Search results for .nsp
Can I be a scientist and a Christian?
I haven’t always believed in God. From an early age, I knew I wanted to be a scientist. At school, I was naturally drawn to the sciences and mathematics, finding English essays more stressful. My A-level biology teacher recommended I read ‘The Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins, and I remember…
Sharon Dirckx
Catching faith: raised in a Christian home
I grew up in a Christian home. Those of you with that classic testimony-opener will know what I’m talking about. Childhood involved multiple showings of ‘The Miracle Maker’ and tugging on your mum’s sleeve every week after her ‘final’ post-church coffee… Mine was a typical Christian upbringing. My…
Gina Vaughan
Creating a culture of family
A while ago I asked God to show me how we can join him in building our community into a family. I have since discovered that it's a complex process, but at its heart is a simple ethic: one of inviting people inwards. As well as Sunday worship, we have a variety of events that extend that invitation…
Nick Graves
Cultivating a multicultural toddler group
I often hear people complaining that society has changed for the worse, and our young people are growing up in an increasingly dangerous world. The media gives us the impression that crime rates are rising, family values are disappearing, neighbourhoods are fracturing, and every toddler in the…
Chrishanthy Sathyaraj
Do my doubts disqualify me?
I’ve always been someone who asks questions. It's a character trait that's helpful in certain situations, but at other times I’ve just wanted to swallow the blue pill and embrace the phrase “ignorance is bliss” (you can tell my age by this outdated pop-culture reference...!). An area of life where…
Rich Powney
Finding Jesus in His word
We believe that Jesus is worth sharing. But often talking about Him with a friend can feel difficult. Sometimes we just don’t know where to start. Sometimes we'll chat about Christianity and science, or suffering, but we never quite get to Jesus Himself. Perhaps you are wondering what the first…
Nay Dawson
Five secrets to sharing Jesus with elderly parents
David had been raised in a close-knit family with an upper middle class lifestyle and value system. His father was a successful businessman with an international reputation, and his mother a professor of Middle European culture and languages. When he became a Christian at university his parents…
Louise Morse
How to nail Father’s Day at your church
The idea of celebrating Father’s Day in church is one that divides us. Is it an opportunity not to be missed? An irrelevance? A cause for celebration? Commercial exploitation? What are your views? Perhaps you think it’s fine as a secular tradition, but not for the church? Hopefully I can change…
Mark Chester
How to thrive in Events Week
As any student might be able to tell from the sea of matching jumpers across campus, Christian Union Events Weeks are upon us. The publicity is beginning to pop up on social media, you've received pleas to brand your profile picture and start those ‘invitation conversations’, and you’re probably…
Rachel Bourner
Jesus was a seed sower
Throughout the gospels, we see that Jesus sowed seeds. He sowed seeds of kindness, welcomed strangers, valued children, fed the hungry, prayed, laughed, cried, noticed the lonely, had compassion on those in pain, and managed a team of various personalities with their strengths and weaknesses. To…
Jo Gordon
Junction moments
Prior to coming to serve at the Evangelical Alliance, I spent 14 years working for Youth for Christ. I loved seeing many young people come to faith and was constantly encouraged by the overwhelming percentage of people in the UK who do so under the age of 25. I was also quite taken with an image…
Gavin Calver
Let's take this outside
As part of our Thy Kingdom Come series, we asked John Craig to share some of his church's journey in praying for their local community... Five years ago, when we moved into our new building on Burgher Street, the atmosphere on the street felt very different. There was a considerable issue with…
John Craig
Light up the night
I grew up in a Christian household with a powerful, God-fearing woman, so Halloween was never on the table. In fact, I don't remember ever questioning why Halloween wasn’t allowed – I just assumed it wasn't our thing. To be honest, I’ve never been that fussed about missing out. I think part of this…
Rhys Stephenson
I met Jesus at a toddler group
My story of coming to faith in Jesus is a little unusual. Coming from a Hindu background, I first met Jesus as an adult… at a toddler group! As a child, my belief in God was a big factor in my life. My mother instilled in me the beautiful core beliefs of the Hindu faith and modelled true devotion…
Min Street
Motherhood: Season of limitation or opportunity?
"University: possibly the best opportunity for evangelism you will get in your life." We’ve probably all heard it said, and perhaps with good reason. Is there any other stage of life when people are as open to new ideas, when you have plenty of free time, when you are so supported by churches and…
Harriet Algeo
