I write to illuminate the journey of faith.

Nothing Can Separate Us

18 Oct 2026

Devotions

Romans 8:31–39

Some things are easier to believe for other people than for ourselves.

God loves you?

Absolutely.

God forgives you?

Of course.

God hasn’t given up on you?

Definitely.

God loves me?

Ah.

Now we might need to talk.

Because somewhere along the way many of us have become rather good at adding qualifications to grace.

God loves me when…

God loves me if…

God loves me as long as…

Paul doesn’t seem terribly interested in our qualifications.

Instead, towards the end of Romans 8, he asks a huge question:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”

And then he starts naming possibilities.

Trouble.

Hardship.

Persecution.

Famine.

Nakedness.

Danger.

Sword.

These aren’t imaginary difficulties. Paul knows that following Christ does not somehow place a protective bubble around our lives.

Hard things happen.

Loss happens.

Disappointment happens.

Plans unravel.

Prayers seem unanswered.

There are days when God feels extraordinarily close.

And there are days when we wonder where God has gone.

Paul’s promise isn’t that those days won’t come.

His promise is that none of them has the power to separate us from God’s love.

That’s different.

Perhaps we sometimes imagine God’s love as something we must hold tightly.

Don’t mess up.

Don’t doubt.

Don’t wander.

Keep believing hard enough.

Hold on.

But what if the deeper truth is that God is holding us?

That shifts everything.

A frightened child doesn’t feel safe because their grip on the parent’s hand is particularly impressive.

They feel safe because the parent’s hand is holding theirs.

Maybe faith is sometimes like that.

There will be days when we hold confidently.

And there will be days when our grip is barely there.

But God’s love does not depend upon the strength of our grip.

Paul keeps pushing the idea further.

Neither death nor life.

Neither angels nor rulers.

Neither the present nor the future.

No powers.

Nothing above us.

Nothing below us.

And then, just in case we’ve found some loophole, he adds:

“Nor anything else in all creation.”

Anything else.

That seems rather comprehensive.

Including whatever you imagine might disqualify you.

Your mistakes.

Your questions.

Your regrets.

Your bad days.

Your doubts.

Your failures.

Your yesterday.

Your fear about tomorrow.

Nothing.

Not one of those things can remove you from the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Maybe that’s where our week of love needs to finish.

We began with the truth that we are loved.

We’ve thought about loving God, loving our neighbour, loving difficult people and putting love into action.

But before love becomes something we give, it remains something we receive.

We love because we have first been loved.

And perhaps today we don’t need to achieve anything with that.

Maybe we simply rest in it.

You are loved.

Not because you performed particularly well this week.

Not because you got everything right.

Not because you prayed enough or believed enough or served enough.

You are loved because love is at the heart of who God is.

So take a breath.

Put down the scorecard.

Stop trying to prove yourself.

You are held.

And nothing can separate you from the love of God.

Nothing.

A question to carry

What would change if I genuinely believed that God’s love for me was not hanging by a thread?

A simple practice

Hold your hands open for a moment and slowly say:

“Nothing can separate me from the love of God.”

Then sit quietly and let that be enough.

Prayer

God of unshakeable love,
when I doubt, hold me.

When I struggle, hold me.

When I get things wrong, hold me.

When I cannot find the words to pray,
remind me that your love
does not depend on my ability to hold onto you.

Help me rest in the truth
that you are holding onto me.

Amen.

For today: Rest in love.

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31 Days Through Proverbs: Wisdom for Every Day

17 Oct 2026

book review

Proverbs 31 Ministries

A Book Review

#31DaysThroughProverbs #NetGalley

So, What Is It?

The concept couldn’t be much simpler: thirty-one chapters of Proverbs, thirty-one days.

But this isn’t simply a reading plan. Each day includes Scripture, reflection questions, cross-references, charts and practical exercises intended to connect biblical wisdom with ordinary life. Relationships, words, conflict, patience, humility and decision-making are all part of the territory.

So although it is described as suitable for personal use, I could easily imagine working through this with a small group and discovering quite a lot to talk about.

More Bible Study Than Devotional

This is an important distinction.

Unlike a devotional that gives you a couple of verses followed by somebody else’s reflection, this book appears designed to keep sending you back into Proverbs itself.

For me, that’s a real strength.

There is always a danger with devotional books that we spend considerably more time reading what somebody says about the Bible than reading the Bible. Here, the structure deliberately takes readers through the entire biblical book.

I particularly like the inclusion of cross-references too. Proverbs does not exist in isolation, and making connections with the wider biblical story can help prevent individual sayings being treated as little inspirational quotations.

Wisdom for Real Life

Proverbs is wonderfully practical. It has an irritating habit of getting into areas of life we might prefer God didn’t mention!

How do I speak about other people?
Who influences me?
How do I respond when someone annoys me?
Am I teachable?
How do I make good decisions?

Those are not abstract theological questions. They’re Monday-morning questions.

That makes Proverbs particularly well suited to this kind of workbook approach. The challenge, of course, is moving beyond discovering what the wise response would be to actually living wisely when the situation arises.

I Like the Work

And I mean that positively.

The charts, questions and decision-making exercises mean that this isn’t necessarily a book to skim over with a cup of coffee while still half asleep. The reader is expected to participate.

For somebody wanting to begin studying Scripture more intentionally but intimidated by a traditional Bible-study commentary, that feels like a useful halfway point.

There also seems to be enough structure here to help someone who doesn’t quite know what questions to ask of a biblical passage.

But I Do Have a Question…

As with Stand Stronger for Boys, I find myself wondering about the intended audience.

