"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers." - VoltairE

Picture This Thought - Meal [Food]

April 17, 2019
We live in a world of fast food, drive throughs, TV dinners, working lunches and meals in a shake. But what if eating is meant to be a much more spiritual experience?

In this short reflection, I consider the importance of mealtimes in the early church, in Jewish history and in our own lives as we build community. We can learn some profound truths about God through our relationship with food if we're willing to stop and think.

Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Video 

 

5 ways the prophecy of Joel challenges today’s church

April 3, 2019


Joel as a missional book

I recently wrote an assignment for my Master’s which involved a missional reading of the book of Joel. I could pick any passage of Scripture I liked and there were several times I regretted choosing Joel, but I’m glad I stuck with it as it’s an oft-neglected book of the Bible which has an important message for the church today. When I started, all I knew about it was that it involved a lot of locusts!

As it turns out, Joel’s prophecy demonstrates the whole redem...

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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Bible study 

 

11 more of my favourite podcasts

March 8, 2019


Welcome to the latest post in my occasional podcast recommendation series.

You can catch up on my previous recommendations here:
I've got a mixed topic bag of 11 of my current favourites. See what you think and let me know in the comments below if there are any you'd add:

Topic: Christian Q and A
Frequency: Fortnightly
Running time: 30 mins (usually)
New Testament theologian and prol...

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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Random stuff 

 

A prayer of John Wesley

February 4, 2019


O God, seeing as there is in Christ Jesus an infinite fullness of all that we can want or desire,
May we all receive from him, grace upon grace;
grace to pardon our sins, and subdue our iniquities;
to justify our persons and to sanctify our souls;
and to complete that holy change, that renewal of our hearts,
Which will enable us to be transformed into the blessed image in which you created us.
O make us all acceptable to be partakers of the inheritance of your saints in light.
Amen.


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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Prayer 

 

Isn’t it all about rule-keeping?

January 17, 2019


This is a question I’ve been asked a number of times recently when it comes to my Christian faith. It is a common perception that Christianity is about trying to be good by following a set of rules so that you will earn a reward and avoid a punishment. Many people see Christianity as a reward-based religion, but in fact nothing could be further from the gospel of grace. All other religions have essentially the same basis - that humans try hard to 'be good' or obey commands and then maybe if...

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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Reflections 

 

Book recommendations 2018

December 31, 2018
This year I have read significantly fewer books than last year’s 134 but I still managed 54 books on top of all the articles, papers and chapters that I’ve read for my MA.

I’ve again covered a wide range of subjects from typography to generosity and here are some of my favourites:

Top Christian




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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Books 

 

Retreat Guide 2019 - The Sermon on the Mount

December 14, 2018


The Agapé New Year Retreat Guide 2019 is now available for you to use and share. It goes through the Sermon on the Mount over five days, reflecting on these radical words of Jesus to inspire us for the next year of following him. It includes biblical contemplations and reflection to help get the year off to a good start. Each session takes about 30 mins, but there are options for further exploration if you choose.

Get your free 2019 retreat guide here (PDF download)


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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Resources 

 

The Kindness Instinct

November 27, 2018


When something annoying happens, what response comes instinctively to you? I often find that I start the day with the right intentions to be godly in everything I do and then someone cuts me up in the car, or I get stuck behind a slow pedestrian or behind a pensioner trying to pay by cheque in a shop and immediately the grump is unleashed. I’m often ashamed of the first word that pops into my head when I bash my shins on the bath.

The truth is that my instinctive and impulsive responses are ...

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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Reflections 

 

The strange little band of the gospel

November 19, 2018
'Mission in Community' is the theme of the latest edition of Agapé's MOVE magazine. In it, the principal of my college, Rosalee Velloso Ewell, has written a profoundly challenging piece about being on mission together:



"I would suggest that one of the greatest challenges to the gospel in Western culture is independence and the individualism that goes with it. There is nothing Christ-like about being independent.

In the Bible, when independence is prized, things go badly. Adam and Eve sin so th...

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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Move magazine 

 

Tips for debating better on Facebook - Guest post

October 18, 2018


One of my friends recently shared some really helpful advice about engaging in Facebook debate. I can’t share his name as he’s a missionary in a sensitive context, but he’s given me permission to use his material here.

“There are people with whom I disagree but whose posts I always read carefully and appreciate. There are people with whom I agree where I cringe when reading posts. (All of these are people I like, agreeing or disagreeing doesn't change that.)

Most arguments on Facebook a...

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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Random stuff 

 
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