With just one life to live here on this earth, a life that seems to be slipping by ever so quickly, you can’t live your best life if you’re twitchy or nervous – either ...

You know what it’s like when your patience is running thin – someone or some situation is getting on your nerves and you can just feel the steam starting to come out of your ...

We each have triggers that’ll set us off quicker than just about anything – even the mild-mannered and even-tempered among us. What are they for you? Personally, I have two. ...

One of the things we love to do is have separate compartments in our life.  My faith walk, my spiritual journey over in this corner, and real life over in that corner.  People ...

Most of us just want to do good. We want to be decent and kind. We want to make good choices. But then we get up out of bed and … well, things don’t always work out that way. ...

So let me ask you, how do you set about building a good life; one that’s rich and satisfying; one that impacts those around you for good? How do you actually do that? This is ...

These days when you buy a new piece of furniture, it typically comes in the dreaded “flatpack”. But when you’re as mechanically inept as I am, I’m telling you, that’s a ...

There’s precious little good news going rounds these days. A stabbing here, a shooting there; interest rates up, economy down … you know the story. Maybe that’s why so many ...

As world events unfold around us – everything from wars to celebrities prancing down red carpets – and as our own lives appear sometimes just to be lurching from one trouble ...

The aloe vera plant is said to have a good many restorative powers. That may well be true. Nevertheless, you can’t help but feel that the marketing gurus play those powers up ...

Here’s a brutal fact: the world is at war. Over recent years, according to the website OurWorldInData.org, at least 150 armed conflicts have been fought each year. That’s up ...

Many people are just living life … just eking out an existence.  Only just getting by.  And many of those people are the very same people who believe in Jesus, this ...

Today is the second Sunday of the year. We tend not to think of things that way as the weeks just start doing what they always seem to have done – one week rolling into the ...

Teamwork – people with different perspectives, skills sets and experiences working together toward a common goal – is what makes the world go around, wouldn’t you agree? We ...

Cardiovascular disease – essentially heart attacks and strokes – accounts for one third of all deaths. It’ll kill 51,000 people across the globe today, tomorrow, the next ...

Well, here we are on day nine of the new year. Things are, no doubt, well and truly back to normal. We’re each back in the swing of things, whatever that looks like. But let me ...

There are so many good things to enjoy in this life. And whilst most of us don’t spend all our time on “cloud nine” so to speak, it’s a good thing to enjoy that which ...

As we tread tentatively into this new year, we’re on a journey together through these daily Fresh messages to lay hold of the grace and the freedom that’s available in one ...

The very idea of handing their lives over to God, of choosing to live for Him, in obedience to Him, is for many a repugnant one. Why, in this day and age, would you possibly want ...

Many people are just living life … just eking out an existence.  Only just getting by.  And many of those people are the very same people who believe in Jesus, this ...

Living a good life inevitably involves some tough choices. Healthy eating, enough exercise, sufficient sleep and … let’s get serious here … dealing with the bad behaviour ...

As I step into each new year, I often wonder what lies ahead: What challenges I’ll face. How I’ll measure up – how I’ll perform so to speak. How about you? We live in a ...

They say that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. You don’t have to look very far to see how true that is. And then you look at the state the world’s in ...

As we step into this new year, it’s important, wouldn’t you agree, to put the right foot forward; to step onto solid ground. After all, foundations are important, aren’t ...

Here we are … the first day of the new year and from me to you, may you have a truly blessed year whatever life throws at you. And honestly, we have absolutely no idea what this ...

Imagine that you have to carry everything you own around with you in two suitcases. As you buy more stuff, they get heavier, and they fill up. So you buy a backpack, and then ...

We’re getting pretty darned close to closing out this year – today, tomorrow, then another year begins. So it’s time to forget the past and set our sights on the future. ...

Sometimes we can feel so trapped in life – by hurts from the past, by our circumstances, in relationships, as life just drones on.  It seems so empty.  So futile. God?  ...

Most of us have at least one thing going on in our lives at any point in time that, if we had our way – wouldn’t be there.  A difficult relationship.  Sickness.  Financial ...

Imagine for a moment that you’re a soldier heading into battle. It’s life and death stuff. But the last thing you did before leaving home was to have a massive argument with ...

In just a few days’ time, we’re going to click over into a new year. Now of course, it’s just another day. But the idea of yet another year slipping away … well, it tends ...

For many, the whole notion of “God” can seem ephemeral. Perhaps you think about Him every now and then, sneak the occasional short prayer … but amidst the cut and thrust of ...

Can I ask you … what exactly is grace? For some it’s a religious term that gets bandied around so often that it becomes almost meaningless. And yet, grace is the single most ...

Here we are. We’ve arrived. Boom. It’s Christmas Day. So let me kick off our time together by wishing you, and all those whom you love, a truly blessed Christmas – because ...

