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

Showing Tag: "bible" (Show all posts)

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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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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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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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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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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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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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 - 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Love each other - John 15

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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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