A New Dawn Rising Over You

A new dawn has arrived, the sun rises in the morning providing an amazing display of colours. This is the sun that I made says the Lord, I am a colourful God. Remember this; there is no place on earth where the sun does not rise. It's rising over you, I am rising over you says the Lord, my presence will colour you with an amazing display of my glory.





John 1: 32-34
And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

Christian Radio is coming to Coventry

On the 22nd July 2008 Ofcom granted a brand new FM radio licence for a Cross Rhythms Coventry radio station.

Having already run a 10 day trial station called Radio Hope in November 2007, the new station hopes to build on excellent connections with local community groups and local churches.

Headed up by Tim Coleman the Coventry group has built a working partnership with Cross Rhythms in Stoke on Trent that will help deliver a station with a fresh new sound to the city of Coventry.

Life with the Holy Spirit

The bible says: The lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts and I am helped; my heart exults and with my song I give thanks to Him. The Lord is the strength of His people; He is the saving refuge of His anointed.
(Psalm 28 7-9)

In recent weeks God has answered my prayers, and provided provision for my every need. He has provided me with a new job, 2 days before my previous one ended. He hasn't just put me in any job; He has placed me in a job that I am excelling in. Not only that; He has healed me of a poorly toe, and provided healing to my family and friends.

This is living testimony of the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit, He is a loving and merciful God, He is a great God. He wants to meet with us in every situation we face, He is our rock and our strength. If we, in our hearts, believe by faith that God can heal us, and that God can use us to heal others, then it will be done.

If you face tough decisions at work, or face financial problems and believe in your heart that God can deliver you from these things, then it will be done.

He is our strength; so open your hearts today and accept Jesus into your life and He will deliver you from all things that you are struggling with, and provide for your every need.

Fresh Hope in 2008

Time to say good bye to 2007 and usher in 2008, there have been lots and ups and downs over the last year, for me personally 2007 wasn't exactly what I would call a good year. 2008 on the other hand is I believe a year of fresh hope for all of us.

Here in the UK there is a national initiative which will hopefully bring churches closer together across all denominations. The church is split on many different theological issues, but all have one thing in common and that is Jesus. The aim is to bring fresh hope to communities across the country in towns, villages, and cities. Bringing the love of Jesus to the people by rebuilding brokeness that has entangled peoples lives by offering a lifeline. Churches will work with police and government agencies to reduce crime and inform policy makers on best ways forward by giving politicians the word on the street.


In all 2008 will prove to be a year of hope, opportunity, prosperity and renewal.

Click on the icon below to find out how you can make a difference. This is not exclusive of the UK, it is God's world, he will change nations. The ideas on the Hope 2008 website can be put into action in any nation, in any city, town or village any where in the world.

Jesus said; I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
(John 3: 12 ESV)


We rejoice in pour sufferings , knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out by His Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
(Romans 5: 3-5 ESV)

Happy New Year!

Living in the Spirit

Jesus' ministry was very much a healing one, He came to restore people to how God intended them to be. He is the great restorer.

In chapter 22 of the book of Matthew Jesus gives us two great commandments:

"You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets"
(Chapter 22:37-40 ESV)

Parents of children will know this, they want what is best for their offspring because they love them with all their heart and soul. Likewise God wants us to have a similar relationship with Him, He wants to wrap His arms round us and give us the worlds greatest hug.

It is no coincedence that the second greatest commandment is love your neighbour as yourself. Notice how God has commanded us to put Him first and live in a way that is pleasing to Him, by doing this the second commandment should become second nature to us.

We need to realise that we are worthy to come before God, He sent His only son to die and take away any unworthiness we may feel. Though we do need to turn our backs on the things that displease God:

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enimity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisons, envy, drunkeness, orgies and things like these.
(Galations 5 18-21)

Don't get me wrong, God doesn't want to condemn us. We all screw up at some points in our lives, but God is a forgiving God and His only Son took the pain for our mess ups.

Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven
(Matthew 18: 21-22 ESV)

The way forward is to acknowledge that you've made mistakes and ask God for forgiveness, remember if you truely mean it with all your heart and soul He will forgive you.