Christmas Eve. It can be a confronting time if we’ll allow it to be. Because in a sense, today demands of us an answer to this question: what will you be celebrating tomorrow? A ...

With Christmas almost upon us, the easiest thing to do with the whole Jesus thing, for most people, is simply to ignore it – to ignore Him. Just get on with the whole ‘trees, ...

Christmas is a time of celebration, right? And yet how many times have you been through Christmas and it just wasn’t all that it should have been? Well, there’s a reason for ...

Well, Christmas is just around the corner. Are you excited? Hmm? Sadly, while the children may be excited at the thought of receiving presents, for many adults, ho-hum, it’s ...

Well, in just a few days’ time it’ll be Christmas. My Christmas. Your Christmas. And, doubtless, you and I will celebrate in different places, in different ways. But ...

Christmas, which is but days away, is a time for celebrating with family and friends, with tinsel and turkey, with bells and baubles. But there’s one friend who, all too often, ...

There’s something that has bothered me for many years. And maybe  as we turn our thoughts towards Christmas, it’s been bothering you too. Why did God send Jesus to our ...

As we turn our thoughts toward Christmas there’s something that, for many, presents an obstacle that stops them from truly entering into the joy that this Christmas celebration ...

So, if today you were to write down all the things in your life that you’d rather weren’t there, that you’d wish you could instantly wipe away, what would that list look ...

Question: What was God thinking when He hatched this plan that these days we call “Christmas”? Okay, perhaps the Christmas we celebrate has morphed into something quite ...

Christmas is a time of celebration, right? And yet how many times have you been through Christmas and it just wasn’t all that it should have been? Well, there’s a reason for ...

Shocking though it is, we’re only ten days out from Christmas. Ten days! What happened to this year? Where did the time go? I think the older we get, the more shocking the rapid ...

How you live, how you treat others, has a lot to say – in fact, it has everything to say – about who you are and what you believe. So how do you live? How do you treat others? ...

So, here we are on Friday the 13th … a day considered in western culture to bring bad luck. Wherever you live, negative superstitions have swirled around for centuries – ...

Meeting new people, making friends, simply isn’t easy these days. Life’s become either busy and transactional on the one hand or on the other, for many it’s quiet, isolated ...

It can seem nigh on impossible sometimes to put an old head on young shoulders; to impart the wisdom of experience to our young ones in a way that they can readily accept. I ...

“Purity” is a word that, by and large, we love. Pure gold, pure joy … but have you ever met a pure person – someone whose profoundly decent thoughts and motivations on the ...

One of the truly frustrating things about life is that when you commit to something – a marriage, a course of study, a career, whatever – you just don’t know how it’s ...

Wouldn’t it be nice to become an overnight success.  I think that’s pretty much everyone’s secret dream. Success without the hard work, by next Thursday. Just perfect! The ...

As we mature, hopefully, we grow in wisdom. But as you do, becoming more aware of your own limitations amidst the rough and tumble of life, something else can rise up to rob you ...

Hope, when you think about it, is rather an odd emotion, because whatever we’re hoping for is pretty much, by definition, uncertain. And we hate uncertainty, don’t we? But ...

There’s one thing in this world that we can absolutely count on. No matter what storm blows in, how ferocious it might be, we can be absolutely certain of the solid ground ...

Have you ever wondered who exactly people meet when they meet you? Who or what do they encounter? Exuberance or dismay, joy or loathing, kindness or manipulation? Have you ever ...

Good and evil – we all know the difference … or do we? It’s like black and white obviously … or do we prefer shades of grey? What do you think?  Here’s what almost ...

Electric vehicles are becoming all the rage. Fine, but having experienced the mild panic of my mobile phone potentially running out of battery, I have to say I’m a tad wary. How ...

A sure sign of maturity is when we trust less and less in ourselves. I’m not talking about low self-esteem, but about coming to terms with our own weaknesses and ...

Christmas is a time of celebration, right? And yet how many times have you been through Christmas and it just wasn’t all that it should have been? Well, there’s a reason for ...

Wouldn’t it be nice to become an overnight success.  I think that’s pretty much everyone’s secret dream. Success without the hard work, by next Thursday. Just perfect! The ...

Without doubt, someone’s love toward us is at its finest when we don’t deserve it; when they hang in there with us when we’re bitter, when we’re behaving badly, brutishly. ...

Have you ever pricked a balloon with a needle? One moment it’s this happy, red balloon floating through the air. The next moment, bang! And it’s this limp, lifeless bit of ...

We all have certain things we own, that are special, that we treasure. So we take incredibly good care of them. Back in my early school years I received a brand, new pencil case ...

The ability to discern someone’s intentions is incredibly important. Because not everyone is who they appear to be. Not everyone’s going to do what they promise to do. ...

