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

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Thank You for Saying No

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, In : Random stuff 


I recently came across this poem by Ruth Harms Calkin and thought it was really profound.

Thank You for Saying No

Lord, day after day I've thanked You
For saying yes.

But when have I genuinely thanked You
For saying no?

Yet I shudder to think
Of the possible smears
The cumulative blots on my life
Had You not been sufficiently wise
To say an unalterable no.

So thank You for saying no
When my want list for things
Far exceeded my longing for You.
When I asked for a stone
Foolishly certain I asked for bread
Than...

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Cryptic Bible places quiz

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, August 10, 2023, In : Random stuff 


It’s time for another slightly less serious blog post, so here are some cryptic clues to biblical place names. Enjoy!

  1. Ms Hathoway, hot drink, Scottish exclamation
  2. Back yard of Cornish project
  3. Cartoon Tom’s companion with runner Sebastian’s surname
  4. Occular portent
  5. An infant meets the first part of the capital
  6. Gymnast Tweddle, Comedian Mr. Mack, edge of a dress
  7. Thank you kebab!
  8. Water in Amman’s country
  9. Go wandering
  10. Country of affirmative head gesture
  11. A clump of earth and a meditative noise
  12. Remains ...

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Identity 3 - Our Christian identity

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, In : Reflections 


In the previous posts in this series I looked at identity in society and culture and God’s identity revealed to us. In this final instalment we’re going to look at our Christian identity.

What is our identity in Christ?

(i) Uplifting images

These are the ones that are on all the bookmarks, cards and posters. And it’s right that we should delight in encouraging one another with all these wonderful things that are true about us now that we’re in Christ.

Here are some of them:

  • We are made in ...

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Identity 2 - God’s identity revealed to us

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, June 26, 2023, In : Reflections 


In the last blog post in this series I looked at identity in society and culture. In this post I want to focus on God’s identity revealed to us.

The importance of names

Pause to think:

  • What does your name mean?
  • Is there a particular significance to your name? Did your parents choose it for a specific reason?
In Biblical culture, names (both place names and people names) were very important - you can pick up on some of that from the prominence of genealogies. Biblical names are often really signi...

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Have it your way

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, In : Reflections 


Burger King tells us to ‘Have it your way’. Radio Disney promises to give us ‘Your Music, Your Way’. As consumers, we’re constantly fed the message that we come first – that our world revolves around us.

We are so steeped in consumerism and we don’t even realise it. That doesn’t necessarily mean having loads of material possessions or even wanting loads of material possessions. Rather it means the belief that the world revolves around me. That I am the most important person in ...

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Identity 1 - Identity in society and culture

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, June 8, 2023, In : Resources 


In this 3-part blog series on identity, I’m going to be exploring:

  1. Identity in society and culture
  2. God’s identity revealed to us
  3. Our Christian identity
How do we introduce ourselves?

I might say something like, “My name’s Anne and I work with Living Out and the local church. I’m from Manchester originally but have lived in the North East for 23 years.”

Notice how I just introduced myself with my name and what I do. Instead I could have told you that I’ve got an irrational fear of butt...

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Good things come to those who wait (for bears and God)

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, In : Reflections 


On a recent trip to Slovenia, my friend and I booked to go with a nature expert to try and see a wild brown bear. We drove out into the forest, hiked to the wildlife hide, climbed the ladder and took up our positions on the wooden bench, binoculars at the ready, to watch and wait.

After the third hour sitting silently and patiently in the hide, I was getting a bit restless. Despite being on high alert, the only wildlife we’d seen was a shrew. I was starting to wonder whether we should have j...

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Bench

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, In : Random stuff 


Just for fun, here's a poem I wrote three years ago when my friends gave me random words and challenged me to base some verse on them. So here's 'bench':

Every year we come back here -
look out to sea.
Private memories, shared silence.
He loved it here,
did William.
Who did he think about
when he sat and mused?
What intricacies entwined themselves
in heart and mind?
What puzzles did he turn over
until they were smoothed?
Or maybe we’ve afforded him
an intellectual dignity
that never was.
Maybe he was thin...

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Intimacy with God

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, In : Reflections 


A visitor to my website recently contacted me to ask “What do you mean when you talk about experiencing intimacy with God? How does it feel being intimate with God / Jesus and is it enough?”

I thought these were excellent questions, so here’s my attempt at an answer.

I guess our culture often defines intimacy in terms of sex, or at least physical intimacy. That’s often what we immediately think of when we think of ‘intimacy’. But I think it’s much broader and deeper than that. It...

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Sin and the sunk cost fallacy

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, In : Reflections 


I like reading books about economics. One of the things that I’ve always found fascinating is the sunk cost fallacy, “the phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial.” 1

We all know the kind of thing: Sitting through a terrible film because you’ve paid for the ticket and so wasting time and money, rather than just money; Pursuing a career that...

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John Wesley's 22 Questions

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, February 27, 2023, In : Resources 


John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, formed a club with his brother Charles while studying at Oxford and they had 22 questions that they would ask themselves every day to help them become more Christlike. I've found them very beneficial in my own walk with God too.

  1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
  2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
  3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was...

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Wondering Questions

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, February 2, 2023, In : Reflections 


One way to deepen relationships and encourage people to think about their values and beliefs is to ask good questions. I read a book by Doug Pollock called ‘God Space’ and in it he talked about using ‘Wondering questions’ in our conversations. There’s an excerpt on the Cru website here

To add to that, I’ve compiled a list of questions to help me understand the worldviews of my friends better and help them explore the basis of their beliefs. 

  • If there is no ultimate meaning, how do...

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Hiking the trail to the promised land

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, February 2, 2023, In : Reflections 


The Christian life is a bit like hiking the trail to the promised land. It’s something we’re called to do together and I’ve had the privilege of sharing the hike with some precious friends over the years. It can be really tough, but we know the effort is getting us to where we want to be and there are some wonderful surprises along the way too.

Sadly, over the years, some friends have dropped out. They’ve found the hike too tough, forgotten that it will be worth it, and have stopped in...

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Favourite reads of 2022

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, January 6, 2023, In : Books 
This has been a great year of reading for me. I was pleased that I read the whole Bible again using the Five Day Bible Reading plan. I managed 93 other books and some of them were absolute gold. So here’s my round-up of the best.

Top Christian




  1. The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy - Tim Keller
    I’ve always loved Jonah – a man called by God who promptly ran in the opposite direction. Conscious of my own failings, I’m so encouraged by the complicated and messed-up peopl...

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Honesty with God

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, January 1, 2023, In : Reflections 


How honest can you be with God? Do you feel like you can tell him everything? Or do you feel the need to hide parts of your life?

I sometimes think that our church culture doesn’t help foster real intimacy with God. Often at the start of a church service the leader will say something like, “Whatever’s been happening during the week or whatever is on your mind, put it aside so that we can focus on God”. This can give the impression that God’s not interested in our Monday – Saturday ...

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Picture This Thought - Champagne [Celebration and fun]

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, In : Video 
A reflection on how we sometimes take ourselves too seriously and there is plenty of joy and celebration at the heart of the Christian faith. We talk about the joyful times that Jesus has with his disciples and little children and that he had an attractive character rather than being a sombre moralist. And we reflect on the ultimate celebration that all Christians are looking forward to.


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We Need to Talk About Death

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, In : Reflections 


There seem to be an increasing number of adverts featuring cremation companies that offer no funeral and no fuss (no tears?). There’s more of a focus on partying and going on fun bike rides than grieving (see the adverts here).

Whilst it’s right and healthy to celebrate the life of our loved ones, it’s also right and healthy to grieve the loss and to think about what death means. It seems that, particularly in Western societies, we’re trying to inoculate ourselves against death, rather...

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Slow Surrender

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, October 21, 2022, In : Books 


My friend Lindsay Reid is a talented poet and I've just enjoyed her new collection, 'Slow Surrender'. These heartfelt poems take the reader on a profound journey through faith, despair, suffering and ultimate hope, borne out of Lindsay's battle with chronic illness. There are no trite answers or platitudes, just a courageous trust in the God who is faithful. Here's one of my favourites:

Undying

Bereaved. Bereft.
We're left to mourn
For these our children
Lost, unborn,
Stillborn, like buds
On roses n...
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Spiritual practices and habits

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, In : Reflections 


It’s been a really tough couple of years and I realised that I let other things and people take first place in my heart instead of God. It’s been a long and painful process coming back to him fully, but I realised that the only thing that’s going to replace idolatry in my heart is to pursue Jesus with everything I have and delight in him. That’s not always easy. In fact, I’ve found it very hard, but I’m encouraged that it’s not something I need to manufacture for myself. Even th...

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Obsessed with God

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, September 29, 2022, In : Reflections 


We tend to think of obsession as a bad thing. It conjures up images of creepy stalkers, or someone whose collection of ornamental pigs has got way out of hand. But what if it’s the object of obsession that’s the problem, rather than the strength of feeling itself? What if obsession with a person, hobby, job or goal is only unhealthy because they’re not designed to be where our ultimate satisfaction can be found?

I’ve definitely experienced unhealthy obsession, often with a particular p...

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10 of my Favourite Christian Podcasts

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, September 19, 2022, In : Resources 

 

I love podcasts and listen every day to a whole range of stuff including comedy, culture, science, history, economics and true crime, but I also enjoy Christian podcasts. Here are ten of my favourites which I hope will encourage and inspire you. In no particular order:

  1. In The Lord I Take Refuge: Daily Devotions Through the Psalms with Dane Ortlund
    Topic: Devotional
    Frequency: 152 episodes (ended)
    Run time: 4 mins
    I’ve recently read the corresponding book and found it heart-warming and soul-ins...

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How much do we want God?

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, August 26, 2022, In : Reflections 


Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Hebrews 12: 1 – 2a

I want to have a richly satisfying, intimate relationship with God but at times I haven’t been prepared to put any effort in. I know that I’m saved by grace and that I’m sustained by grace alone and ...

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What physical pain has taught me about spiritual healing

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, In : Reflections 


There’s a real analogy between emotional pain and physical pain. If there’s something seriously wrong with you physically there’s pain before you have the operation and if you don’t do anything about it it will get worse and worse and make you sicker and sicker. Then you have the operation and you can’t feel it because you’re anaesthetised. And then there’s the pain of recovery. It’s not always easy, but it will get gradually better and better and is leading to healing and who...
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Prayer Walks

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, In : Prayer 


I admit that I often find it difficult to pray or get stuck in a rut, so I'm always on the look out for creative ideas to mix things up a bit. I've blogged before about creative prayer so you might want to check out those ideas:

I find that moving my body and being away from distractions is really helpful, which is why I'm a fan of prayer walking. It's something you can do on your own or with othe...
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"A Marathon Not a Sprint"

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, In : Reflections 


This is something I wrote when reflecting on Abby’s health and that of other friends with chronic pain.

Whenever we face some enduring difficulty, someone will invariably say “It’s a marathon not a sprint.” But actually it’s not a marathon either. A marathon is a set number of miles that you know from the beginning. It’s a long way, but it is finite. In a marathon you can pace yourself. In a marathon you know that if things get tough around 22 miles, you’ve got 4 miles to go and ...

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Top Christian YouTube channels: Part 3

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, In : Resources 


This is the third in my series of top Christian YouTube channels. You can read the first post here and second post here. As before, they're in no particular order.

  1. Explore God - Designed to help people explore questions they may have about God, such as 'Why does God allow pain and suffering?' and 'Can I know God personally?'
  2. God in Real Life - Reflections on how God can be seen and known in every day life.
  3. Jeff Lowe Psalms Project - Jeff has written tunes for all 150 Psalms and many of the recor...

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A furry lesson in love

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, In : Reflections 


Five weeks ago we got a cat. For a couple of nights before we collected him, I didn’t sleep very well as various thoughts were going through my mind. What if he’s aggressive? What if he shreds all our furniture? What if he’s sick everywhere? What if he doesn’t like us? What if he stinks?