This is specifically presented as a resource for women, and its introduction speaks about the demands women face as they make choices for families and relationships.

But Proverbs offers wisdom for the whole people of God.

So I would want to keep asking as I worked through the book: is this genuinely exploring Proverbs through women’s experiences, or is this essentially a good Proverbs study packaged specifically for women?

There is a difference.

And perhaps there is an even bigger question underneath that. When Christian resources are aimed specifically at women, what picture of women’s lives do they assume? There is enormous diversity among women in terms of family, work, relationships, responsibilities and season of life. A good resource needs enough breadth for women to find their own lives within it.

Would I Actually Use It?

Yes. And probably with a pen in my hand.

I could see myself using this personally, but I think I would be particularly interested in trying it with a small group. Proverbs has an extraordinary ability to provoke conversation because its wisdom so quickly bumps into lived experience.

Thirty-one days also feels achievable. It provides enough time to establish a rhythm without asking for an enormous commitment.

My Verdict

31 Days Through Proverbs has a simple idea at its heart: open Proverbs every day for a month and allow biblical wisdom to interrogate ordinary life.

What appeals to me most is that the workbook doesn’t appear to want to become the destination. Its purpose is to get the reader reading, thinking about and responding to Scripture.

I still have questions about the specifically female packaging and whether the content itself really requires it. But as an accessible bridge between a daily devotional and more substantial Bible study, this has considerable potential.

And perhaps its greatest success would be if, after day thirty-one, the reader closes the workbook but doesn’t stop opening the Bible.

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Stand Stronger for Boys: 90 Faith-Building Devotions

17 Oct 2026

book review

A book review

#StandStrongerforBoys #NetGalley

There is no shortage of children’s devotional books around, but I always think the real test is quite simple: would a child actually pick this up and read it without an adult standing over them? Stand Stronger for Boys is aimed at boys aged eight to twelve, and its purpose is to help them develop their own relationship with God, particularly as they negotiate the sometimes complicated preteen years.

Each of the ninety devotions follows a fairly predictable pattern. There is a suggested Bible reading, a short story, some reflection, a prayer activity and a fun fact. Predictable, though, isn’t necessarily a criticism. For a child beginning to develop a devotional habit, knowing what to expect can be quite helpful.

Will Boys Actually Want to Read It?

Visually, I think the book works. It doesn’t look like something intended for very young children, but neither is there a daunting wall of text. The strong headings, muted colours and little features such as the “Fun Fact” boxes break the pages up nicely.

More importantly, the individual readings are short. That matters. There is enough substance to give the reader something to think about without making spending time with God feel like another piece of homework.

The language is also straightforward without talking down to the reader. That is a difficult balance to get right with this age group.

Same Story, Different Audience

One thing particularly caught my attention because I had just been looking at Stand Stronger, the companion devotional for adult men.

One of the devotions here, “Don’t Be Afraid”, uses Jeremiah 1:4–10 and the extraordinary survival story of Louis Zamperini. The adult devotional uses essentially the same starting point.

That makes comparing the two fascinating.

In the children’s version the story is shorter, unfamiliar terminology such as “POW” is explained, and the focus moves quickly towards something a child can understand personally: what am I afraid of, and what difference does believing God is with me make?

For me, that is where the book is strongest. The writers haven’t simply shortened an adult devotion and used easier words. There is an attempt to bring the biblical theme into the everyday world of the child.

Something I Really Liked

I particularly liked the section headed “Just You and God”.

At the end of this devotion, children are invited to complete a prayer by naming something they are afraid of and asking God to be with them as they face it.

It’s a very small feature, but possibly one of the most valuable.

We can be very good at telling children what they ought to believe. Giving them space to talk honestly to God for themselves is something rather different.

And perhaps that is one of the best things a devotional book can do. It shouldn’t become the child’s relationship with God. It should help the child develop one.

But I Did Wonder…

I kept returning to one question: what makes this specifically a devotional for boys?

There is nothing wrong with producing resources specifically for boys, of course, and some children may particularly appreciate knowing that a book has been created with them in mind.

But I would have liked to explore whether the content genuinely reflects something distinctive about the spiritual lives and experiences of boys aged eight to twelve, or whether many of these devotions could just as easily be offered to children more generally.

Perhaps that is something parents, grandparents and children’s ministry leaders will want to decide for themselves.

Would I Use It?

Yes, I would.

I can easily imagine giving this to a child who is beginning to explore reading the Bible and praying independently. I could also see individual devotions providing useful starting points for conversations at home or in children’s ministry.

And I like that the book continually points beyond itself towards the Bible. A children’s devotional has succeeded, I think, when eventually the child discovers that the most interesting book on the bedside table isn’t the devotional at all.

My Verdict

Stand Stronger for Boys is attractive, accessible and genuinely manageable for its intended age group. The mixture of Bible, storytelling, interesting facts and personal prayer gives children several different ways into each theme.

My one lingering question concerns how specifically the book needs to be marketed towards boys. But that does not detract from what it does well.

For an eight to twelve-year-old beginning to take some ownership of their faith, this could be a very useful companion, particularly if it opens the door not simply to ninety devotions, but to a lifetime of opening the Bible and discovering God for themselves.

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Library of Forbidden Books

17 Oct 2026

book review

A sweeping historical fiction novel about a librarian protecting banned books in Nazi Germany

by Mario Escobar and narrated by Kathleen Gati

A Book Review

There is something wonderfully audacious at the heart of Library of Forbidden Books. In an age when dictators feared books enough to burn them, Mario Escobar tells the story of those who loved them enough to risk everything to save them. From the opening chapters I was intrigued. The historical notes drew me in, but it was the care and courage of the librarians that kept me listening. This is not simply a novel about people. It is a novel about books themselves.

