Scotland's First Minister candidate has always been public about her faith. She is clear, thoughtful, kind in her articulation. And she understands the consequences.

Let’s evaluate our churches and make sure we are not adding any unnecessary barriers for guests that come along.

No matter how clever you are, what you can make it say is not as good as what God made it say.

Data from the 2021 Census show that the average age of Christians is now 51. For evangelical leaders, the figures are “a challenge, but also an opportunity”.

When we learn to handle the Word of truth rightly, we start to see the richness God has put in our Bibles. 

Evangelicals “will work to ensure the Bill doesn't have a negative impact on individual freedoms or practices of churches”. The new law will now include transgender people.

We live in an age marked by resistance to authority. The idea of submission has fallen on hard times. But don’t miss either the logic or the blessing of this concept.

The Bible offers us salvation, spiritual growth, maturity and equipping for all aspects of life and ministry.

Let’s take stock of how God would want us to use our eyes this year. After all, they are an essential gateway by which we can guard our hearts.

We should preach as professionals in the sense of “to the best of our ability” and as amateurs in the sense of “with the passion of a captured heart”.

As we head towards another Christmas, let’s be sure to ponder the wonder of that first Christmas and the daily wonder of a God who moved toward us.

God offers so much more than mere amnesty. He has paid the great and humiliating price for true justice.

Around 280 professionals, students, and church leaders attended the once-in-a-decade conference. Dr John Wyatt was the main speaker of a programme that included 15 other thematic seminaries.

Why not take the year-end as an opportunity to seek God’s heart about your church, your ministry, and your part in His plans? 

It is true that life change is God’s business and I can’t force it; but let us never grow comfortable with people drifting away from Christ.

The nature of God’s character should flow into our ministry, which will then characterise our connection with the church.

Let’s preach in light of 1 Thessalonians 1 and dare to believe that we are participating in the transformation of lives for eternity.

Keep your relationship with Jesus right at the centre of your priorities: that is the foundation for all Christian leadership.

Perhaps, we would do well to ponder the spiritual attack against the Holy Spirit. I suspect that we would find our hearts drawn to Christ in the process.

Preaching is about exegesis and communication,pastoral care, leadership and discipleship, but it should be preeminently about prayer.

Many of us still live under the spell that says we get saved by faith, but then will grow by self-stirred effort. 

Whatever may be going on around us, Psalm 107 suggests what should be happening inside us.

We must have a more God-given, global and eternal perspective so that what we preach stretches and challenges the small, me-focused world of our listeners.

You may love preaching and want to preach every week, but I think it would be wise to schedule a break here and there.