Toby’s a 9 year old rescue cat with kidney disease and skin problems who was waiting to be adopted for two years without success. As we brought him into our home and got to know him, and he became co...

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Chatting with Jon and Louise

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, March 11, 2021, In : Talks 
This week I had the privilege of virtually visiting Devon through the powers of Zoom and having a chat with Jon and Louise from Crossroad Seaton. I shared some of my story, we talked about how the culture around sexuality has changed, why biblical teaching on sexuality is good news and how churches can help same-sex attracted people to thrive.


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Grandpa's gadgets

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, In : Random stuff 


My Grandpa’s a sucker for a gadget. He’s bought all sorts of things over the years from idiot-proof cameras to slow cookers. He would excitedly unpack his new purchase, have a cursory go with it and then declare it stupid because he couldn’t get it to work and so he’d never use it again. (Sometimes he had a point. We all had a chuckle when an ‘anti-red eye pen’ turned out to be basically a black biro that you scribbled on your photos with.)

But most of the time it was more of a cas...

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Hebrews 10: 23 - 25

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, In : Talks 
Our church verses of the year for 2021 are Hebrews 10: 23 - 25

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Here's a short talk I gave about staying faithful to our faithful God, encouraging one another and living in the light of the c...

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18 handy free web tools

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, In : Resources 


There are some little things that you want to be able to do quickly with the minimum of fuss, and without faffing around with big and complicated software downloads, or firing up a whole office suite.

I thought I’d share with you the tools I have bookmarked over the years to help me work more efficiently. Whether you want to work out how long a talk will take to give, get hold of a temporary email address, manipulate an image or calculate the time between two different dates, hopefully you...

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Christianity and sexuality, can the church be inclusive? Critical Witness interview

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, February 15, 2021, In : Talks 
I recently had the privilege of appearing on the Critical Witness podcast to share a bit of my story and talk about sexuality, identity, mission, the gospel, and how the church can be truly welcoming to same-sex attracted people and invite them into a journey of radical discipleship.

We had lots of fun and I was reminded of how wonderful, challenging and rewarding the gospel of Jesus is. I hope you enjoy watching / listening.



Listen on the Critical Witness podcast page (episode #24)
Listen on Ap...
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Top Christian YouTube channels: Part 2

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, In : Resources 


This is the second in my series of top Christian YouTube channels. You can read the first post here. As before, they're in no particular order.
  1. Anchored North - Hard-hitting evangelistic videos on subjects that matter in our culture including sexuality, drugs, abortion, New Age and lots more.
  2. LUMO - Illuminating the gospels for our visual age, these are dramatisations of the scriptural text.
  3. Verge Network - A great mix of videos to equip the missional church. They have a significant number of vi...

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Adultery and lust - Matthew 5: 27 - 30

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, In : Talks 
As part of our Sermon on the Mount series at church, I gave a short talk on Jesus' teaching about adultery and lust from Matthew 5: 27 - 30.



Talk outline:

  1. The problem of the heart

    “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

    (a) The Bible doesn’t say that sex is bad

    (b) Jesus is talking about all forms of sexual immorality

  2. Our heart condition is serious

    “...

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Book Recommendations 2020

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, December 31, 2020, In : Books 
I have managed 114 books this year – not including part books and academic papers that I’ve read for my MA – which I’m pretty happy with. I think the COVID-19 situation has given me more time to read which is one good thing to come out of it. As usual, I’m doing a round up of my favourites which I hope will help you discover some interesting reads.

Top Christian



  • Paradoxology – Krish Kandiah
    This is an excellent exploration of some of the trickier bits of the Bible and paradoxes of f...

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God gives us... joy

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, December 14, 2020, In : Talks 
This is a short talk that I gave for Gateshead Central Baptist Church in advent 2020. Each week we focussed on a different word that is integral to life in Christ and mine was 'Joy'!




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Picture This Thought - Benches [Peace]

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, In : Video 
A reflection on what biblical peace means - so much more than ‘peace and quiet’, but rather the joy of restoration and reconciliation.

[Jesus replied] “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid...
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Checklist for rational scientific atheists

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 30, 2020, In : Infographics 
There are two things that strike me when I engage with people who claim to prefer science to religion. The first is the claim that science and religion are somehow essentially opposed to one another (which isn't true). The second is that the Christianity that they reject doesn't look anything like the Christianity that I know and love. I'm really surprised that many who value science so highly fail to employ the scientific method when it comes to assessing the truth (or otherwise) of Christia...
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Top christian YouTube channels: Part 1

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, In : Resources 


There's a wealth of great Christian content on YouTube, but sometimes finding it can be tricky. To help you, I've put together some of my favourite channels (in no particular order). Enjoy.

  1. Bible Project - They have hundreds of fantastic videos exploring books of the Bible, themes, Hebrew and Greek words, plus Bible study resources to go with them.
  2. Speak Life - All sorts of stuff including very shareable Christmas videos and lots of evangelistic material helping to apply the gospel to our cultu...

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Psalm 104

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, In : Video 
A reading of Psalm 104 illustrated by beautiful photography.


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Check your sources

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, In : Random stuff 


One of the unfortunate effects of the COVID-19 crisis seems to be an increase in false information being shared via social media and messaging apps. I’ve had supermarket scams, fake C. S. Lewis quotes and vaccination rumours shared with me by well-meaning fellow Christians (sometimes multiple times).

There are also Christian memes doing the rounds - sentiments that are wrapped up to look like Bible verses but are not in fact biblical. You may have seen the kind of thing – a cute puppy with...

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Do you take the Bible literally?

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, In : Bible study 


I’ve been asked this question a number of times and it’s a tricky one to answer as it all depends on what the questioner means. If they mean ‘Do you take the Bible seriously as the authoritative word of God?’ then the answer is yes. But if they mean ‘Do you think that every piece of writing in the Bible is literal description?’ then no.

Let me explain. The Bible is a library of 66 books written over a period spanning about 1370 years by 35 different people, for different purposes. ...

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Misunderstood lyrics and the Bible

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, In : Bible study 


Remember the Beatles song Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da? We used to sing it in school choir. One of the lines is ‘Desmond takes a trolley to the jewellery store.’ which had me really confused. I used to think that Desmond was buying so much jewellery that a basket wouldn’t be big enough. It was years until I realised that ‘trolley’ meant ‘trolley bus’ - the mode of transport that Desmond used to get to the jewellers.

This silly example shows how important it is to understand cultural and li...

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Free classic Christian books

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, August 28, 2020, In : Books 
Even though I own loads of actual, physical books, I've rediscovered my Kindle recently and am enjoying the fact that you can get lots of quality books for free.

The best way to find Christian classics is to do a search of Kindle books in the Christian category that are rated 4 stars or higher and sort them by price from low to high. Here's one I prepared earlier. (There's some rubbish in there, but plenty of treats for the discerning reader.)

I found a decent selection by Spurgeon including:
  • Be...

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The way she tells 'em

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, July 15, 2020, In : Random stuff 
Back in May, I had one day (31st May to be precise) where I suddenly decided to write some poems. I ended up writing 15 on a range of themes. Here's one of them that I hope you'll enjoy.



The way she tells 'em

A funny thing happened
the other day.
Now was it Tuesday or Wednesday?
I think it was Wednesday because
it was the day my new secateurs 
arrived through the post.
No wait! It was Tuesday 
when Sheila rang with the news
that her cat had had kittens
and her daughter had mumps.
Anyway, it was raining.
N...

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Picture This Thought - Statue of Liberty [Freedom]

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, July 5, 2020, In : Video 
What does it mean to be free? What does true freedom look like?

We talk about political freedom, freedom of religion, freedom of movement and free speech, but how free are we really?

This is a short exploration of the ways in which our freedom is restricted and how Jesus brings true liberation.

“If the Son [Jesus] sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8: 36



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Cryptic names and descriptions of God quiz

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, In : Random stuff 


1. Postman who does weights
2. Opposite of Cyclops
3. Posh yes, discover the mass
4. I am a Spanish waiter
5. Swedish supergroup
6. Hi third person singular
7. Monarch’s son of green vegetables
8. 1990s chat show
9. Eating flames
10. Like Greyfriars Bobby perhaps?
11. At the very top
12. Very old, periods of time
13. Unfit sock of Jerusalem’s land
14. Souvenir from Blackpool?
15. Winner of ‘One man and his dog’
16. Lots of money for finding a lost pet
17. An inhabitant of Stoke on Trent’s professio...

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Joel chapters 2 and 3 - A short talk

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, June 29, 2020, In : Talks 
This is the second half of my series on Joel, which I prepared for our online church service yesterday. It's a 15 minute exploration of this fascinating prophecy and how it tells the story of God's grand plan for his people, from creation in Genesis to new creation in Revelation.


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Joel chapter 1 - a short talk

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, June 21, 2020, In : Talks 
I preached at online church this morning on Joel chapter 1, which is a fascinating passage and very relevant in our current circumstances.

You can watch below (13 mins) and the final part will be posted next week.


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The case for Christian humanism

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, June 21, 2020, In : Resources 


I just watched a video about humanism which I found very interesting, particularly because of the use of words like ‘wonder’, ‘awe’, ‘dignity’, ‘infinitely precious’, ‘miraculous’. There’s lots that I can agree with, even if I don’t hold to the overreach of scientism or the naive optimism that we can all somehow get along fine if we try to be good and use ‘common sense’.
Many people don’t realise that humanism owes a lot to a Christian worldview. The difficulty is...

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Who will remember you?

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, June 5, 2020, In : Reflections 


I’m working my way through 1 Chronicles at the moment and I must admit I’m finding it quite tedious. A lot of the book consists of a long list of names; fathers and sons, families and daughters and wives - just a long list of people who don’t really mean anything to me. It’s tempting to skip over all these genealogies. After all, none of us really know who any of these people are and, unless you’re a Jewish historian, you probably don’t really care much about who Hazarmaveth or Ad...

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Screens, screens everywhere

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 29, 2020, In : Reflections 


One of the things I’m finding hardest about lockdown is the increased reliance on screens, not just to do my job, but in order to be able to keep in touch with family and friends. I’d almost rather have no contact than the frustratingly inadequate two-dimensional experience of staring at my pixelated friends (and my own face), complete with audio lag. There’s no room for nuance, body language, hugs, comic timing or companionable silence. It just seems to emphasise our apartness. (For mo...

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The power of the Spirit - Pentecost reflection

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, May 25, 2020, In : Video 
A short reflection on the power of the Spirit that came down at Pentecost and enables believers to love, hope, share the good news of Jesus and become more like him.


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Picture This Thought - Tree [Growth]

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, May 9, 2020, In : Video 
Some reflections on what growth means for a Christian and for the Kingdom of God. I explore the fact that growth comes from God and isn't manufactured by us; that something huge and beautiful can come from something tiny; and that a seed needs to die in order to fulfil its purpose of flourishing.



You may also like this post on spiritual growth.


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He must become greater; I must become less

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, In : Reflections 


Lockdown is hard and many of us are struggling to feel good about ourselves. As we are all cut off from community and being driven online we need to guard against getting our value from Facebook likes, emojis, and cheap uplifting sentiment shared online. Instead we need to look to God for our worth and value. We are made in the image of the divine creator and that fundamentally shapes our identity and tells us who we are and why we matter.

But that’s not the end of the matter. There is a dan...

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What I learned about prayer from my friend and her lucky crystal

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, April 20, 2020, In : Random stuff 


I’ve just read ‘Faitheism’ by Krish Kandiah and found it really helpful and thought-provoking. He seeks to diffuse the ‘us vs them’ polarisation that often characterises interactions between Atheists and Christians and explores ways that we can find common ground and forge more meaningful relationships.

In the chapter on suffering he highlights a couple of case studies where Christians have been disciplined or fired from their jobs because they’ve offered to pray with people at wor...

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Picture This Thought - Microphone [Spreading news - Easter special]

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, April 20, 2020, In : Video 
A reflection on how the good news of Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection spread in the early church and how we can take up the challenge of Jesus’ Great Commission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.