Set in Berlin in 1933, against the backdrop of rising Nazi oppression, the story follows Helene Nathan, a librarian determined to preserve works condemned by the regime. Escobar paints a city increasingly shaped by violence, intimidation and fear. Neighbours become informants, friendships fracture, and danger lurks in everyday encounters. Yet amidst this darkness, Helene and her colleagues quietly resist by safeguarding literature destined for the flames.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is the way books become characters in their own right. They are not merely objects sitting on shelves. They carry ideas, memories and hopes. Some are treasured as a collection, others emerge as individuals with distinct significance. One scene that particularly stayed with me involved reading Kant to soothe a baby. It was such a beautiful and unexpected moment, reminding the reader that books are more than repositories of information. They comfort, nurture and accompany us through life.

Escobar also succeeds in showing why authoritarian regimes fear literature. Books encourage people to think, question and imagine alternatives. The burning of books becomes symbolic of something far greater than censorship. It is an attack on human freedom itself. Through Helene’s story we are reminded that preserving culture can be an act of resistance every bit as brave as standing on a battlefield.

As an audiobook, the story works exceptionally well. The tension of the historical setting, the emotional weight of Helene’s choices, and the love of literature at the centre of the narrative combine to create an engaging listening experience. There were moments when I found myself eager to return to the story simply to discover what would happen next.

If I have one criticism, it is that some characters beyond Helene occasionally felt less developed than I would have liked. The strength of the historical setting and the compelling central premise sometimes overshadow the supporting cast. However, this is a minor complaint in an otherwise excellent novel.

Library of Forbidden Books is ultimately a tribute to the librarians, teachers, readers and quiet custodians of culture who understood that ideas matter. It is a story about courage in dark times, about the power of literature to preserve our humanity, and about the conviction that some things are worth risking everything to protect. For anyone who loves books, history, or stories of ordinary people displaying extraordinary courage, this is an audiobook well worth seeking out.

As a minister, I found myself reflecting on the parallels between those who preserved books and those who preserved faith through difficult times. Both understood that ideas, stories and truth are precious gifts. Both believed that some things must be handed on to the next generation, whatever the cost. It is with sadness that I tell you the real Helene – took her life in 1940 when life was unbearable.

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Love in Action

17 Oct 2026

Devotions

1 Corinthians 13:1–7

Love is one of those words we use so often that we can forget how demanding it actually is.

We love people.
We love places.
We love songs.
We love coffee.
We love a particular television programme, a favourite meal, a view, a book.

And then Paul comes along and rather inconveniently tells us what love looks like.

It is patient.

Oh.

It is kind.

Fine so far.

It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It doesn’t dishonour others. It isn’t self-seeking. It isn’t easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs.

By now, I’m beginning to wish Paul had stopped at kind.

Because this isn’t sentimental love.

This is love with its sleeves rolled up.

We often hear 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings, and understandably so. They are beautiful words.

But Paul wasn’t writing a romantic poem for a wedding ceremony. He was writing to a community of people who were struggling to live well together.

People with different personalities.

Different opinions.

Different gifts.

Different ideas about what mattered.

In other words, people.

And perhaps that is precisely where love becomes real.

It is relatively easy to love people in theory.

Actual people are considerably more complicated.

Actual people interrupt us.

They disappoint us.

They say the wrong thing.

They don’t notice all the things we’ve done.

They take too long.

They misunderstand.

So do we.

And into all that ordinary human mess, Paul says:

Love is patient. Love is kind.

Notice that he doesn’t spend much time telling us how love feels.

He tells us what love does.

That changes things.

I might not be able to manufacture warm feelings towards everyone I encounter today.

But I can choose patience.

I can choose kindness.

I can refuse to keep score.

I can listen.

I can hold my tongue.

I can make room.

I can encourage.

I can forgive.

I can turn up.

Sometimes love looks remarkably ordinary.

It’s making the cup of tea.

Sending the message.

Letting somebody else speak.

Remembering the person who might otherwise be forgotten.

It’s asking, “How are you?” and then staying long enough to hear the real answer.

Love isn’t always spectacular.

Very often it is simply faithful.

And perhaps there is another challenge here.

Paul begins this chapter by saying that we can do impressive things and still miss love entirely.

We can speak beautifully.

We can know an enormous amount.

We can possess great faith.

We can even be extraordinarily generous.

And yet without love something fundamental is missing.

That’s worth sitting with.

Because it is perfectly possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason.

To serve while resenting.

To give while wanting recognition.

To help while secretly feeling superior.

Love asks something deeper.

Not merely:

What am I doing?

But:

How am I doing it?

Perhaps today we don’t need to do anything enormous.

Perhaps we simply choose one of Paul’s descriptions and practise it.

Patience.

Kindness.

Not keeping score.

Protecting.

Trusting.

Hoping.

Persevering.

Pick one.

And let love become a verb.

A question to carry

If love became something I did today, rather than simply something I felt, what would it look like?

A simple practice

Choose one person today and deliberately show them love in a practical way.

Don’t announce it.

Just do it.

Prayer

God of love,
thank you that your love
is more than words.

Teach me to love like that.

Make me patient when I want to hurry,
kind when irritation comes more easily,
generous when I want my own way.

Let the love I speak about
become the love I live.

Amen.

For today: Practice love.

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Loving the Difficult Person

16 Oct 2026

Devotions

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
Luke 6:27

And then Jesus goes and says something like this.