This is how God intends us to live:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Those that belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
(Galations 5: 22-24)

The church is a fellowship of people that should manifest a family atmosphere and a feeling of belonging. We are called to build one another up.

So if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.
(Galatians 6: 1 ESV)

God bless

Blessed to be a Blessing

God has blessed us in many ways, too often we see the gunk in our lives that it clouds the good things that we have in our lives.

Be a blessing to a friend today and tell them how wonderful it is to know them.

God bless

Matthew Chapter 10

The great commission is to go and make disciples of nations, Jesus called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
(Matthew 10: 1)

Jesus delegated His authority to the disciples to make disciples; Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe what I have commanded you.
(Matthew 28: 19-20 ESV)

Once baptised in water and the Holy Spirit, we have the power to make disciples, cast out unclean spirits and heal every disease and every affliction.

Matthew Chapters 8 and 9

Jesus' ministry very much involved healing people, chapters 8 & 9 give some accounts of these signs miracles and wonders.

Jesus went through throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.
(Matthew 9: 35-38)

Jesus healed the sick and people followed him and listened to His teaching and believed,
they flocked to him to heal their sicknesses. They had faith that His words were truth and they would be healed and they were.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2; “My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of man but in the power of God”.
(ESV)

We must have faith, and believe that God's word is true even if some of it is yet unseen.
Christ healed through the power and authority that God His father had put in Him. When a person is saved Christ is in them, and they too have the power and authority to heal the sick and bring people into God's kingdom. Just ask God for that power and it will be given.
(Matthew 7: 7-11)

Matthew Chapter 7

Here Jesus tells us that our walk in God's kingdom is a narrow path and few find it. It often amazes me how an aeroplane can find a small strip of land on the ground and land the plane on it at high speed. The pilot achieves this by using instruments in the cockpit to align the aircraft with the runway and land it in the right place. The bible is God's instrument that helps guide us on the right path.

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
(Matt 7: 14)

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
(Matthew 7: 24-25)

So we see that hearing God's words is not enough we must live them out in our lives. Jesus tells us not to judge others, to be careful of false prophets and live our lives on the firm foundation that is in Jesus, so that when times of trouble come, we will be firm in the knowledge that we will not fall. That means living a life more like him, and the gospels give us an insight into the life Jesus lead and the things He did.

Matthew Chapter 6

Chapters 6 & 7 are a bit like an instruction manual for healthy living in the kingdom of God. This chapter begins by promoting a clear message that the good deeds we do are not for our own satisfaction, but to serve others.

“Thus when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may be praised by others”
(Matt 6: 2 ESV)

Jesus also gives us instruction on how to pray, and this is what He says; “when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you”

“Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly father will forgive you.
(Matt 6: 9-14 ESV)

The rest of this chapter has a theme to it of ; don't gloat. The look at me are you impressed mentality doesn't go down well with God. God wants the best for us, He wants us to be rich and abundant in all things but He also wants us to be humble with it. Nobody likes a show off.

“Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
(Jas 4: 6 ESV)

Matthew Chapter 5

The Sermon on the Mount

God is interested in everyone, Jesus teaches us that all His people live in the rich abundance of God's provision.
(Matt 5: 2-12)

As a Christian Christ is in us, we are to live as shining examples of His glory, “You are light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden”. We are encouraged not to hide ourselves away, but to be out there in the world imparting God's character to all we meet.

In this chapter we see Jesus out in the world preaching the word of God, it is fitting that He preach on the mountain where He could be seen by all. He spoke blessing on the people, as Christians with Christ inside of us we are blessed to be a blessing. Every good deed comes from God. The dictionary definition of bless is: to make happy, I've yet to see an unhappy person who has been helped in some way, perhaps had a door held open for them, or been given a hand unloading shopping from their car.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
(Matt 5: 3-11)

Not matter what we are going through in our lives, perhaps broken relationships, perhaps the loss of a loved one, or feeling depressed. God wants to bless us.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you in the name of the Lord. The Lord is God, and He has made His light shine upon us.
(Psalm 118: 26-27)

God fills the void that is left when difficult times come upon us, He is our rock and our strength.