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Palm Sunday sermon: Matthew 21: 1 - 11

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, April 5, 2020, In : Talks 
This sermon was originally part of Durham Road Baptist's online service on 5 April 2020.

If you want to explore more about who Jesus is, the Bethinking website is great.


Find a church near you on the Evangelical Alliance church finder page.




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Stations of the cross - 15 video meditations

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, April 4, 2020, In : Video 
In preparation for Easter, our church has produced 15 short video meditations centred round the stations of the cross. Each short video features a Bible reading, reflection and song to help us focus on Jesus' journey to the cross.

I hope these bless you in your own faith, and please feel free to share with others.


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Coronavirus - opportunities for mission

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, In : Random stuff 


In these uncertain times, many people are understandably feeling a mixture of emotions including fear and anger. For many, the things that they find security in like health, work, finances and comfortable living are being taken away. It's easy to panic. It's easy to react by hoarding tins of meatballs and packets of loo roll. But how do we as God's people respond? Here are 3 very simple things that I have found helpful:

  1. Remembering that God is still sovereign. This is not a surprise to God. Th...

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Picture This Thought - Parrot [Creation care]

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, February 14, 2020, In : Video 
A brief look at why care for the environment isn't an 'optional extra' for a Christian, but part of God's calling to all of us. We can look forward to the earth being liberated from its bondage to decay and being fully renewed, but that's not an excuse to do nothing now. Looking after God's good creation is an essential part of our worship, stewardship of resources and justice for the poor.

Read more in this post.




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8 sites for Christian Infographics

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, In : Resources 
I’m a visual person. I love diagrams, maps, timelines… One of the things that I’ve found really helpful in understanding the Bible and growing in my Christian walk is looking at Christian infographics. Often they really help to represent complex information in an easily digestible form. So here are my favourites:




This is one of my go-to sources of quality charts and diagrams. There are maps, book outlines, timelines, and even a min...

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Slavery or Freedom? Galatians 4

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, In : Talks 
Last Sunday I preached on this rich passage from Galatians. Here's a rough transcript of what I said. You can also download the MP3 (15 mins) and PowerPoint from the church website.

We've looked at 3 main themes in Galatians:

  1. God is saving a family (not just individuals)
  2. Salvation is coming from the Old Testament (through the promised Messiah)
  3. That saved family is marked by the faith of Abraham, not the law of Moses (external religion trying to follow rules always goes bad. Faith in Jesus brings ...

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St. Patrick's Breastplate (I Arise Today)

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, In : Prayer 


Some excerpts from St. Patrick's famous prayer:

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of h...

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Picture This Thought - Temple [God’s presence]

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, In : Video 
Where can we go to meet with God and how can the gap between a holy God and a rebellious people be bridged? A short explanation of the meaning of the temple for God’s people and the new way that Jesus has opened up for us to know God.

See also the Bible Project video on the Temple


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Book Recommendations 2019

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, December 27, 2019, In : Books 
It's become traditional that I round off the year with a survey of my reading and a few recommendations of books that I think are interesting, challenging, moving, informative or just fun.

Here are the numbers of books I read for the last four years:

2016 40
2017 134
2018 54
2019 80

As with last year, it was a real mixture of stuff, with probably more Christian titles in preparation for talks and assignments. Here's my round up of the best.

Top Christian




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New Living Out articles

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, December 20, 2019, In : Resources 


I have been busy working on the Living Out website, both updating the content that was already there and adding new stuff.

There are three new articles that you may find interesting - two by me and one by my good friend Jo. If you have any comments or feedback, I'd love to hear from you.

  • The call to all. In this piece, Jo shares about how she's become more willing to publicly engage with LGBT issues and how that's been a positive experience for her. She calls the church to stand alongside same-...

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Picture This Thought - Derelict church [Christendom]

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, December 8, 2019, In : Video 
Why the crumbing of Christendom is a good thing. Christianity was never meant to be a state religion, forced on people by powerful authorities. The Kingdom of God is much more subversive. Jesus showed the greater power of foot-washing and self-sacrifice.


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Picture This Thought - Robin [Transformation]

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 25, 2019, In : Video 
Becoming a Christian involves radical transformation as we become more like Christ. How can our lives look distinctive as God transforms out beliefs, thoughts, character and behaviour?


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Picture This Thought - Poppy [Remembrance]

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, November 10, 2019, In : Video 
A reflection on the importance of remembrance and the significance of the Lord’s Supper in reminding us of the ultimate sacrifice to bring us life, freedom from oppression and liberty from evil.

Psalm 77: 11 - 12

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’

Luke 22: 19

And [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for y...

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21 sites for shareable Christian videos

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, In : Video 


One way to initiate conversations about faith is to share and discuss video content. There are some really innovative Christian ministries, filmmakers and musicians making thoughtful Christian media which you can share with your friends.

  1. Global Short Film Network - Films with discussion questions
  2. Yes He Is - Evangelistic videos on a mobile app
  3. Moving Works - Short, beautiful evangelistic films
  4. Fervr - Videos for Christian youth
  5. Go Chatter - Videos to get people talking about Jesus
  6. Share These - Ani...

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3 of my favourite reads this year

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, August 30, 2019, In : Books 


For those who do still like to get their information from books, here are my favourite three Christian reads so far this year:

  1. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott
    I read this in conjunction with working through the corresponding Lifebuilder Bible Study (also by Stott). Like all Bible Speaks Today commentaries, it combines helpful cultural context and background with a systematic exegesis and application of the text. This is one of the most significant passages of Scripture whic...

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Scripture engagement: Mark's gospel

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, August 22, 2019, In : Video 
Over the summer, I studied a module on 'Scripture Engagement' for my Master's course. It's all about how to connect people with the Bible so that they can understand it and experience its truth for themselves. One of the fascinating aspects is how to engage non-literate communities with the Scriptures. It's easy to assume that this isn't really an issue in the UK, where the literacy rate is 99% (Knoema, 2014). However, the reality is more complicated, with 16.4% of adults in the UK having ver...
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6 of the best daily prayer apps

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, August 3, 2019, In : Prayer 
I have recently been helped in the discipline of daily prayer by a number of apps, so I wanted to share 6 of the best free ones. The selection represents a number of different Christian faith traditions, so I hope that there is something for everyone.



(1) Pray As You Go (Free)


This is my favourite daily prayer app. Each day there is an audio reflection of about 12 minutes which includes music, Scripture reading, questions for reflection and quiet time for yo...

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Picture this thought - Candle [Simplicity]

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, June 29, 2019, In : Video 
A short reflection on simplicity in our materialistic and consumeristic culture. How can we focus on what really matters instead of ploughing our energy into working for things which won't last?

Jesus said "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." (Luke 12: 15) and "Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matt 19: 21)



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A few faith-based funnies

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, June 13, 2019, In : Random stuff 


A minister decided to visit his church members one Saturday. At one particular house it was clear that someone was home, but nobody came to the door. The minister knocked several times and finally took out his card and wrote on the back: 

Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with me." 

The next day the same card showed up in the collection plate. Below the minister’s message was another s...

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9 inspirational women from the New Testament

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, June 6, 2019, In : Random stuff 
I love the fact that the New Testament records a range of women of different ages and backgrounds using their skills and gifts for God's Kingdom. We see rich and poor, educated and uneducated, single and married, leaders, charity workers, intellectuals, risk-takers, business women and craftswomen all being used by God in powerful ways. It truly is astonishing when you think about the cultural context of the New Testament - in the Jewish world, Greek culture and the Roman empire - that women h...
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Picture This Thought - Metro train [Busyness]

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, June 6, 2019, In : Video 
A 3-min reflection on the fast pace of modern life, our idolatry of productivity and where our sense of worth comes from. 



You can read more in my post Life in the Fast Lane.
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Picture This Thought - All sorts [The body of Christ]

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, In : Video 
A 3-minute reflection on the community of the church as the Body of Christ, valuing everyone and loving our enemies.

You may also enjoy my blog post - The Strange Little Band of the Gospel.

For more about the politics of enemy love, I recommend 'Sympathy For Jonah' by David Benjamin Blower.



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9 Christian women you should know

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 17, 2019, In : Random stuff 
  1. Susan B. Anthony (1820 - 1906)
    Born into a Quaker family with a long history of anti-slave activism, Susan B. Anthony developed an early sense of fairness and justice. She dedicated her life to women’s suffrage after joining the women’s rights movements in 1852. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery, the right for women to own their own property, to keep their earnings, as well as their right to attend higher learning institutions.


  2. Sojourner Truth (Unknown - 1883)
    She was born a sla...

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Picture This Thought - Meal [Food]

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, In : Video 
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.


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5 ways the prophecy of Joel challenges today’s church

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, In : Bible study 


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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11 more of my favourite podcasts

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, March 8, 2019, In : Random stuff 


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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A prayer of John Wesley

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, February 4, 2019, In : Prayer 


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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Isn’t it all about rule-keeping?

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, January 17, 2019, In : Reflections 


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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Book recommendations 2018

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, December 31, 2018, In : Books 
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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Retreat Guide 2019 - The Sermon on the Mount

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, December 14, 2018, In : Resources 


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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The Kindness Instinct

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, In : Reflections 


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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The strange little band of the gospel

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 19, 2018, In : Move magazine 
'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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Tips for debating better on Facebook - Guest post

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, October 18, 2018, In : Random stuff 


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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"God is your Father, not your boss"

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, October 11, 2018, In : Reflections 


Recently I have been experiencing a bit of a dip in mental health. I went to the doctor and he said that I needed to take things easier, so I have been attempting to do that. I've realised that I don't find it very easy to relax and be still. I've even been working hard on trying to get better and trying to feel closer to God, but had been feeling flat and frustrated.

This weekend I was at the True Freedom Trust annual conference and God used it really powerfully to help me. I was apprehensive...

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Top apps, tools and websites for students

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, September 7, 2018, In : Resources 


As I’ve gone back to studying, I’ve found some useful tools to help. As this new academic year kicks off, I thought it would be useful to share my favourites:

  1. Reference manager - Zotero (free). Zotero is a brilliant way of organising all your sources including books, papers, presentations, journal articles, videos, podcasts and more. It’s really easy to generate bibliographies from your source material and use tagging to organise and sort your material efficiently. It really is an excell...

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PrayerMate Send

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, August 30, 2018, In : Prayer 


For a few months now, I’ve been using PrayerMate Send which is a brilliant way to help people know what to pray for in my ministry. It’s ideal for anyone in Christian ministry, churches, youth groups, social action projects, charities and anyone that wants to encourage others to pray for their work.

PrayerMate is a great, free app for smartphones which allows users to organise the things they’re praying for, add contacts, create lists and subscribe to feeds from organisations and individ...

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Bible character collecting cards

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, August 23, 2018, In : Resources 


I've always loved collecting things, especially fact cards, so I was really pleased to discover this free trading card creator. You can use one of their pre-made templates or create your own categories. The above example of Paul shows one I created to include information about when and where he lived, his role and family background, Bible books he appears in and wrote, major events in his life and a couple of famous quotes from Scripture.

They have ready-made templates for people, places, obje...
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The joy of giving

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, August 15, 2018, In : Reflections 


This morning I was interviewed as part of some research on charitable giving at Northumbria University. I was asked about which charities I give to, how I give and my motivations, which was a great opportunity to reflect.

I haven't always given to charity and for me it's been a process of growing in my faith, trusting God more, appreciating what he's giving me, and realising that what Jesus said is true - it really is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20: 35).

There are a number of thi...

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Picture This Thought

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, August 3, 2018, In : Video 


I'm exploring different ways to do discipleship and outreach, especially over the summer as it's harder to see people in person. I think that digital media can be a helpful tool to engage people with faith and help them to think about Jesus.

I have just started recording a short video reflection each day based on a photo I've taken. The aim is to think about what the picture might tell us about God and his world and my prayer is that it will spark offline conversations with students and others...