As movie themes go, love stories would have to be amongst the most popular of all genres. Sure there are action movies, dramas, even horror films (not my thing!). But love ...

According to the press, the church is dying. That has many a vested interest group shouting for joy. What’s rarely mentioned though, is that in many parts of the world, the ...

We live in tumultuous times. You pick up a newspaper and people in authority, not always but often, are behaving badly. Churches are spectacularly riddled with financial scandals ...

Wisdom is something that, on balance, we’d all like to have.  Really.  Problem is, it involves sacrifice.  Sure it’s a great investment in our futures, even in the present ...

To a great extent, how we experience life – what we get, what we give, how much we enjoy it … or not – is determined by the prevailing attitude we adopt. I think you’d ...

Have you ever tried navigating your way around an unfamiliar place? Which way’s north? Should I hold the map up this way or that way? Where’s the bus stop? Does this next one ...

So, how much do you think of your life as being the journey of a pilgrim in search of something? The answer for most of us is; not all that much. Because, after all, we’re busy. ...

In a world that seems to be a cacophony of competing voices, opinions, posts, messages – you name it – all bombarding us at the same time, it feels often as though ...

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to lose sight of the truly important things in life when you’re pedalling so hard just to make it through each day? That’s why, every now ...

We fight so many battles in life. And when you’re in the midst of one, winning seems so incredibly important. Most times, in the scheme of things, it’s not, but that’s how ...

Spending your life pleasing others, working your way into their favour, is hard work because people are fickle. They can be with you one day … and against you the next. ...

Wisdom is something that, on balance, we’d all like to have.  Really.  Problem is, it involves sacrifice.  Sure it’s a great investment in our futures, even in the present ...

In many parts of the world, the way children are being raised these days differs markedly from the past. And to a great extent, those changes lie at the heart of many of the ...

Being part of a loving family is one of the greatest blessings in life, wouldn’t you agree? But at the same time, being part of a loving family can be hard work. There’s ...

So, how do you feel about the people running your country, your state or region, your city or town? Are they, in your opinion, doing a good job … or are you, like many, outraged ...

So many people have such a bleak outlook on life. You may or may not relate to that right in this moment, but you’ve been there too, as have I. The question is, how do you ...

When someone shows you some sort of kindness, even just the smallest thing, how does that change how you feel toward them, how you see them, how you treat them? Without doubt, a ...

Question: how do wars end? Answer: after a protracted conflict with more casualties than either side would have liked, the parties come to the table to negotiate a peace. The ...

Today is Armistice Day, when we turn our hearts and minds toward the commemoration of the end of World War I. At the time, it was said to be the war to end all wars. But things ...

Wisdom is something that, on balance, we’d all like to have.  Really.  Problem is, it involves sacrifice.  Sure it’s a great investment in our futures, even in the present ...

I marvel at the amazing things that elite athletes are able to achieve … yes, no doubt through a natural gifting, but also by incredible dedication and sheer hard work. The ...

I wonder, what battles are you facing at the moment? A struggling marriage, just keeping your head above water financially, low self-esteem, a lurking sense of dread about the ...

There are many things in this world that promise so much – career, success, money, holidays, that new car, even that new pair of shoes or fresh makeup. But at the end of the ...

How would you react if someone rich or powerful – royalty, a famous pop star, a celebrity, somebody who is somebody – came to your place for dinner? Come on, how would you ...

I don’t think I’d be alone in saying that there have been times in my life when I felt so inadequate within myself that I was afraid to follow my dreams. How about you? The ...

Have you ever been so full of joy – the sort that remains with you, even in times of trouble – to the point where you can’t contain it? Perhaps you’re thinking … joy in ...

So many people, without even realising it, are expending so much emotional energy running from their past. I did, for a good many years. How about you? Running from your past, the ...

Wisdom is something that, on balance, we’d all like to have.  Really.  Problem is, it involves sacrifice.  Sure it’s a great investment in our futures, even in the present ...

Wisdom is something that, on balance, we’d all like to have.  Really.  Problem is, it involves sacrifice.  Sure it’s a great investment in our futures, even in the present ...

It seems these days that a wife leaving her husband for another or a husband leaving his wife in the same way is pretty much considered to be a lifestyle choice. How can that ...

I remember way back in my life that when those Christians started talking about Jesus and sin and forgiveness and “being saved” and eternal life, all that stuff, it seemed so ...

Have you ever jammed your finger in a door? Your day was just going along fine and then, bang. The pain shoots up your arm and into your brain and ouch! It hurts. The whole of the ...

We all, from time to time, find ourselves in need of the good will of others; of their merciful kindness to get us through things we just can’t get through on our own. We simply ...

Every parent at some point is terrified that their child might end up with the wrong crowd; that those people will lead their beloved son or daughter astray. And well they should ...