Living a life in Christ can be challenging as Jesus preaches about some of these; anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation. How many find themselves suffering road rage, that feeling of injustice that someone has cut you up? Adverts that abuse people's want to be loved by suggesting that the sexier look is your answer? How many people have had something nasty done to them and then had a feeling of “I must get them back, they need to pay”?

Well let me tell you, the price has been paid, on the cross. Jesus came to fulfil the law. He lived a life free from these things and then took the pain on the cross, bearing the pain and scars of our sin. When you accept Jesus into your life, into your heart and soul we are free. Everyday we grow more like him. We begin to conform to God's way instead of the world's ways. We begin to take things on the chin when others persecute us, when that person cuts us up on the ring road.

Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for them. “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
(Matt 5: 44-45)

Matthew Chapter 4

Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting for 40 days and forty nights he was hungry.
(Matt 4: 1 ESV)

This is where the devil enters, he saw a potential weakness in Jesus's armour and pounced, “if you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread”. But Jesus was not moved despite His hunger and replies, “Man can not live on bread alone, but by the very word of God”.
(Matt 4: 4 ESV)

Twice more we read that Jesus was tempted but remained steadfast against the temptations before him. The devil soon got bored and left him.(Matt 4:11)

The devil will give up if you stand your ground against his temptations.

After this Jesus began His ministry, preaching to the people, “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. (Matt 4: 17).

He went throughout the land of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. (Matt 4: 23)

When you accept Jesus into your life he gives you the same power through the Holy Spirit to heal the sick. God uses signs, miracles and wonders to show people His glory and attract people near to His kingdom. Who wouldn't want to be healed? So as the the fame of Jesus spread throughout all Syria, people who were sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. Remember in that time there were no technological advances in keyhole surgery or large drug companies mass producing medicines and vaccines. These healings really were seen as miracles. And great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis (the ten cities), and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond Jordan. (Matt 4: 25)

I believe that the medicines and vaccines we have today, to treat and prevent sickness, are gifts from God. We often take them for granted and don't always see them as miracles from God.

Matthew Chapter 3

This chapter moves us forward 30 years and sets the scene for Jesus' ministry. John the baptist preached in the wildness of Judea. People came and repented of their sins and were baptised. This was to fulfil what the prophet Isaiah had spoken.

A voice cries: ”In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God”.
(Isaiah 40: 3)

This is a time of preparation for God's people in readiness for the Messiah. Baptism symbolises the cleansing of a persons life effectively wiping the slate clean of all previous wrong doings. John had received a vision from God, he told the people gathered; “ I baptise you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I , whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Matt 3: 11)

We clearly see this on the day of Pentacost:
When the day of Pentacost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(Acts 2: 1-4)

Towards the end of this chapter Jesus is baptised by John. When Jesus asks John to baptise him, John says; “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?”, Jesus replied; “Let it be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness. Although Jesus was pure and free of sin you may ask why was He baptised? Jesus was God's own son sent to the earth to save the earth, Jesus was baptised because He had to fulfil everything that God required to save the world. (Matt 3: 13-17)

In Acts 16 Paul and Silas spoke the word of God to the Philippian Jailer and all who were in his house. The jailer asked them “Sirs what must I do to saved” and both Paul and Silas replied “believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” As they were speaking God's word the jailer was baptised at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (Acts 16: 30-34)

God's plan for us is simple; believe his word, accept Jesus as your saviour and and be baptised.

Matthew Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Matthew's gospel focuses on the days, weeks and months after the birth of Jesus. We are told about the three wise men who came to pay homage to the King, and how their news was not received well by the ruling king Herod. Herod was a man not to be messed with, he was well know to kill anyone that he thought may prove a threat to his reign. As we read on we read about the massacre of all first born children who were 2 years or less. It shows us though that God protects His people, He told the wise men not to go back to Herod, instead to go back to their home land. He also appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to flee to Egypt. This was in line with what the prophet Hosea spoke: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son”.

Jesus' life was spared as it was God's eternal plan that this happened. God is our protector in times of trouble; David wrote songs of encouragement to us, about God's protection over us.

I love you, O'Lord , my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
(Psalm 18: 1-3 ESV)