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Life in the Fast Lane

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, In : Reflections 


I have just had quite a busy two months, what with a work trip to Paris, running training in Birmingham, speaking at two conferences in London, doing a Master’s assignment, going to Granny’s funeral, completing the 3 week summer school intensive for my Master’s in Gloucester and visiting family in Manchester. I’m now home and supposedly having a bit of a rest, but I’ve realised how hard it is to stop.

I have a wooden block by my bed with the verse ‘Be still and know that I am God...

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What’s your favourite smell?

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, June 25, 2018, In : Random stuff 


I've been thinking a lot recently about smells and more specifically about the power of smell to recall long-forgotten people and places from the distant past. We've probably all had the experience when we've been going about our daily lives when suddenly a scent will stop us in our tracks and we feel that we are once again in our grandmother's kitchen or walking through the school doors for the very first time. Smell can transport you back to the moment in a way that no other sense can and c...

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Sites for Christian book lovers

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, June 14, 2018, In : Books 


I love books and I'm a Christian, so I do enjoy Christian books (as anyone who knows me or has been to my house will attest!). I've collected a number of useful links to sites where you can buy books, read reviews and support Christian literature charities. Enjoy!

Sites for Christian book-lovers

  • Books For Life - Videos of Christian leaders talking about the books that have changed their lives.
Shops


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Are we efficiently miserable? Relational breakdown vs the Kingdom story

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, June 4, 2018, In : Reflections 



Sometimes it’s hard to see what the goal of human progress is. As technology develops, we’re doing things quicker and more efficiently than ever before, but at what cost?

We’re bugged by constant reminders and notifications. We have advanced technological systems to keep us in line and ‘on track’ but what’s it all for?

We seem to be advancing technologically at the expense of human contact and community. We've lost the ability to relate to strangers. We can now perform mos...


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Dramatic rescue

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, May 26, 2018, In : Random stuff 



Abby and I had a lovely week in the Scottish Borders at the start of May, but it didn’t turn out quite as restful as expected, with me having to be airlifted to safety off a cliff! We’d walked along a coastal path to Siccar Point which has some fascinating geological formations. Abby wisely decided to stay up top, but I saw a rope by the fence so lowered myself down for a closer look. After exploring the rocks, I decided to try coming back up the steep slope an ‘easier’ way so I scram...


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Prayer treasure hunt

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, May 14, 2018, In : Prayer 


Prayer walking is a great way of lifting the needs of your area to the Lord and asking for his kingdom to come in your community. On a recent day of prayer, I was responsible for organising the prayer walk and I thought it would be fun to do it as a treasure hunt. I thought I'd share it here so that you can have a go too.

The idea is to go around spotting certain things from the list and praying for the corresponding needs represented. A route of about an hour works well. You can download the ...
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Rest

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, In : Reflections 


This post is based on a talk I did at the Student Life Hub on the subject of rest.

What is rest?

  • Are resting and relaxing the same thing?
  • Is rest an active or a passive thing?
  • Does it mean doing something or is it about cutting things out?
How do you like to rest? 

Maybe you like to sleep, watch Netflix, do crafts, sport, music, get out in nature, meditate, read, or do some gardening…

I’ve been trying over the last year or so to be much more intentional about what I do with my downtime so that...

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A heart of flesh and a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36)

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, March 31, 2018, In : Reflections 

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Giving what is most precious: Lessons from a young boy and his Easter egg

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, March 29, 2018, In : Reflections 


When I was younger, my family and I were often on holiday over Easter. Mum and I had a tradition that we’d always go to the Easter service at the local church, which I really enjoyed.

One Easter, we were on holiday somewhere in Wales and I was sitting in the pew next to a young boy and his mother. As is traditional at many churches on Easter day, all the children were to be given a chocolate egg at the end of the service. The little boy next to me clearly knew about this custom and was eager...

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Why I agree with the atheists: 9 reasons I’m pleased that Christendom is crumbling

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, March 22, 2018, In : Reflections 


You may have seen a recent Guardian article with the headline “'Christianity as default is gone': the rise of a non-Christian Europe.”

Lots of vocal atheists are hailing this as good news, and there are 9 reasons why I agree with them.

But first, a (very short) history of Christendom. Christendom can be defined as simply the global community of Christians, but that’s not how I’m using the term here. Bishop Curry in ‘Farewell to Christendom: The Future of Church and State in America’...

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Loving God

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, In : Reflections 


“Jesus replied, ‘“Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
(Matt 22: 37 - 38)

What does it mean to love God? Maybe some of us would struggle to answer that question.

When I was younger I used to be taken by my Gran to see my great Auntie Nellie. I used to love going there because I knew that at the end of the visit I would be given 20p spends. Did I love Auntie Nellie? The truth is that I didn...

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16 fascinating Bible facts

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, February 22, 2018, In : Infographics 
  1. The Bible didn’t originally have chapters and verses. Scholars added chapters in around A.D. 1227 and verses in 1555.
  2. The Bible was written in 3 languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
  3. The full Bible has been translated into about 670 languages and the New Testament is available in 1521 languages.
  4. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament.
  5. There are nearly 100 quotes or references to Deuteronomy in the New Testament.
  6. The middle verse in the Bible is Psalm 118: 8 “It is better to take re...

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10 Christian podcasts to grow your faith

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, February 7, 2018, In : Random stuff 


This is the third post in my series on recommended podcasts and there are some absolute gems to discover.

(1) Nomad 
Topic: Interviews with Christian thinkers
Frequency: Fortnightly
Run time: Variable. Usually about 90 mins.
This is my current favourite and I listen to it while I’m swimming (on a waterproof MP3 player). Tim and David present a fascinating showcase of thoughtful viewpoints. Topics range from ecology, uncertainty and consumerism to LGBT identity, the arts, and mission-shap...


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Bountiful conference: Transforming others through our gifts

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, February 5, 2018, In : Talks 
This weekend I had the privilege of speaking at the Bountiful Women's conference in Sevenoaks. My workshop was entitled 'Transforming others through our gifts' and we looked at some key biblical principles regarding gifts and well as women using their gifts in mission from the early church in the gospels and Acts, through church history to the present day. We also looked at practical and creative ideas to use our gifts in evangelism and social action.

Listen to the workshop here


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What's wrong with the world?

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, February 2, 2018, In : Reflections 


The word ‘sin’ isn’t used much these days is it? We talk about making ‘mistakes’ as if it’s accidental. We talk about ‘inappropriate’ behaviour (a bit like wearing ‘inappropriate’ shoes for a night out). We talk about ‘misconduct’ as if someone wasn’t paying attention in deportment lessons and has been presenting themselves is a sloppy manner. We say ‘oh well, nobody’s perfect’ to excuse lying, selfishness, being deliberately horrible to people, holding grudges...

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The Monk and the Woman

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, In : Random stuff 


Two Buddhist monks, on their way to the monastery, found an exceedingly beautiful woman at the river bank. Like them, she wanted to cross the river, but the water was too high. So one of them took her across on his shoulders.

The other was thoroughly scandalised. For two hours he scolded the offender for his breach of the Rule: Had he forgotten he was a monk? How had he dared to touch the woman? And worse, carry her over the river? And what would people say? Had he not disgraced their holy Rel...

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4 reasons to memorise Scripture (and 6 apps to help)

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, January 15, 2018, In : Reflections 


In the 'olden days', most children went to Sunday school where one of the things they would have learnt is to memorise Scripture. These days, many of us are growing up with a poor knowledge of God’s word and relying on our Bible apps on our phones. And yet memorising Scripture is vital. Here are 4 important reasons why:

(1) Warfare

We can become complacent and forget that we’re engaged in spiritual warfare and yet the Bible says ‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you’. Je...


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Bamboo toothbrushes and justice for the poor

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, January 1, 2018, In : Reflections 


Christians - especially evangelicals - are sometimes rightly criticised for being environmentally irresponsible and simply not caring enough about living sustainably on the earth. It’s hard for church to be attractive to my ethically aware friends when they’re confronted by hundreds of disposable plastic communion cups. And I must admit that for a long time I thought of environmentalism as an ‘optional extra’ rather than an integral part of my obedience to Jesus.

It’s clear right fro...

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Hiraeth - Biblical reflection video

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, December 31, 2017, In : Video 

Over Christmas, I did some reflecting on the concept of 'home'. I came across the word 'Hiraeth' in a book I was reading and it got me thinking. ‘Hiraeth’ is a Welsh word that has no direct English translation. It is a "strange, conflicted feeling of incompleteness, the boundless longing for a home from which we feel we have been exiled." [Glynn Harrison, A Better Story P. 149]

The best of this world and the worst of this world inspires my longing for home, so I made a short video to try a...

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Book recommendations 2017

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, December 21, 2017, In : Books 

As I look back on the year, one of the highlights has been the amount and scope of reading I've done. This was an intentional move which was fuelled by me deleting all the games from my phone in February. I have really loved re-discovering the many benefits of reading books.

In 2016 I read 40 books. In 2017 this increased to 134! There has been a total mixture of themes from science to humour via typography and transport. It’s almost impossible to pick favourites, but I’ve chosen...


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New Year retreat guide

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, December 14, 2017, In : Resources 


Once the mince pies have been scoffed and the wrapping paper's been recycled, it's time to pause to reflect and think about the year ahead.

Agape's New Year Retreat Guide for 2018 has been put together to help our staff, volunteers and anyone connected with Agapé start the new year with prayer and contemplation. It's based on Colossians 1 and it's available here FREE ... it's really an excellent resource, so please use and share.

Download the free New Year Retreat Guide for 2018


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Cryptic Christmas Carols and Songs

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, December 5, 2017, In : Random stuff 


Here's a bit of seasonal fun for you - 15 cryptic clues to popular Christmas songs. Enjoy!

  1. Ms Vorderman in Brighton
  2. Snooker's Mr. Junhui and Vietnam's currency happily elevated
  3. Ms. Valance and the evergreen climber
  4. Advertising song, Taco _____ , Blackpool treat
  5. Petite male timpanist
  6. Deep satisfaction to the earth
  7. One spied a trio of vessels
  8. Quiet after sunset
  9. Small, mafia boss, door opener
  10. Toboggan trip
  11. Folk story of the Big Apple
  12. The Almighty, pause, you inebriated chaps
  13. Triplicate monarchs
  14. On the desolat...

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Thanksgiving

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 27, 2017, In : Ministry 


Our Thanksgiving celebrations are one of the highlights of the autumn term. This year we had an international bring-and-share celebratory meal at Heaton Baptist Church and it was a fantastic evening! We had about 50 guests and lots of delicious food. During the evening we had games, a quiz on the tables, some discussion and activities to enable people to cultivate an 'attitude of gratitude'. Kathi did a short talk on the fascinating origins of Thanksgiving in the USA and I followed with some ...
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10 more great podcasts

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, November 9, 2017, In : Random stuff 


In a previous post, I shared 12 of my favourite podcasts. I know that many of you enjoyed discovering them and so I thought I’d share 10 more podcasts that are enjoyable and informative.

As before, all of these are available free through iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and other Podcast services.

Topic: Theology
Frequency: Weekly
Running time: 40 - 60 mins
From the makers of the excellent Bible Project videos, this podcast comprises dialogue between hosts Tim and Jon...

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BCE: Is it really time to erase Christianity from history?

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, October 29, 2017, In : Reflections 


It seems there’s more and more pressure to erase Christianity from history to avoid offending those of other faiths or of a secular worldview. 

A recent investigation by the Mail on Sunday found that more schools using BCE and CE instead of BC and AD to avoid offending those of non-Christian faiths. 

This strikes me as ridiculous for three reasons:

(1) The terms BC and AD are hardly used in a proselytising way. They’re just a convention in the Gregorian calendar and I’m sure that lots of p...

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How can I love people I don’t like?

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, October 5, 2017, In : Reflections 



It’s hard to love everyone. It’s almost impossible to like everyone. Yet, there are ways that we can develop a more Jesus-like heart towards those we find difficult.

God has been challenging me about loving my enemies.

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
Matt. 5: 44 - 45

I used to rather piously think I didn’t have any enemies. Perhaps it’s true that there’s no one who’s trying to k...