Love your enemies.

Really?

Loving the people who love us is one thing.

Loving the person who annoys us, hurts us, misunderstands us or seems determined to make life difficult?

That’s different.

And let’s be honest.

Some people are difficult to love.

Jesus doesn’t pretend otherwise.

Nor does loving someone mean allowing them to hurt us repeatedly. Love can have boundaries. Love can say no. Love can step away when that is necessary.

But love refuses to let bitterness take over our heart.

Sometimes loving a difficult person might simply begin with refusing to return hurt for hurt.

Not rehearsing the argument again.

Not enjoying their failure.

Not letting resentment become the thing that occupies our thoughts.

Perhaps we are not ready to feel warmly towards them.

That’s all right.

Love is not always a feeling.

Sometimes love begins as a choice.

God, I don’t know how to love this person.

But I don’t want bitterness to win either.

Maybe that’s enough of a prayer for today.

Carry this today

I cannot control another person’s behaviour, but I can choose what grows in my own heart.

Prayer

God of love,
you know the people I find difficult.
Give me wisdom to know when boundaries are needed,
grace not to return hurt for hurt,
and freedom from bitterness.
Teach me what love looks like
even when loving is hard.
Amen.

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Loving Our Neighbour

15 Oct 2026

Devotions

“Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Mark 12:31

It sounds simple.

Love your neighbour.

Until, of course, we start wondering who exactly our neighbour is.

The person next door?

The family we get on well with?

The friend who thinks like us?

Surely they count.

But Jesus keeps making the circle bigger.

Our neighbour is the person in front of us.

The person we notice.

The person whose need crosses our path.

And loving them doesn’t always require something enormous.

Sometimes love is very ordinary.

Listening when we’re tempted to hurry on.

Noticing the person everyone else overlooks.

Sending the message.

Making the phone call.

Offering practical help.

Remembering the name.

Making space at the table.

Perhaps we sometimes miss opportunities to love because we’re waiting to do something significant.

But love is often found in small things done with great care.

So maybe the question for today isn’t:

How can I change the world?

Maybe it is simply:

Who is my neighbour today?

And what small act of love might I offer them?

Carry this today

Love begins with noticing the person in front of me.

Prayer

God of love,
open my eyes today
to the people around me.
Help me to notice,
to listen,
to care,
and to respond when I can.
Show me who my neighbour is today
and teach me to love them well.
Amen.

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Loving God

14 Oct 2026

Devotions

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Matthew 22:37

What does it actually mean to love God?

Perhaps we imagine something dramatic.

A powerful worship experience.

A great moment of faith.

A prayer in which everything suddenly makes sense.

And sometimes loving God will feel like that.

But most of life isn’t lived in dramatic moments.

It’s lived while making breakfast.

Driving to work.

Answering messages.

Walking the dog.

Doing the shopping.

Putting the kettle on.

Maybe loving God happens there too.

Perhaps loving God is less about trying to manufacture a particular feeling and more about learning to notice God’s presence in the middle of ordinary life.

A quiet thank you.

A moment of wonder.

Choosing kindness.

Stopping long enough to pray.

Trusting God with something we cannot control.

Loving God with all our heart, soul and mind doesn’t mean withdrawing from ordinary life.

It means inviting God right into the middle of it.

So today, don’t wait for a particularly holy moment.

Look for God in the one you’re already in.

Carry this today

I can love God right here, in the ordinary moments of today.

Prayer

God of love,
teach me to love you
not only in special moments,
but in the ordinary rhythm of my day.
Help me to notice you,
to make room for you,
and to offer you the life I am actually living today.
Amen.

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Love That Knows Us Completely

13 Oct 2026

Devotions

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.”
Psalm 139:1

We all have different versions of ourselves.

There is the version other people see.

The capable version.
The cheerful version.
The yes, everything’s fine version.

And then there is everything underneath.

The worries we don’t mention.

The thoughts we wouldn’t particularly like anyone else to hear.

The insecurities.

The questions.

The parts of ourselves we are still trying to understand.

And God knows all of it.

Psalm 139 tells us that God knows when we sit down and when we get up. He knows our thoughts, our movements and even the words we are about to speak.

God knows us completely.

That might sound slightly terrifying.

Until we remember what we discovered yesterday.

The God who knows us completely is the God who loves us first.

There is nothing you need to hide.

Nothing you need to disguise.

Nothing God is going to discover about you today that will make him say, Well, I wasn’t expecting that.

You are already known.

Completely.

And you are loved.

Perhaps that is one of the deepest gifts love can give us:

To be fully known and still fully loved.

Carry this today

I am completely known by God and completely loved by God.

Prayer

God who knows me,
thank you that I don’t need to hide from you.
You know my strengths and my struggles,
my hopes and my fears.
Help me to rest in the wonderful truth
that I am known
and I am loved.
Amen.

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Loved First

12 Oct 2026

Devotions

“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19

We talk a lot about loving God.

Love God.
Love your neighbour.
Love one another.

All important.

But perhaps, before we talk about any of that, we need to notice the order.

God loved us first.

Before we did anything.

Before we understood.

Before we prayed the right prayers or believed the right things or managed to become better versions of ourselves.

God loved us.

First.

Christian love doesn’t begin with us trying harder to be more loving people.

It begins with being loved.

Maybe that’s why receiving love can sometimes be harder than giving it.

Giving makes us feel useful.

Receiving requires us to open our hands.

This week we’re going to think about love in all sorts of ways.

Loving God.

Loving other people.

Loving when it’s difficult.

