Horatius Bonar stand out as stars in the darkness. But of no less brightness was the luminescence of another Bonar – Andrew Bonar. Bonar was the last of these heroes to pass into glory and in his long life achieved much, and yet I believe that his life and work have been largely unreported. Bonar was in the front rank of all that was remarkable about 19^th Century Scottish Presbyterianism. It would seem then, that at the beginning of a new session of fraternals, that Andrew Bonar provides a perfect object of study and attention for all of us who would want to see the name of Jesus Christ glorified in Glasgow and Scotland. Read the rest of this entry »

This afternoon, my heart sank within me I as read the readers comments on a BBC webpage. The comments concerned the question of whether morality is declining in our nation, and why that is so. Most people who posted were athiests (although the poll attached to the comments should that 83% of people believe that religion has something to do with moral standards in our nation). Immediately, I was left with that sinking feeling that we Christians are keeping quiet whilst the atheists are making the bluster. Should we not stand up for Christ in our society? Read the rest of this entry »

Last time I was up north, I noticed that there had been a very strong wind which had blown down many trees in the forest behind where my parent’s house is. My parents have a wood burning stove, so when I went up the forest to get some wood for them and I saw these huge trees lying on the ground, my eyes lit up because in each tree, there is probably a month’s fuel for the fire. The problem was one of transport – how could I get these huge trees down from the forest into our back garden so I could use the chain saw to cut them up. I realised that it was impossible.
When I read this passage in Colossians 1:9-12, it made me think about the problem of transporting the wood from the forest to the back garden. Read the rest of this entry »