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Why believe? 6 bonus apologetics sites and apps

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, September 11, 2017, In : Resources 



In May I did a series on 12 apologetics sites and apps. You can see 1 - 6 here and 7 - 12 here.

Here are a further 6 resources that are helpful for people exploring Christianity, or helpful for Christians who want to have robust answers to difficult questions.

(1) Christian Apologetics Alliance
The CAA is an evangelical, non-denominational Christian ministry. It concentrates on a robust defence of the central claims of Christianity, rather than secondary issues about which Christian may disa...


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Agapé Student Life in Newcastle showcase 2017

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, In : Video 
A video of photos and quotes from Agapé Student Life in Newcastle, from the academic year 2016 - 7.


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God’s moral law

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, August 16, 2017, In : Reflections 



It seems that we’re living in a post-truth world, surrounded by fake news in a post-modern culture of extreme moral relativism. How many times have you heard someone say, ‘Well that might be true for you, but it isn’t true for me.’ or ‘This is my truth’?

A difficulty with moral relativism is that right and wrong become simply a matter of opinion. There is no intrinsic rightness or wrongness and no substantive or qualitative difference between 'Don't drive through a red light' and ...


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11 Christian musicians who are worth a listen

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, August 9, 2017, In : Random stuff 


I always like getting recommendations of new artists to check out, so I hope you’ll enjoy discovering some new favourites here. In no particular order:

  1. Jane Kitson
    North-East based Jane Kitson is a talented singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist (and probably plays other instruments as well), with a great voice.

  2. Aaron Taylor
    Soulful Aaron Taylor is so mellow and his R&B sounds are silky smooth.

  3. mStork
    mStork is ‘not your average rap package, unabashedly expansive and genuinely rebellious'. His l...

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Philip and the Ethiopian: Lessons in evangelism

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, July 31, 2017, In : Reflections 


I recently preached at Kelvin Grove church in Gateshead and my text was Acts 8: 26 - 40. I’m not going to recreate the sermon here or go into the background and exegesis of the passage, but I did want to highlight 4 things we can learn about Philip’s approach to evangelism:

(1) Relying on the on the Holy Spirit
Clear that Philip relied on and was directed by the Spirit (v.26, 29, 39). He was open to going where God told him to go in the power that God gave him, and we need to do the same. W...

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Cryptic Christians Quiz

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, July 24, 2017, In : Random stuff 


Every now and again I like to post something a bit lighthearted on my blog, and this time I've written a series of cryptic clues to lead you to the names of famous Christians past and present. See if you can get them all without looking stuff up on Google!

  1. Redeemed, eighth month, adolescent 
  2. Dad's Army's Mr Dunn, paper-fasteners, Oxford crime-solver
  3. Mr Major has a bony foot deformity
  4. Fairy take goat, Golden cereal
  5. Ultimate, toilet, vehicle, uncooked-bread
  6. Triple-jumping puritan theologian?
  7. Mr Presco...

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The C word: Why is celibacy so misunderstood and undervalued?

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, July 3, 2017, In : Reflections 

Celibacy is like a dirty word in our culture - something to be ashamed of. People don't know how to react when I say I'm celibate (but it ranges from embarrassed silence to pity, to disbelief, to thinking that there must be something seriously wrong with me, to being intrigued or impressed). It may be misunderstood in our culture, but celibacy is liberating, demanding, exhilarating and above all, a gift from God. 

Part of the problem is that our society equates intimacy with sex and treats sex...

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9 recommended books for skeptics and those investigating Christianity

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, June 30, 2017, In : Books 

Maybe you’re already a Christian and would like some good books to give to friends who are interested in your faith, or would like to make sure that you have rigorously thought through what you believe. Or maybe you have doubts about Christianity and objections to the claims Christians make. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, I would highly recommend the books below.

  1. Gospel of John
    The best place to start is with one of the gospel accounts in the Bible itself. They all have their own...

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After the Rain - Stewart Garry

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, June 19, 2017, In : Video 
I love this piece of music.


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Educational, inspirational and funny treats for your ears: 12 of my favourite podcasts

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 26, 2017, In : Random stuff 


I find that listening to podcasts helps me to engage with big ideas, be more informed about the world around me, and enjoy some top-class entertainment. Maybe you haven’t tried podcasts yet, or maybe you’re looking for some new favourites. There are thousands of brilliant free podcasts out there just waiting to be discovered, but where do you start? Well, hopefully this list of my 12 favourites will point you in the right direction.

All of these are available free through iTunes, Google Pl...

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Doesn’t religion treat women terribly?

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, May 23, 2017, In : Apologetics 


One of the many reasons that I love Jesus is his radical approach to women. At a time when women were treated as possessions and had virtually no voice in public life, Jesus unequivocally saw women as equal in worth and value to men.

Luke 7: 36 - 50 records the account of Jesus eating at a Pharisee's house when a prostitute weeps over his feet, kisses them and pours perfume on them in an intimate gesture of devotion. It's hard to describe how shocked and horrified the Pharisee (an up...


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Letting God Drive: Pain, prayer and the Holy Spirit

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, May 21, 2017, In : Reflections 


I suffer from Bipolar Disorder and have to be careful about my routine in order to keep my mood stable. I definitely overdid things in the first few months of this year, which led to me feeling burnt out and struggling with low mood. The doctor signed me off work so that I could rest and recuperate and my colleagues and friends have been very supportive in recognising this need to regroup.

The first few weeks were very difficult and I didn’t feel capable of much, but I very clearly felt held...

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Why believe? 12 Apologetics sites and apps [Part 2 of 2]

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, May 16, 2017, In : Resources 


In part 1 of this post, I shared 6 helpful apologetics websites, which I hope have challenged you to be a thinking believer and helped you to answer the questions of your non-Christian family and friends.

Here are the final 6, in no particular order:

(7) Christianity Explored
iOS app download 
Android app download 
This site has a page with 15 videos on commonly asked tough questions, including ‘Why bother with church?’, ‘Surely it’s arrogant to say that your religion is the only right one...

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Why believe? 12 Apologetics sites and apps [Part 1 of 2]

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 12, 2017, In : Resources 


In Scripture we are exhorted to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3: 15). Many of us will have non-Christian family and friends who ask us questions about why we believe what we believe, and we need to be prepared to answer them “with gentleness and respect.”

Many atheists, especially those who follow the teachings of Richard Dawkins and the like particularly closely, think that faith is ‘blind faith...

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Finding a future in the age of fear [MOVE magazine feature]

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 5, 2017, In : Move magazine 


The latest edition of Agapé MOVE magazine is out and it's a great read. The theme is 'Finding a future in the age of fear' and it's packed with interesting articles and resources. As editor Danielle Wilson says:

"I don’t need to tell you that global events over the last year or so have left many of us feeling uncertain about the future, unsure if we really know our neighbours and perhaps paralysed in the face of unfathomable suffering.

We live in a world where talk is cheap, answers aren’t...

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Legal drug

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, April 29, 2017, In : Random stuff 


I've been doing a lot of thinking and reading recently about how technology affects our emotional and spiritual lives. Once I've formulated my thoughts, I'm sure I'll write something about it here.

In the meantime, I discovered a load of old poetry when I was sorting through some folders on my computer. This is a poem that I wrote when I was 17 in 1994, before most people had the internet and long before social media and smartphones. It's interesting to re-discover it and realise that I seem t...
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Christian book library

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, April 9, 2017, In : Resources 


I am fortunate enough to own a good selection of Christian books and want to make these available for other people to borrow. I have uploaded a searchable spreadsheet of over 1200 Christian books that are available to borrow. Please contact me for the password.


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50 Years of Agapé UK - What is our Story?

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, In : Video 
Agapé began in the UK in 1967. This short animation tells the story of God at work in and through us over the last 50 years.

50 Years of Agapé UK - What is our Story? from Agapé UK on Vimeo.


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Wholehearted From the Start - The Gospel

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, February 9, 2017, In : Talks 


Last weekend I had the opportunity to speak at the Agapé MOVE conference - a celebration of 50 years of ministry in the UK. It was a brilliant weekend and an opportunity to praise God for the gospel transformation he has brought to so many lives.

A number of people have asked for copies of my talk so here it is.

Download the audio (MP3 - Duration 20 mins)

Download the transcript (PDF)

Download the PowerPoint

Transcript below

Wholehearted from the Start

Many of us here have had our lives transformed...

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9 Fantastic Bible Study Apps and Websites

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 24, 2017, In : Resources 
(1) WORDsearch Bible by LifeWay Christian Resources (Free)

Available for PC and Mac, this free Bible reference software package includes over 200 Bibles, commentaries, devotionals, dictionaries, maps and other study tools, with the option to buy more if you want. The computer software syncs with the app so that you always have your reference library handy. It's absolutely amazing that all this Christian reference material is ...

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Repentance 101

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, January 9, 2017, In : Reflections 



I have been challenged recently that I’m not repentant enough in my walk with God. Sometimes I find it too easy to just say a blanket ‘Sorry for all the bad things I’ve done’ without really thinking about it. But I want to be better at being honest with God about specific areas of struggle and allow the Holy Spirit to change me to be more Christlike.

I searched for some stuff to help and couldn’t really find any step-by-step prompts that I could work through every day, so I decided...


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Starting out with prayer

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, January 9, 2017, In : Prayer 



If your New Year’s resolutions include ‘pray more’, then you might be interested in this free January prayer guide from Agapé. The guide features something short and specific for you to pray each day, mainly for your personal walk with God and witness.

Download the free January prayer guide here.


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Agapé MOVE weekend

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, December 8, 2016, In : Events 


Coming up in February is the Agapé MOVE Weekend - a celebration of 50 years of ministry in the UK and a chance to be envisioned and equipped for sharing the gospel. It will also incorporate the Fireseeds annual student gathering. I would like to invite you to come along and here are 5 reasons why I think you'd love it:

  • There will be a real atmosphere of celebration and some truly inspirational stories of God transforming lives.
  • There will be some great teaching and workshops on how to share ou...

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Allowing our Father to clean up the mess

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, December 8, 2016, In : Reflections 
Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."



The other day I saw a little boy running along and he tripped and fell flat on his face. He was covered in mud and gravel with blood all over his knees and snot and tears all over his face, but his Mum scooped him up and hugged away the pain, getting covered in blood, snot, mud and tears in the process. He wasn’t embarrassed that she saw him in that state. He didn’...
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40th birthday reflections

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, November 25, 2016, In : Random stuff 
Last week was a significant week for me as I marked my 40th birthday! It was great to be surrounded by family and friends and also to reflect on how far God has brought me. I am reminded of John 10: 10 when Jesus says "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." I haven't always been able to grasp that, but as I celebrated with so many people that I treasure all around me and thought about the hope I have in Christ, I feel immensely grateful to him for everything he's given...
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Amazing grace

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 7, 2016, In : Reflections 


This term has been really busy so far and it's got to that point where we're all feeling pretty tired. I've been finding it really important to remind myself that God is the one who sustains me and that I can't do ministry in my own strength. It can be very tempting to think that once God has done his work of salvation, it's then up to us to live up to his standards and become better people.

Most of us would probably agree that we don't need to prove ourselves to God or earn his love, but we c...
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Who matters?

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, October 28, 2016, In : Reflections 



Here’s a quiz for you. You don't have to actually answer the questions.

Just read it straight through, and you'll get the point.

  1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
  2. Name the last five winners of the Sports Personality of the Year.
  3. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
  4. Name the last five Entrepreneur Of The Year winners.
  5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
  6. Name the last decade's worth of Premiership winners.

How did you do?

The ...


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Snapshot

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 5, 2016, In : Ministry 

Snapshot


Over the Freshers’ period, we have been running a photo project called Snapshot, inspired by the ‘Humans of New York’ blog. Snapshot is a fun and simple way to meet new students, capture a snapshot of who they are and give them an invitation to the Student Life society.

We took ordinary packs of playing cards and stuck a different question to each card. Students were invited to pick 3 cards at random and answer the question that most appealed to them to be featured on the Snaps...