Putting love into action.

But today we begin here.

Before anything is asked of you, something has already been given to you.

You are loved.

Let that be enough for today.

Carry this today

I don’t begin by trying to love more. I begin by remembering that I am loved.

Prayer

God of love,
before I loved you,
you loved me.
Before I reached towards you,
you were already reaching towards me.
Help me to receive that love today
and let everything else flow from there.
Amen.

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Mercies New Every Morning

11 Oct 2026

Devotions

“His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.”
Lamentations 3:22–23

There is something hopeful about morning.

Whatever happened yesterday, morning comes.

The conversation we wish had gone differently.

The thing we didn’t manage to finish.

The moment when we weren’t quite the person we wanted to be.

Yesterday may have been wonderful.

Or difficult.

Or simply exhausting.

And then morning comes.

The writer of Lamentations knew something about difficult days. Yet right in the middle of everything that was wrong, he remembered something that was still true:

God’s mercy had not run out.

Not yesterday.

Not today.

Not tomorrow.

Sometimes we carry yesterday into today as though we need to keep punishing ourselves for it.

God doesn’t ask us to do that.

There may be things to put right.
There may be apologies to make.
There may be lessons to learn.

But there is also mercy.

Fresh mercy.

Perhaps that is what you need this morning.

Don’t begin today dragging yesterday behind you.

Receive what God is giving you now.

A new morning.

A fresh beginning.

Mercy again.

Carry this today

Today begins with mercy I haven’t used up.

Prayer

Merciful God,
thank you for the gift of another morning.
Help me to learn from yesterday
without being trapped by it.
Thank you that your compassion does not fail
and your mercy meets me again today.
Amen.

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Stand Strong 2: 365 Devotions for Men by Men

10 Oct 2026

book review

by Our Daily Bread Ministries

A book review

#StandStrong2 #NetGalley

What Is This Book?

There are seasons when the thought of adding one more thing to the day, even something worthwhile, feels impossible. That is perhaps where a devotional book like this finds its place. Stand Strong offers 365 short daily readings, each intended to take five minutes or less, with the aim of helping men develop a regular habit of engaging with Scripture and reflecting on how Christian faith connects with ordinary life.

The format is deliberately simple. Each day includes a suggested Bible reading, a key verse, a short story or illustration and a reflection intended to bring the biblical material into the reader’s home, workplace or community.

Its guiding verse, 1 Corinthians 16:13, sets the tone: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” Strength, perseverance and faithfulness are therefore central themes. This is not a book promising an easy life. Instead, it sets out to encourage readers to remain faithful when life becomes difficult.

Who Is It For?

The book describes itself very clearly as a collection “written by men for men”. That immediately raises an interesting question: what makes a devotional particularly male?

There is certainly value in producing resources with a particular audience in mind. Some men who would hesitate to pick up a longer Christian book may find the short, direct format approachable. Equally, someone wanting to establish a regular pattern of Bible reading without quite knowing where to begin could find the structure helpful.

Yet I was left wondering whether emphasising strength and courage as particularly male concerns is always necessary. Perseverance, vulnerability, fear, doubt, courage and faithfulness are not uniquely male experiences. Perhaps the real test is whether the writers allow enough breadth for different personalities and experiences of being a man, rather than offering a single model of what Christian masculinity should look like.

What Works?

The accessibility of the format is one of the book’s obvious strengths. Five minutes is manageable. There is little opportunity for the familiar excuse, “I simply haven’t time.”

The January 14 devotion, “Unbreakable in Jesus”, demonstrates the approach well. It begins with the remarkable wartime experiences of Louis Zamperini before turning to the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah endured opposition, imprisonment and physical suffering, yet continued because of God’s promise to remain with him.

The connection is easy to follow. Neither Jeremiah nor Zamperini escaped suffering, but suffering was not presented as evidence that God had abandoned them. The reflection then brings that idea into the reader’s experience: Christian hope does not necessarily mean avoiding difficulty, but trusting that God remains present within it.

That is a useful corrective to versions of Christianity which can unintentionally imply that sufficient faith should result in a trouble-free life.

The storytelling also makes the theological point memorable. Readers who might struggle to remember a more abstract discussion of perseverance may remember a person drifting at sea or Jeremiah being lowered into a cistern.

What Gave Me Pause?

The strength of that story also exposes a possible weakness in this style of devotional writing.

Most of us are not dealing with plane crashes, prisoner-of-war camps or biblical levels of persecution. We are dealing with family tensions, disappointment, financial pressures, illness, work, loneliness, uncertainty and the thousand smaller difficulties that accumulate in ordinary life.

Extraordinary stories can inspire us, but there is always a risk that they make ordinary struggles seem insignificant. I would want a devotional collection like this to reassure the reader that God is present not only in heroic endurance but also in the quiet, unimpressive business of getting through Tuesday.

There is another potential difficulty with very short devotions. Scripture can become an illustration for the point the writer wants to make rather than something the reader is encouraged to wrestle with in its own right. The inclusion of a suggested Bible passage is therefore important. Ideally, the devotion should be the doorway into Scripture rather than a substitute for reading it.

Does the Format Work?

For what the book is trying to achieve, largely yes.

A five-minute devotion cannot provide detailed biblical scholarship, nor should it pretend to. Its purpose is different. It creates a daily stopping place, somewhere between the speed of everyday life and the depth of sustained Bible study.

The regular pattern may be particularly valuable. There is something quietly significant about opening Scripture each day, even briefly. Spiritual habits are not always dramatic. Often they are built through small acts repeated faithfully.

