When you try your best, but you don’t succeedWhen you get what you want, but not what you needWhen you feel so tired, but you can’t sleepStuck in reverse And the tears come streaming down your faceWhen you lose something you can’t replaceWhen you love someone, but it goes to wasteCould it be worse? Lights […]

This is an extremely provocative book and I absolutely loved it. Although written for a North American cultural mindset, it is certainly applicable across much of Europe. The byline is, ‘How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself’. We live in a culture where the concept of a ‘missions trip’ […]

This is quite a lengthy book (245 pages) given that it only contains 6 chapters. Is written by a lady who was born in a large housing estate in Birmingham, UK and latterly lived in the East End of London. She writes with a tangible sense of injustice at the way those of us who […]

Let me start by saying that at 170+ pages long, this book by Tim Chester is a short, sharp read on what is often quite an involved topic. For those of us who have read anything written by Ron Sider particularly, it is not going to add anything new to our armoury, but it is […]

This is the title of an article I wrote a year or so ago and then adapted for my friend Brian Croft at Practical Shepherding Ministries. Click on the link here to read the article in full. Practical Shepherding is a Gospel-driven resource center for pastors and church leaders to equip them in the practical […]

I often get asked how and why we have so many contacts and have so many unchurched people attending our services throughout the week. The answer is quite simple: 1. We pray for people. Are you really praying for people in your area, consistently, specifically, and intelligently? When I first came to Niddrie, I started […]

I bought this book with no little excitement given the list of theological luminaries that have recently been recommending it as a must read. Ron Sider, for instance, calls it: “probably the best book on how to do holistic community development.” There is no doubt that it is comprehensive in its treatment of the issues, […]

One of the questions I am routinely asked by (mainly) middle class, educated people who are interested in this type of work is: “Can I do it even though I don’t have the life experience or cultural background?” My answer is (almost always) a resounding, “Yes!” We don’t disqualify people from planting in a particular context […]

Mercy Ministry Pastors talk a lot today about mercy ministries. It's a great phrase I think. It captures part of the way God has related to us. Without his mercy, we have no hope. So it's appropriate for us as Christians, just as we show love, as we show holiness in our actions, so we […]