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Worship song - Behold Our God

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, September 26, 2016, In : Worship 

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Gunning for God Book Recommendation

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, September 19, 2016, In : Books 


I'm a big fan of John Lennox and really enjoyed Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists are Missing the Target: A Critique of the New Atheism. Lennox is learned, intelligent, rigorous and writes with clarity and wit. Here he tackles the seductive arguments of the likes of Dawkins, Hitchins, Dennett and Hawking and argues robustly that intelligent people can put their faith in the evidence for Christianity and enjoy a vibrant faith that is anything but 'blind'.

To give you a flavour of the book, ...
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Freshers' Week Prayer Diary 2016

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, In : Ministry 


It's that time of the year when we get excited about welcoming new students to Newcastle from all over the nation and the globe. At Student Life, we have a wide range of activities designed to welcome new students, build friendships and engage people in spiritual questions and exploring Jesus' claims for themselves.

Here's the timetable of stuff we've got planned so far. Please pray for each of the events and that we will be a real blessing to the students, that lots of people will join in and...

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Bible Study Tips

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, August 29, 2016, In : Bible study 


There are three phases to good Bible study:

Discovery (observation) What does the text say?
Understanding (Interpretation)    What does it mean?
Application What does it mean for me / us?

Remember to ask good questions:

Who is the writer?
is he writing to?
is he writing about?
is speaking?
is being spoken to?

Where    is the writer writing from?
is the intended audience of the letter / prophecy / book?
is the writer referring to?
is the action taking place?

When     is the writer...
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4 Thoughts on Evangelism

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, August 14, 2016, In : Reflections 


At church today we were reminded that as saved children of God we're all on mission. Our church banner says "Word, Community, Mission" to remind us that sharing our faith is an integral part of living as Christians in our world.

So here are 4 thoughts about the privilege and responsibility of sharing our faith:
  1. Evangelism stems from our own walk with God.
    Peter of Rheims, a French Dominican friar, said "Anyone who is not burning will not be able to set anyone else on fire."
  2. We're all qualified fo...

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The Wind and the Sun

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, August 4, 2016, In : Random stuff 


As a child, my favourite book was a collection of Aesop's fables. I loved the tales of animals and people facing moral dilemmas, and the important lessons I could learn from them.

As I've been thinking about how to communicate my faith in a postmodern world, a particular story came to mind, so I thought I'd share it here.

The Wind and the Sun

The wind and the sun were once arguing about which of them was the stronger. As they could not agree, they decided to arrange a contest.

"You see that trave...
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Sheep Thief

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, July 5, 2016, In : Random stuff 



At primary school, we often used to have stories in assembly and there is one in particular that has stuck with me. It was a tale of two brothers in a rural community who once stole some sheep. They were caught and their punishment was to have the letters ‘ST’ for ‘Sheep Thief’ branded onto their foreheads so that everyone would know of their crime and the kind of people they were.

One of the brothers was so ashamed that he ran away to far off lands. Wherever he went, people were susp...


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Creative prayer part 2 - 18 More Ideas to Help You Pray

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, In : Prayer 



In my previous post - Creative prayer: 19 Ideas to Help You Pray - I shared some suggestions and practical tips to spend more time in communion with God. Since then, I’ve compiled some more simple ideas to kick-start your prayer life. Let me know what works for you or whether you have other ideas to add.

  • Pray directly for people via Facebook Messenger, What’s App etc. Maybe work through your list of contacts and send them a prayer every so often.
  • Have a friendship bracelet or leather band ...

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Retreat locations

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, May 29, 2016, In : Resources 
When I made my photography website, I created a Google map with my favourite photo locations in the North East and it occurred to me that this would be a great resource to help people find locations for a retreat.

North East England is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the country. From craggy coastlines to rolling hills, from castles to bridges to THAT wall, there's so much to explore. I've been noting my favourite locations over the years, as well as some that are on my 'to do...
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Thank you Lord

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 27, 2016, In : Prayer 


Thank you Lord for...
Deliciously comfy sofas
and the smell of skin.
A lovely sweet cup of tea at the end of a long day.

Thank you for...
roller-skates, baboons, snooker, trees, funny-shaped vegetables and hair.

Thank you for making fields, cliffs, streams and woods.

Thank you for the taste of lemon sorbet, for the sound of seagulls, for the smell of blossom.

Thank you for the giggles, for the touch of a friend, for the feel of soft carpet on bare feet.

Thank you for when I wake up and realise that yo...
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How long does it take to become a mature Christian?

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, May 19, 2016, In : Reflections 


In today’s culture, we so often want quick fixes and instant results. We’re told that attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. The window of opportunity for catching someone’s attention in a YouTube clip is 5 seconds. We buy on credit because we don’t want to save up. We get impatient if we have to wait more than 5 mins for a bus. So often we want something instantly without having to wait at all.

In contrast, maturity is something that develops over time and with perseverance....
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New tools page on website

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 13, 2016, In : Resources 


In my line of work, I'm often asked for advice about resources to help with evangelism and discipleship. I've collected together some really useful tools over the years and I thought it would be good to collect these together on this website for the benefit of more people.

On my new tools page you'll find evangelism tools, articles, gospel outlines, small group studies, video and audio.

I hope you find these helpful. Do get in touch with comments, questions or suggestions for more resources ...
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Student Life in Newcastle - the interviews 2016

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 13, 2016, In : Video 
Over the last week, Emily and I have been interviewing various people who come to Student Life to find out more about their experiences. We asked them:

  1. What's your favourite thing about Student Life?
  2. How did you get involved in Student Life?
  3. What was your favourite Hub topic and why?
  4. What have you learnt from being involved in Student Life?
  5. How has being involved in Student Life helped you think about spiritual things?
  6. What is your favourite fun moment from Student Life?

Find out what Chris, Declan,...


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Living Authentically [Move Magazine Feature]

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, May 7, 2016, In : Move magazine 


The latest edition of Move magazine is out and it's a cracker! It's all about how to live out and speak out our faith authentically in our communities, our families, universities and workplaces. There are loads of great ideas and conversation starters. Look out for the stories of two students from the North East, as well as the 'Word on the Street' feature where Emily and I had great fun talking about God to people on the streets of Newcastle!

Here's how Communications Director Danielle introd...
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Priorities

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, In : Reflections 



I used to work at Northern Rock as a mortgage advisor. Once I had a customer who had a £300,000 mortgage and obviously had a good job, nice car etc. and he was haggling over £2.70 that he didn’t think he should pay. It got me thinking about priorities and how sometimes we have such a warped view of what’s important. Everything in society tries to tell you that your worth as a person is measured by your bank balance, your salary, the car you drive, your marital status, your children and ...


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Sticks and Stones - James 3: 1 - 12

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, In : Video 
I have just returned from the Agapé Easter Bible Conference and it was a great week of spending time with friends, digging into God's word and being challenged to apply it to our lives.

As part of the course, we had to choose a passage of Scripture to explore during the week. Our written assignment was to do a textural and theological analysis of our chosen passage and then look at how we would convey the message to our chosen audience. On the final day, we all had to give a presentation to t...
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Colouring with God

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, March 11, 2016, In : Prayer 
I've recently been enjoying the current trend of colouring as a way to relax and get my creative juices going. Not being very artistically inclined, it's a good way for me to create something pretty to look at without being able to draw and it's a good way to focus the mind and get away from distractions.

I was really pleased to come across a website called 'Colouring with God' which is a great resource for Bible-focused colouring. 



They sell colouring books, cards and bookmarks will wonderful ...
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Fireseeds: Us engaging with God

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, February 26, 2016, In : Talks 
Last weekend was the fantastic Fireseeds annual student conference in Birmingham. It was a fabulous time of enjoying God together, learning from his word, worshipping and blessing the campus by cleaning grubby student kitchens!



On the Sunday morning, I had the privilege of speaking on the theme of 'Us Engaging With God' and so I chose to look at John 15. The talk wasn't recorded, but here are my notes which I hope will be interesting.

Context of passage

Building up to Jesus’ death. He...


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10 Top Christian Video Sites, Apps and Playlists

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, February 15, 2016, In : Video 



In our modern world there are lots of different ways of taking in information, and video is becoming increasingly popular. Online video now accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic and 78% of people watch videos online every week*.

There are some great sites and apps to help us share interesting and thought-provoking Christian videos online, so I thought I’d collect together some of the best.

Global Short Film Network

These short films are intended to raise spiritual questions and provide a s...


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Why I'm excited about the We Are Women project

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, February 8, 2016, In : Ministry 



The We Are Women project has been going really well and it's been a privilege getting to know so many amazing women with different stories to tell. It's also been brilliant partnering with The Holy Biscuit for the photo shoots and exhibition knowing that they share our vision for helping women to find their identity in Christ. Here's some stuff I recently wrote for their blog about why I'm excited by the We Are Women project:

At the heart of the Christian faith is the belief that women, like m...


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We Are Women

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 19, 2016, In : Ministry 
At Student Life in Newcastle, we're very excited to have just launched our We Are Women project. We Are Women aims to empower women on campus to creatively explore, express and celebrate who they are.

We're running a photo project in partnership with The Holy Biscuit, discussion groups and outreaches to engage, affirm and build friendships with women on campus on deepening levels.

We had our first photo shoot last week and it was great fun! The next photo shoots are 3 - 5 Feb and are open to al...

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Table Talk app review

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, January 13, 2016, In : App review 
I have just discovered a brilliant free app for iOS and Android called Table Talk. Table Talk is described as 'A Game of Conversations' and is designed to help groups of friends to have meaningful conversations about the big questions of life (as well as some hilarious banter along the way).



The app is free to download and there are 12 packs within it, all of which can be downloaded for free. They are:

  1. Table Talk for Friends
  2. Table Talk for Forces
  3. Table Talk for Uni Students
  4. Table Talk for Scotland...

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Newcastle 20s and 30s Formal

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, January 7, 2016, In : Events 


Here's an opportunity for a great night out! The Newcastle 20s and 30s Formal is a night where 20s and 30s Church groups and their friends and families in the Newcastle upon Tyne gather together for a meal, music and quiz with the opportunity to make new friends.

Ticket prices are:
- £20 Students
- £25 Non-Students

You can order online through or type '20s and 30s Formal Newcastle' on www.eventbrite.co.uk
The closing date for ticket sales is: Monday, 18 January 2016

Ticket prices i...

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Having a retreat day - Practical tips

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, In : Resources 


In my last post, I shared with you a handy Retreat day guide which you can use to help you reflect when you have a day with the Lord. I thought it would also be good to explore some practical tips for making the most of a day set aside for God.

Over the years, I've found that having regular times where I choose to be alone with God has been a brilliant way to nurture my relationship with him, to grow spiritually and to enjoy "life in all its fulness" (John 10: 10). It's also been particularly ...

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Prayer and retreat guide

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, December 19, 2015, In : Resources 


As many of us have some time off over Christmas and New Year, it's a good opportunity to reflect on the year that has gone and commit the upcoming year to God. I'm planning to take some time out of the busyness to pray and reflect and I'll be using this great new guide from Agapé to help me.

Whatever this year has held for us - and whatever next year may bring - we have a God who is faithful, loving and compassionate, and who longs for us to draw near to him. Let's do that.

Download the free P...
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Hub: What's Christmas really all about?

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, December 4, 2015, In : Hub 


Last night we were joined by a team from Youth With A Mission (YWAM) who have come over from Norway to do some youth work in Byker. They generously agreed to come along and share at the Hub and we had a great time reflecting on Christmas traditions from different cultures and how our faith comes into play.

Here are the questions we discussed:

  1. Does your family celebrate the holidays? If so, how?
  2. What is the purpose behind any holiday traditions you have?
  3. Does your faith affect how you celebrate th...

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Visualising the Great Commission

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, December 2, 2015, In : Infographics 
I've been experimenting with a great free online tool for making word clouds called Tagul. I uploaded a world map and then put in Matthew 28: 16 - 20 and here was the result (click to enlarge):


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Imagine if the Bible wasn't available in English

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 30, 2015, In : Infographics 
<-- Click the picture to enlarge

I came across this infographic and it really challenged me about how often we take the Bible for granted. Most of us have multiple different translations of the Bible, plus study guides and commentaries that are easily available. We also have access to free online / smartphone Bibles and so many Bible tools.