The danger, of course, is allowing “five minutes with God” to become another item successfully ticked off the list. The best entries will therefore be those that leave the reader thinking after the book has been closed.

Would I Actually Use It?

This, for me, is the most practical test of a devotional book.

I can imagine Stand Strong working particularly well for someone who wants to develop a daily devotional habit but finds longer material daunting. It could also be useful as a gift for someone going through a difficult period, provided the tone of the individual readings fits their circumstances.

I could also see individual reflections opening worthwhile conversations in a men’s group or other small-group setting. A story such as the January 14 reading naturally raises bigger questions: What does Christian strength actually look like? Is being strong the same as appearing strong? Where is God when circumstances do not improve?

Those questions may take considerably longer than five minutes, and perhaps that is a sign that the devotion has done its job.

The Verdict

Stand Strong does not set out to be a theological textbook or comprehensive Bible commentary. It offers something much simpler: a manageable daily invitation to open Scripture, pause and consider what following Jesus might mean in ordinary life.

Its brevity is both its strength and its limitation. Some readers will want considerably more depth, while others may discover that five minutes is exactly the place they need to begin.

Ultimately, a devotional book succeeds not because every reflection is unforgettable, but because it encourages us to look beyond the devotional itself. If Stand Strong sends its readers back into Scripture, into prayer, and then into home, workplace and community with a more deeply rooted faith, it will have achieved something worthwhile.

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Showing Mercy

10 Oct 2026

Devotions

Luke 10:30–37

The trouble with mercy is that eventually it has to become inconvenient.

It is easy enough to admire mercy.

We like stories about compassionate people. We share them. We are moved by them. We think, Isn’t that wonderful?

Jesus asks something more difficult.

Go and do likewise.

The story of the Good Samaritan begins with someone lying beside a road.

He’s been attacked, robbed and left there.

Then people start passing.

That’s where the story becomes uncomfortable.

Because surely someone will stop.

The priest sees him.

He passes by.

The Levite sees him.

He passes by too.

And then comes the Samaritan.

The person Jesus’ listeners might least expect to become the example of faithful living.

He sees the injured man.

But unlike the others, seeing becomes doing.

He goes to him.

He tends his wounds.

He gets him somewhere safe.

He pays for his care.

Mercy has become practical.

And costly.

And inconvenient.

Perhaps that’s important because we can sometimes reduce mercy to a feeling.

We feel sorry for somebody.

We shake our heads at their situation.

We say, “That’s awful.”

And sometimes genuine mercy begins with exactly that response. Our hearts are moved.

But Jesus doesn’t leave mercy there.

Mercy crosses the road.

That might be the question sitting underneath this whole story:

Will I cross the road?

Not necessarily literally.

Maybe crossing the road means making the phone call you’ve been putting off.

Maybe it means sitting beside somebody when you don’t know what to say.

Maybe it means listening without needing to fix them.

Perhaps it’s giving someone another chance.

Perhaps it’s choosing kindness when irritation would be much easier.

Perhaps it is noticing the person everybody else seems to walk past.

Mercy interrupts us.

That’s what makes it costly.

The Samaritan had somewhere to be. We aren’t told where, but travellers generally don’t set off down dangerous roads merely to see what might happen.

He had plans.

And mercy changed them.

That makes me wonder how often I miss opportunities for mercy simply because I am concentrating on the next thing.

The next appointment.

The next job.

The next message.

The next place I need to be.

And meanwhile somebody is lying beside my metaphorical road.

Jesus doesn’t ask the lawyer at the end of the story which character had the best theology.

He asks:

Which one was a neighbour?

The answer is simple.

“The one who showed him mercy.”

And then come those wonderfully challenging words:

“Go and do likewise.”

Yesterday we thought about receiving mercy.

Today Jesus turns us around.

The mercy that reaches us is meant eventually to travel through us.

Not because we’re trying to earn God’s favour.

We’ve already received it.

But because people who know what it is to need mercy begin to recognise that same need in others.

So perhaps today isn’t about attempting something heroic.

Maybe it is simply about noticing.

Who is beside my road?

Who needs patience?

Who needs kindness?

Who needs me to stop?

Because sometimes mercy begins with something very small.

We see.

We stop.

We cross the road.

A question to carry

Who might God be asking me to notice today?

A simple practice

Before the day ends, do one deliberately merciful thing for another person, preferably something they cannot repay.

Prayer

God of mercy,
thank you for the mercy you have shown me.

Open my eyes today.

Interrupt me if necessary.

Help me notice the person
I might otherwise pass by.

And give me the courage
not simply to feel compassion,
but to cross the road.

Amen.

For today: Show mercy.

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Receiving Mercy

9 Oct 2026

Devotions

Luke 18:9–14

There is something wonderfully uncomfortable about Jesus’ stories.

We often know who the “good” person is supposed to be within the first few lines. We settle ourselves comfortably beside them, ready to nod approvingly.

And then Jesus turns the whole thing upside down.

That happens in this story.

Two people go to the temple to pray.

One is a Pharisee. He is serious about his faith. He tries to live properly. He does the things expected of him and, by his own account at least, does rather well at them.

The other is a tax collector.

He would not have been the obvious hero.

Yet Jesus draws our attention to him.

He stands at a distance.

He cannot even bring himself to look upwards.

There is no carefully constructed prayer. No impressive language. No list of achievements.

Simply:

“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

That’s it.

And perhaps receiving mercy begins there.

Not with having the right words.

Not with getting ourselves sorted out first.

Not with promising God that we’ll do better next time.

Simply coming as we are.

That sounds easy.

