Refresher - why I blog

Thanks for reading this Blog. My aim in blogging is to reflect, with you, on lessons that we can learn from some of the things that are going on in life, the world around us and to demonstrate how the Bible relates to all of this. 

I also have a column in a Magazine, the column is called 'Shorelines'. Why the name - ‘Shorelines’. A shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea or lake. If you are a ‘landlubber’ it’s probably where you feel safest; if you are sea faring person it means you are ‘home and dry’, back safely or you completed something successfully. This reminds me that we face hazards as we navigate our way through life. It is good to be pre-warned of the dangers and to find a reliable source of wisdom and experience. After all there is no point in making the same mistakes that others have made.

I rue the fact that there isn’t the same emphasis on the family as there used to be. Grandparents are a great source of wisdom and experience. When I was young my father took our family to Scotland, many miles from our native city of Liverpool. My mother’s parents were in Belfast and so we didn’t get the full benefit of learning from our grandparents like previous generations did. The development of transport and technologies such video messaging can make up for distance but there is nothing quite like day to day contact with family. If you have access to your family treat them well, make time for them and make sure you share your experience and love with them.

My aim is to get you to think about moral and spiritual issues, which I hope will help you keep safe and avoid some the dangers we face in the 21^st Century. After all, from time to time, we all struggle with relationships, work life and generally with the pressures of life.

So where do I start? I don’t claim to have all the answers but I believe that we can know the truth. Even that statement is controversial! Let me point you to the words of Jesus. He believed that you could know absolute truth. He said ‘and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’, John 8. 32 (the Bible). In fact He claimed to be “The Truth” in John 14. 6 when he stated ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ (John 14. 6).

So who am I? I’m in my 50’s, happily married to my wife, Carole, and have two adult children. I am afraid to admit the next fact but I better had get it into the open – I used to be a banker. I left the world of banking in 2004 and now write, blog, broadcast on radio and preach and teach about the bible. Which is why I am keen to share some of the good news with you. 

I look forward to talking with you in the next blog post. God bless.