Yet we often neglect the precious jewel that has been entrusted to us and don't appreciate its full value. In our materialistic culture, it's easy to think ...

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Hub: Fair trade and ethical shopping

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 23, 2015, In : Hub 


Our Hub last Thursday was entitled 'Faith and fair trade – the spirituality of shopping'. Tessa Bees from Traidcraft shared her personal reflections on why fair trade matters to her. We explored what motivates us to make sacrifices for others and how small choices we make can have a huge impact on the world around us.

Discussion questions
  1. What matters most to you when you decide where to shop / what to buy? (Price, convenience, brand, store loyalty, ethical values etc.)
  2. What are the root cause...

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Hub: Change

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, In : Hub 


Some discussion questions on on the subject of change:

  1. What have been the biggest changes in your life so far?
  2. How do you cope with lots of external changes (eg. leaving home, coming to a new city, making new friends)?
  3. Do you think that faith can bring stability during times of change? Why / why not?
  4. Are there things about yourself that you’d like to change?
  5. Is there anything in your life that never changes?

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Hub: Identity

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, In : Hub 
I thought it would be good to post some of the questions that we discuss in our Student Life weekly Hub on here so that you can think about them for yourselves and talk them through with your friends. Last week we explored the theme of Identity. Part of the presentation involved watching this TED video:



Discussion questions
  1. In what way do you think your identity is shaped by your family / cultural background / relationships with others?
  2. What’s the most important thing that you’d like others...

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Living Out the Gospel in a Changing World [Move Magazine Feature]

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 2, 2015, In : Move magazine 
This is from the latest Move magazine and was written by Student Life Director, Matt Walmsley:



Former UN Secretary General Charles Malik once said, “More potently than by any other means, change the university and you change the world.” Because university authorities KNOW this to be true and because of high-profile global events, faith groups increasingly find themselves under scrutiny on campus. This is not just a British trend, but also a global one, and can feel threatening to the minis...

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A Psalm of Praise

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 28, 2015, In : Worship 
In a recent staff worship session, we had a go at writing our own acrostic psalm using the letters of ‘PRAISE’. I found it a really helpful way to express praise and worship to God. Here’s my effort:



Why not have a go at writing your own acrostic psalm?


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Love each other - John 15

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, October 20, 2015, In : Reflections 

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Explaining Student Life

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 14, 2015, In : Ministry 

One of my roles on the team is to take responsibility for team communications. I'm off to a meeting tomorrow to network with church leaders from across the region and so I've put together a leaflet to explain more about what Student Life is and how we work.

I thought it might be interesting to a wider audience so here it is for your reading pleasure! I welcome any comments and questions, so feel free to get in touch.

Download the Student Life Newcastle leaflet (PDF)

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If students wrote the Bible

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, October 5, 2015, In : Random stuff 


  • Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, he would have put it off until the night before it was due and then pulled an all-nighter.
  • The Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning, cold.
  • The forbidden fruit would still have been eaten because anything is better than the food in halls.
  • Paul's letter to the Romans becomes Paul's e-mail to believers@romans.gov
  • Reason Cain killed Abel: they were living in the one bedsit and the dishes weren't getting done.
  • The t...

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Sharing our faith together

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, October 5, 2015, In : Ministry 


I recently did a seminar at the annual TfT conference on the topic of sharing our faith with our gay friends. One of the things that I'm particularly excited about is sharing my faith in community, so here are some thoughts on that.

Evangelism is a team sport. There are three key reasons why sharing our faith together is important:

  1. In the body of Christ, we all have different and complementary roles.
    “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were a...

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A - Z photo challenge

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, September 19, 2015, In : Ministry 


Today was the Student Life A - Z photo challenge around Newcastle. The idea was simple - to get a photo of each letter of the alphabet whilst exploring Newcastle. We had a good turn out of new students and existing Student Life members and we had great fun. I even discovered some bits of Newcastle I hadn't seen before. Here are the photos I came up with:





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Freshers' Week Prayer Diary

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, September 7, 2015, In : Ministry 


There's a lot of activity planned for Freshers' aimed at building community, encouraging friendships, developing leadership skills and sharing the Gospel. Please pray that each of the events below will be used by God to build His Kingdom and bring new students into the Student Life community.

Northumbria
Weds 9 - Fri 11 | Oasis Lounge hangout in Trinity Square
Mon 14, 7pm | Pool night
Tues 15, 1 - 4pm | Quayside trip
Weds 16 11am - 5pm | Freshers' Fair
Thurs 17 - Fri 18, 1 - 5pm | Oasis Lounge hang...

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Lessons

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, August 31, 2015, In : Reflections 
Today I wanted to share with you a lovely poem written by my friend Lindsay Reid from her collection 'Certain Joy':

Lessons

I saw in Him a light that was unfading,
I saw in Him such power that demons fled,
I saw in Him a truth beyond all knowledge - 
Oh teach me Lord, I said.
He bent and poured some water in a basin,
Washed His disciples' feet. They don't deserve
Such treatment Lord!
I told Him but He answered
First you must learn to serve.

I saw in Him a future shining brightly,
I heard in Him a voice ...
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Biblical Top Trumps

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, August 5, 2015, In : Random stuff 


Whilst sorting through files on my computer, I came across a home-made set of Top Trumps based on Biblical characters that I devised about 12 years ago. The rules of the game are quite simple and are as follows:

Object: To win all the cards

Preparation: Deal the cards out so that each person has the same number. Pour yourself a drink and put some Twigletts in a bowl (optional)

Play: Each player holds their pack and only looks at the top card. Choose who starts first (an arm-wrestle is usually a ...

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God's Big Story in 10 videos

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 23, 2015, In : Resources 
My colleague Duncan has been working on an exciting project to help tell the gospel story through a series of 4min videos, all shot with the gorgeous backdrop of Newcastle and the surrounding area.

God's Big Story gives an overview of the story of the Bible in 10 parts and helps us to reflect on our own life in light of it. The videos take us through Creation, Fall, Patriarchs, Exodus, Kingdom, Exile, Messiah, Church, Judgement and New Creation.

There is an accompanying handout with the script,...
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The Gospel Coalition app review

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 9, 2015, In : App review 


I’m a fan of the Gospel Coalition website for its mix of news, opinion, reviews, videos and talks from a range of respected Christian commentators*. The Gospel Coalition is a fellowship of conservative evangelical churches throughout North America, directed by Tim Keller and Don Carson (who I still think bears an uncanny resemblance to Johnny Ball).

The iOS and Android apps make that content easily accessible on mobile devices, so I thought I’d check them out. My first impression of the iP...

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Prayer of abandonment

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 2, 2015, In : Prayer 
Father, I abandon myself into your hands; 
do with me what you will. 
Whatever you may do, I thank you: 
I am ready for all, I accept all. 
Let only your will be done in me, 
and in all Your creatures - 
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul; 
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, 
for I love you Lord, 
and so need to give myself, 
to surrender myself into your hands, 
without reserve, 
and with boundless confidence,

For you are my Father.

--Charles de Foucauld (1858...

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Why Ben Folds made me cry (And other reflections on emotion)

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 2, 2015, In : Reflections 



I’m quite an emotional person and find that there’s something cathartic about a good cry. And I don’t just cry when I’m upset. I sometimes cry when I’m angry or frustrated, or every when I’m bowled over by joy.

I went to see Ben Folds performing with the Northern Sinfonia at the Sage last year and it was so jaw-droppingly sublime that I found tears of happiness rolling down my cheeks. I felt alive!

When I became a Christian, it was drummed into me that feelings may or may not foll...


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Perspective - Free spiritual conversation app

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, June 1, 2015, In : App review 


It can sometimes be difficult to know how to get a conversation about spiritual things started without it seeming weird, which is why I like using tools like Soularium which make spiritual discussions natural and fun.

Another tool that I’ve found helpful is the Perspective app, which has the added bonus that it’s free and you always have it with you as it’s on your phone. It can help you explore your worldview on your own, but is probably more useful with one or two other people so that ...

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Westgate Baptist Prayer Week

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, In : Prayer 
This morning for our staff prayer time, we went over to Westgate Baptist Church. They are having their prayer week and have decorated the church beautifully with loads of creative prayer stations focussing on the Holy Spirit. If you get a chance to go down there, it's well worth it.


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Open to ridicule? [Move magazine feature]

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, April 23, 2015, In : Move magazine 
If you're an Agapé supporter, you will hopefully have received the latest edition of Move magazine full of fascinating articles, ministry updates and prayer points. The article to catch my eye this time was written by my friend Joel who is on staff in Birmingham. Here he challenges us to be open to ridicule for our faith:



Two thousand years ago Jesus and his message were frequently ridiculed. Today if Jesus is mocked should Christians protest and demand respect or grin and bear it, or neither...

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The Prodigal Son [Guest Post]

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, April 14, 2015, In : Reflections 
One of my friends and mission partners, Susanna (or Constable as I call her, rather ridiculously!), has recently written a very thought-provoking reflection on the prodigal son and has kindly allowed me to repost it here. She writes from the point of view of the church and the LGBTQ community as that is her area of ministry, but I think it's applicable to anyone who has felt less than welcome in the church, for whatever reason. It captures the spirit of how we're trying to connect with studen...

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Princess Anne visits Gateshead Foodbank

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, March 24, 2015, In : Random stuff 


Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting royalty as Princess Anne visited the Foodbank where I volunteer. The Princess spent a good amount of time chatting with us and finding out about how the Foodbank works.

There was lots of press coverage of the event. We had a great write up in the Chronicle which included a little interview with me, and I was also interviewed for BBC Look North.

It was a lovely occasion and will hopefully raise the profile of the Foodbank so that more people will support ...
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Evangelism castles

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, March 19, 2015, In : Ministry 
Recently, we've been doing a lot of thinking as a team about our model of ministry and how we do evangelism. Duncan has helpfully come up with a diagram that illustrates how we've been trying to move away from an 'Us vs Them' approach to evangelism in the way that we run Student Life.

My own personal conviction and approach to evangelism has changed over the years as I've grown in my faith and sought to help others come to know Jesus personally. I was definitely guilty in the past of taking qu...
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Invitation to the Agapé Move weekend

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, In : Training / conferences 


Details have just been released for Agapé's Move weekend - a chance for staff, supporters, student leaders and church leaders to enjoy fellowship, evangelism training and worship together. I'll be going and would love to be joined by friends and supporters. I think it'll be a really exciting time to hear stories of how God's at work and gain practical help with sharing our faith in our circle of influence, so why not check out the details and pray about whether you'd like to come?

12-14 June ...

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Why Student Life is special

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, February 19, 2015, In : Ministry 


Our aim at Student Life is to create a welcoming and inclusive community where people of all backgrounds and beliefs feel valued and listened to. We encourage people to make friends, enjoy free food, explore life's big questions and encounter Jesus in a safe environment where they can be themselves.

Kimberley and Jack did a seminar on community and gospel living at the Fireseeds conference and they asked students for their thoughts about Student Life. Here are some of the responses:

Student ...

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Identity - we are so much more

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, February 2, 2015, In : Ministry 


Last Thursday I had the opportunity to speak at our weekly Hub on the topic of identity, so I thought I'd share some of the things that I spoke about.

Who are we?

How do we answer the question Who are we?

Oscar Wilde once said “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”. But what does ‘being yourself’ mean?

On the one hand, there’s our official identity - the facts about us that appear on our passport or that we’re required to fill in on forms. That might include age, sex, religion...

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Soularium - Inviting spiritual conversations

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, January 19, 2015, In : Ministry 
Last week, I had my first experience of using Soularium to engage with students on campus. It’s a great tool to help people talk about what they believe and it seems like quite a natural way to get a conversation going.