I’m not sure it is.

Because many of us are much better at giving than receiving. We know what to do when somebody needs our help. We can make the tea, turn up, cook the dinner, send the message, listen, pray, organise, sort things out.

Being the person who needs something is altogether different.

And perhaps that applies to God too.

We would quite like to come to God with something in our hands.

Look, God. I tried.

I helped.

I served.

I prayed.

I kept going.

The Pharisee’s prayer is full of himself.

Not necessarily because everything he says is untrue, but because he seems to have forgotten why he came to the temple in the first place.

He doesn’t need anything.

The tax collector does.

Mercy.

There are days when that may be the most honest prayer we have.

God, I haven’t handled this well.

God, I am tired.

God, I’m angry.

God, I don’t know what I’m doing.

God, have mercy.

And Jesus says that the man who prayed like that went home right with God.

He didn’t go home with a seven-point improvement programme.

He went home having received mercy.

Perhaps today the invitation is not to try harder.

Perhaps it is to stop.

To open empty hands.

And receive.

A question to carry

Where am I trying to prove myself when God is simply inviting me to receive mercy?

A simple practice

Sit quietly for one minute with your hands closed.

Then slowly open them.

As you do, pray:

“God, I receive your mercy today.”

Prayer

Merciful God,
sometimes I find it easier to pretend
that everything is fine.

Today I come without pretending.

You know me completely,
and still you welcome me.

Have mercy on me.
Help me receive what I cannot earn
and need not deserve.

Amen.

For today: Receive mercy.

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Foetal Faith: The girl on the bathroom floor by Amber Emily Smith

8 Oct 2026

book review

A Book Review

How often have you found yourself curled into the foetal position, sobbing?

On the bathroom floor. The kitchen floor. The garage. The living-room carpet.

There are moments of pain when we do not decide to curl up. The body simply does it. We fold in on ourselves, knees pulled close, arms wrapped around what hurts, making ourselves as small as we can.

There is something profoundly visceral about that. When pain strips away the words, the explanations and the brave face, our bodies sometimes return to the very first posture God gave us: curled, small, vulnerable, dependent.

And that is where this book begins.

On a bathroom floor. With a woman miscarrying. With grief and blood and the loss of a life that had barely begun. And suddenly the title, Foetal Faith, is no clever turn of phrase. It hurts.

Because perhaps there are moments when faith itself becomes foetal.
Tiny. Vulnerable. Curled around pain. Barely formed. Yet still alive.

And perhaps the question is not, “Is my faith big enough?”
Perhaps the question is, “Can something this small still be held by God?”

Jesus once pointed to something almost ridiculously small, a mustard seed, and said: Look at this. This is what the kingdom is like. And Jesus says: don’t underestimate that.

Never underestimate what God can do with something small.

The girl of the title is Amber Emily Smith, but as I listened I began to wonder how many of us have, at one time or another, been that girl on the bathroom floor. For Amber, it is the place she retreats to when life becomes simply too much. She takes us into the painful places of motherhood, family addiction and broken relationships, but at the heart of her story is an unimaginable loss: the death of her three-year-old son, River. This is where we meet Amber, not with everything neatly resolved, but in those very private moments when grief, helplessness and faith collide.

The thing is, Amber didn’t start this grief journey with faith. Faith came to her in her grief. It came as she wrestled with that question we so often ask when life falls apart: why? Why did this happen? Why did their beautiful son, River, die? And she didn’t find some neat little Christian answer that suddenly made everything all right. Instead, somewhere in the wrestling, something began. Something tiny. Something fragile. Something that perhaps she could barely name yet. Faith. Foetal faith.

One thing I loved was her voice. Amber’s voice comes through so clearly in the writing, and perhaps even more powerfully in the audio soundtrack. You feel that she is telling you her story rather than presenting you with a carefully polished theological argument. There is an honesty to it. At times it feels almost conversational, as though she has pulled up a chair and is simply telling you what happened, what it did to her, and where she began to find God in the middle of it.

But there was one thing that didn’t work quite so well for me.

At the beginning of some chapters there is a piling up of Scripture upon Scripture, and honestly, I didn’t think the book needed it. I understand the instinct. Sometimes when faith is new, we are so excited by what we are discovering in the Bible that we want to show everybody all of it. Look! Here’s another verse. And another one. And this one says it too!

But Amber’s story is already doing the work.

The story itself bears witness to the unfailing love of God.

It doesn’t need Scripture piled high around it to make it more Christian or more convincing. A little Bible, carefully placed, allows the story room to breathe. And actually, for me, that is when Scripture works best in this book. Not when it overwhelms Amber’s voice, but when it comes alongside her voice and says quietly:

Yes. This God you have encountered in your grief? We have met him here too.

So who is this book for? I think it is for anyone carrying loss in their heart, whether that loss is raw and recent or something they thought had long since healed. It is for the young mum trying desperately to get everything right and quietly wondering why she can’t. And I think it would be particularly valuable for those who are young in faith, because Amber doesn’t offer a faith that protects us from the hard things of life, but one that can hold us when they come. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Not because it has all the answers, but because it is honest about the questions, honest about the pain, and ultimately, full of hope.

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Mercy Instead of Judgement

8 Oct 2026

Devotions

“Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
James 2:13

We can be very quick to form opinions.

Someone behaves badly and we decide what sort of person they are.

Someone says something thoughtless and we make a judgement.

Someone makes a choice we wouldn’t make, and immediately we know exactly where they went wrong.

Except, of course, we rarely know the whole story.

We don’t know what happened before they arrived.

We don’t know what they are carrying.

We don’t know what kept them awake last night.

We see one moment.

God sees a whole person.

And mercy invites us to remember that.

It doesn’t mean that everything is acceptable.

It doesn’t mean ignoring hurtful behaviour or abandoning healthy boundaries.

It means resisting the temptation to reduce a person to their worst moment.

Because we wouldn’t want God to do that with us.

Perhaps today, when judgement begins to rise quickly within us, we could pause.

Just for a moment.

And wonder:

Is there another way of seeing this person?

Maybe we won’t understand them any better.

But perhaps we can leave a little room for mercy.

Carry this today

Before I judge what I can see, I will remember there may be much that I cannot.

Prayer

Merciful God,
forgive me when I am quick to judge
and slow to understand.
Give me wisdom where boundaries are needed,
compassion where people are struggling,
and a heart that leaves room for mercy.
Amen.

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The God Who Sees

7 Oct 2026

Devotions

“You are the God who sees me.”
Genesis 16:13

There are times when being seen is exactly what we need.

Not being noticed.

Not being the centre of attention.

Just being seen.

Someone recognising that we’re tired.

Someone noticing that the smile is taking a little more effort today.

Someone understanding that there is more going on beneath the surface than we are saying.

In Genesis, Hagar finds herself alone in the wilderness.

Her life has become complicated and painful, and she has run away.

And it is there, in the wilderness, that God meets her.

Hagar gives God a remarkable name:

“You are the God who sees me.”

God saw her.

Not simply where she was, but what she was carrying.

That is mercy too.

God sees beyond the version of ourselves that we present to everyone else.

The brave face.

The I’m fine.

The don’t worry about me.

He sees what lies beneath all of that.

And perhaps today there is something comforting in simply knowing:

God sees me.

I am not unnoticed.

I am not overlooked.

I am not alone.

Carry this today

The God who sees me is the God who stays with me.

Prayer

God who sees me,
thank you that nothing about my life
is hidden from you.
You see what I carry,
what I worry about,
and what I cannot put into words.
Help me to rest today
in knowing that I am seen and loved.
Amen.

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Mercy in Our Mess

6 Oct 2026

Devotions

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”
Lamentations 3:22

Some days are messy.

Not dramatic.

Just messy.

Plans go wrong.
We lose patience.
We say the wrong thing.
We worry about things we cannot change.
We start the day determined to do better and somehow, by lunchtime, it has all unravelled.

And sometimes we think we need to tidy ourselves up before coming to God.

Let me sort this out first.

Let me get myself together.

Then I’ll pray.

But mercy doesn’t wait at the end of the mess.

God meets us in it.

Right there in the kitchen when everything has gone wrong.

In the car when the tears come.

In the middle of the conversation we wish had gone differently.

In the quiet moment when we finally admit, I’m struggling.

God is there.

Mercy doesn’t require us to have a polished life.

It simply asks us to turn towards the One whose compassion does not fail.

So if today feels a little messy, don’t wait until you have sorted it all out.

God is already there.

Carry this today

I don’t have to get out of the mess before God meets me.

Prayer

Merciful God,
meet me in the untidy places of my life today.
When things don’t go to plan,
when I struggle,
when I don’t have the answers,
remind me that your compassion does not fail.
Amen.

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What Is Mercy?

5 Oct 2026

Devotions

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Luke 6:36

Mercy is one of those words we know.

But it can be surprisingly difficult to explain.

Grace gives what we don’t deserve.

Mercy looks at what we do deserve and chooses compassion.

Mercy sees the failure, the weakness, the mess, and doesn’t turn away.

And that is how God meets us.

Not reluctantly.

Not with folded arms and a disappointed sigh.

With mercy.

Again and again throughout the Bible, people encounter a God who sees them at their worst and still moves towards them.

Maybe we imagine that God is constantly keeping score.

The things we got right.
The things we got wrong.
The times we tried.
The times we didn’t.

But mercy isn’t about keeping score.

Mercy begins with the heart of God.

A heart that is compassionate towards ordinary, imperfect, struggling people.

People like us.

Perhaps today you don’t need to explain yourself to God.

Perhaps you simply need to let yourself be seen.

And trust that the God who sees you is merciful.

Carry this today

God sees the whole of me and meets me with mercy.

Prayer

Merciful God,
thank you that you see me as I really am
and still draw near.
Help me to stop hiding,
stop pretending,
and simply receive your mercy today.
Amen.

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Living in Grace

4 Oct 2026

Devotions

“Freely you have received; freely give.”
Matthew 10:8

Grace is wonderful when we receive it.

It becomes a little more challenging when we have to give it away.

Because the person who needs our grace may be the person who irritates us.

The person who forgot.

The person who got it wrong.

The person who spoke before thinking.

The person who should, quite frankly, know better.

And perhaps that sounds familiar because sometimes we are that person too.

We began yesterday by remembering that God meets our mistakes with grace.

Today comes the question:

What happens if we do the same for someone else?

Maybe living graciously means being slower to judge.

Perhaps it means giving someone another chance.

Perhaps it is choosing a gentler response when a sharper one would come much more naturally.

It doesn’t mean pretending that nothing matters or allowing people to treat us badly.

It simply means remembering that everyone we meet is an unfinished person.

Just like us.

We have received grace.

Now we get to become people who carry a little of it into the world.

Carry this today

Someone I meet today may need the same grace that I need myself.

Prayer

God of grace,
thank you for the grace you give so freely to me.
Make me generous with it.
Help me to be patient,
gentle and slow to judge,
and let someone encounter your grace
through me today.
Amen.