There are 50 cards all with different photos, ranging from abstract and natural scenes to pictures of human activity and objects. The idea is that you invite people to choose 3 cards to answer each of these questions:

  1. Which images would you choose to describe your life at the ...

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New Staff Training Retreat - Heroes of Faith

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, January 12, 2015, In : Reflections 
Last week I was at the lovely Shallowford House for the New Staff Training Retreat, along with the other first year staff and interns. It was a great time of learning together, praying and having some retreat time to seek the Lord.



One of the things that we did was look at the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, so it was fitting that that was the passage I'd chosen to do my devotional on when we arrived.

Here's what I shared:

Hebrews 11 gives an account of men and women of God who have accomplished ...

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December news update and prayer requests

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, December 19, 2014, In : Support 
The great news is that I've now got all the financial support that I need to start full-time on campus in the new year! I'm so thankful to God for his provision and to you for your faithful prayers, generous giving and lovely encouragements to press on when things have been tough.

We're having some staff time this Friday to reflect on this term and look ahead to next year so please pray that God will direct our thoughts and discussion as we make future plans. It's difficult to say what my time...

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Where do you weigh a pie?

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, December 9, 2014, In : Random stuff 
...Somewhere over the rainbow!

I love a good cracker joke and have been collecting up favourites to share with you. Enjoy!



Q. Why did no-one bid for Rudolph and Blitzen on eBay?
A. Because they were two deer.

Q. How do you know if Santa's been in your garden shed?
A. You've got three extra hoes.

Q. What's the most popular Christmas wine?
A. 'I don't like Brussels sprouts!'

Q. What operating system do Advent calendars use?
A. Windows 24

Q. What do you call a fish with no eyes?
A. Fsh!

Q. Why are horse-dra...

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Enjoy the silence

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 24, 2014, In : Reflections 
"Be still and know that I am God"
Psalm 46: 10

Our world is full of noise. Everywhere we go there’s background music, ‘special offer’ announcements on the tannoy, big screen sports and stuff clamouring for our attention. I was waiting for Abby at the doctors the other day and the TV was on showing Jeremy Kyle with people shouting at each other. What an unrelaxing environment to sit in when you’re already feeling ill! In the summer, they even put huge screens up in public spaces outside ...

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Hope and hopelessness [Move magazine feature]

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, November 14, 2014, In : Move magazine 
The theme of the latest edition of Move magazine is 'Hope and hopelessness' and explores what it means to have hope in Jesus, how faith can conquer hopelessness and how we can support one another on a journey through doubts and dark nights of the soul.



Here's Communications Director Danielle explaining more:

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” Hebrews 10: 23

‘Hope’ can be a lonely word. It’s the far-off dream or the ...
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November news update and prayer requests

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, November 6, 2014, In : Support 
It's been another really busy month. The big news on the house front is that - after a number of delays - we finally exchanged contracts and got the keys last Friday! I'm really excited about getting our ministry house and so grateful to God for his provision. I must admit that I'm feeling exhausted at the moment as it's quite stressful dealing with solicitors, financial advisors, banks, removal companies, utilities, insurance companies etc. and trying to make sure that everything is sorted o...

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VisualUnit: Biblical Infographics

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 29, 2014, In : Infographics 
I had a Good News Bible when I was younger and one of the things I liked most were the pictures. Especially this one, where Satan looks uncannily like Richard O’Brian from the Crystal Maze!


Being a visual person, I was quite disappointed to find that most Bibles don’t have pictures and maybe just include a couple of black and white maps at the back.

So imagine my delight when I discovered VisualUnit - an excellent site full of Biblical diagrams, illustrations and infographics! There are loa...

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Sharing life together

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, In : Church 

As conservative evangelicals we sometimes criticise non-Bible-teaching churches for being ‘just a social club’, but isn’t there also a danger that church sometimes isn’t enough of a social club? Part of church should be really enjoying being together, having a laugh, sharing experiences, eating together, catching up on news, caring, praying, crying and celebrating together. There can be a danger that we make church too academic - listening to a lecture on Sunday and studying the mat...


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Old Testament reading challenge, with a little help from Poirot!

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, In : Resources 


One of my current Agapé training assignments is to read the Old Testament and to do a short review of each book. Although I have read through the entire Bible numerous times before, I've often found some bits of the Old Testament difficult because of the lists of hard-to-pronounce names (you know the stuff - "Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar...")

So I've taken a different approach this time and am letting my favourite actor, Dav...
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An antidote to worry

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 8, 2014, In : Reflections 


I have just returned from a brilliant Christian conference where I got a chance to hang out with some amazing friends and be challenged by some excellent teaching.

The focus of the Bible talks was the Sermon on the Mount, and one of the sessions that really spoke to me was the teaching on worry in Matthew 6: 25 - 34.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clo...

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Support update and prayer requests

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 1, 2014, In : Support 
I hope you all had a good summer and are enjoying the driest September for 50 years!

While my colleagues have been busy with Freshers' Week activities, I am continuing to grow my team of ministry partners. My financial support is gradually increasing and God has now provided 65% of the monthly total I need to start working full-time with students. In the meantime, I've been supporting my colleagues behind the scenes and really enjoy doing prayer walks round the universities. Obviously, ...
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Think Box

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, September 24, 2014, In : Resources 


The new Student Life website is live and is a great place for people who want to explore the big questions of life, or just find out more about what Agapé Student Life does on campus.

There are articles exploring Biblical wisdom for student problems, real life stories about how Jesus has changed people, and information about Student Life groups around the country.

My favourite feature is the Think Box - a photo game to spark spiritual conversations and create opportunities for you and your fri...
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Before the throne of God Above

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, September 16, 2014, In : Worship 
It's easy to sing familiar songs in church and not really think about the words, so I sometimes find it helpful to take a song or hymn with particularly rich words and spend a few moments reflecting on it. One of my all-time favourites is 'Before the throne of God Above'. It was originally written by Charitie Lees Bancroft (1841-1892), but the modern music was written by Vikki Cook.

It gives such hope as it reminds us of the eternal truth that, as Christians, our life is 'hid with Christ on hi...
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Reckless Love for a Reckless Nation

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, September 8, 2014, In : Video 
The UK is both a place of great beauty and ugliness, progress and exploitation, creativity and soul-sapping consumerism, rich heritage and blinkered individualism.

This short Agapé film introduces some spiritual change agents and reflects with them on the state of the nation and how together we can help rehumanise our communities and cities.

If we grasp even for a moment God’s reckless, unconditional love for us, how will it transform our perspective and behaviour?


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4 thoughts about the Great Commission

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, September 1, 2014, In : Bible study 
At the weekend, I had the privilege of speaking at Kelvin Grove Church in Gateshead. I shared some thoughts about the Great Commission, and thought it might be useful to summarise them here.

Matthew 28 is one of the most exciting chapters in the Bible. The preceding chapters have been an emotional roller coaster - Jesus has had the final meal with his friends, was betrayed by one of his closest followers, was arrested and dragged before the high priest. Then he was disowned by Peter, who had p...
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24-7 prayer room

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, August 25, 2014, In : Prayer 


I have just returned from a week-long Agapé staff conference in Nottingham, which was a brilliant time of studying the Bible, praying for one another and catching up with lots of old friends!

As some of you know, I've been getting increasingly excited about prayer recently. At the conference, we had a 24-7 prayer room and we all signed up for slots so that at least one person was praying in there every hour of every day and night. It had been decorated beautifully with different areas to focu...

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Answers to common questions about Christianity

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, August 13, 2014, In : Resources 


The Agapé website has some really helpful resources including a selection of articles dealing with common objections and questions about Christianity.

These resources cover 21 diverse topics in a succinct and and clearly presented way. There's something for everyone as the range of subjects covered includes:

  • God and science
  • Relationships and sex
  • Suffering
  • Trusting the Bible
  • Reasons for faith
They are available free as PDF downloads here. Why not keep them on your iPad or smartphone to refer to or d...
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The Cwtch - Our vision for the new house

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 31, 2014, In : Ministry 

It all started when my friend Abby snapped her achilles tendon playing squash (let that be a lesson - exercise is bad for you!). She had an operation and was then discharged from hospital back to her house that she lived in alone that only had an upstairs bathroom. There was no way she could manage the stairs and so she came to stay with me as I also lived alone, but in a ground floor flat. Over the months that she stayed, we talked a lot about being single and living alone and the advantages...

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Schwellanangst - 'Fear of the Threshold'

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, In : Church 


When I worked for Voluntary Arts, the Chair of our Board, Peter Stark popped in to visit us and we had a very nice conversation (and some lovely M&S bakewell tart biscuits!). One of the things he said really got me thinking. He told this little story...

Peter has always wanted to go into a betting shop and put a bet on a horse. He's a self-confident, extrovert, middle-aged older man [his words, not mine!] who helped develop The Baltic and The Sage, was awarded an OBE and ran a successful compa...

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Creative prayer - 19 ideas to help you pray

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, July 21, 2014, In : Prayer 


Recently, I've been inspired by the power of prayer and challenged to pray more. If we're honest, we all find it difficult to pray sometimes - whether that's because we're wrestling with doubts, going through a time of great pain, or just getting distracted by work, family, household chores, TV or iPhone apps.

Over the years, I've been making a list of ideas to help me pray and one evening at housegroup we all shared things that we found helpful. I hope you find them helpful too.

  • Write prayers ...

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Prayer for spiritual revival

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 17, 2014, In : Prayer 

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves, 
When our dreams have come true 
Because we have dreamed too little, 
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when 
With the abundance of things we possess 
We have lost our thirst 
For the waters of life; 
Having fallen in love with life, 
We have ceased to dream of eternity 
And in our efforts to build a new earth, 
We have allowed our vision 
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more ...


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Gospel memory verses - BibleMinded app

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, July 15, 2014, In : App review 
Recently, I've been trying to get better at memorising bits of the Bible that I can use to explain the gospel to people. Here's a simple gospel outline and 10 short Bible verses (NIV).

  • God created men and women for a relationship with him.
    [John 17: 3] Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

  • God gave us free will. We all choose to rebel against God (Sin = rebellion against God. Putting ourselves first instead of him and breaking ...

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Help spread the word

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 3, 2014, In : Support 
A few people have asked how they can help me build my support team, which is very kind! It's great if you can point people to this website, but I realise that not everyone is into technology, so I have created a leaflet (with the wonderful help and design skills of Abby!).

The leaflet gives a bit of background about Agapé and tells a bit of my story, as well as explaining about the ministry I'll be doing and how people can support me. I have hard copies of the leaflet so do let me know if you...
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Reflections on a broken window

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, In : Reflections 
Yesterday I got home from a great team prayer meeting to find that the lounge window had been smashed. It looked very much as though someone had shot it so my first thought was "I wish I had one of those laser things they have in CSI so I can trace the trajectory of the bullet." Then I realised that I live in Gateshead and not Las Vegas, so I carefully examined the crime scene for forensic evidence of avian damage but could find no blood or bird carcass.



Then the reality sank in that it would ...
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Have you ever met Christians who are like Jesus? [Move magazine feature]

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, June 19, 2014, In : Move magazine 
Move is Agapé's bi-annual magazine and is well worth a read. (You can download PDF copies from the Agapé website). In the latest edition, a question is posed to various members of the public - "Have you ever met Christians who are like Jesus?"

Here are some of the responses:

"No. I know one Christian and she goes to church at Christmas. That's it, I think." Laura

"Truly following no, but they were still nice. Jesus did a lot, feeding the 5000, performing miracles wherever he went, spreading th...
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The adventure begins (again)

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, June 16, 2014, In : Ministry 
Last week I got some very exciting news. After much prayer, plus application and interview process, I have been accepted to work for Agapé UK (again). I say 'again' because I used to work for Agapé from 2000 - 2003. I was younger and less wrinkled then, but my vision was the same - to help students understand the good news about Jesus Christ and have their lives transformed by him.

Two days after being officially accepted, I was down in Birmingham on a Support Discovery training course. All ...
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Living Out is registered UK Charity no. 1165572 | The Baptist Union is Charity no. 249635