It’s the biggest performance of your life, hundreds are watching you – and there’s a power cut on stage. But for Jon Batiste and the year he’s had, the obstacle is relatively minor, and so after a few awkward moments, he keeps calm and carries on, playing a piano piece that has everyone spellbound…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in January 2024. To read the full piece please click here.
It’s rare to come across a foreword that so powerfully shapes how you read what follows. This one tells the story of the author, Don Purdey, passionately worshipping God, despite the slurred speech cruelly brought on by motor neurone disease. It adds that the last page of the book, where Purdey quotes 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (“the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight”) was open on his computer on the day he died in July 2014…
This article appeared in the January 2024 edition of Premier Christianity Magazine. To read the full piece please click here.
Source: Alamy
Did you know that Shane MacGowan was born on Christmas Day? I didn’t - until his death last month. How apt for a man whose band, The Pogues, were responsible for ‘Fairytale of New York’, one of the all-time great festive songs…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in December 2023. To read the full piece please click here.
Souce: pexels.com
If someone were to ask you for words that could be considered Christian jargon, what would you say?
High on your list might be “sin”.
To Christians, it’s a serious thing (and rightly so) but explaining it to someone with little or no church background is enough to make many of us break out into a nervous sweat. Or is that just me?
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in December 2023. To read the full piece please click here.
Have you ever wondered what a Christmas musical in the style of Glee and High School Musical might look like? It sounds rather outlandish, but it has now hit our cinema screens, and it’s everything you’d likely expect it to be.
This article appeared in the December 2023 edition of Premier Christianity Magazine. To read the full piece please click here.
When 26-year-old American missionary, John Allen Chau, was murdered by the unreached tribe he was trying to tell about Jesus, it made headlines around the world.
Chau’s death on North Sentinel Island in 2018 prompted widespread debate over the theological, ethical and anthropological implications of his journey. Now, a new documentary, The Mission, which is produced by National Geographic, is reigniting these questions – and posing a few more…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in November 2023. To read the full piece please click here.
It’s quite the paradox. Normally when adverts appear on TV, we tend to make a cuppa, or at least hit mute. But from early November when the festive ads appear, suddenly these attempts to sell us stuff become the hot topic of conversation.
So let’s dive into this year’s ads, and analyse what messages they’re promoting…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in November 2023. To read the full piece please click here.
Source: Instagram/Alamy
On Sunday, I was gearing up to play football with some guys and the hot topic of conversation was an entirely different sport: rugby. That’s because England had earlier beaten Fiji in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup. Amusingly, the most vocal among us even admitted to not even really being into rugby, but that’s what a major sporting tournament can do – draw in those who otherwise have little interest in the sport.
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in October 2023. To read the full piece please click here.
Source: The Times/Facebook
Occasionally an interview or article in a national newspaper will do the rounds among Christians on social media – perhaps because it says something controversial, provocative or insightful about faith, or because someone famous unexpectedly opens up about their own relationship with God…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in March 2023. To read the full piece please click here.
Being single and trying to find love can be difficult - and awkward.
I can vividly recall the week when two very well-meaning friends, who do not know each other, messaged me to express an interest in matching me with the same person (the Christian world really is a very small one!) Having considered it, I didn’t think their friend and I would be a great match, but how do you say that without appearing shallow or picky? It took me a good 30 minutes to compose my responses…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity blog in February 2023. To read the full piece please click here.
Source: Reuters
When it comes to football, it takes little to irritate me — and this World Cup has been no different.
Prior to the tournament, I lost count of the times someone said: “Lionel Messi deserves to win this World Cup.” It grated on me, because it implied that he had a divine right to walk away with the trophy, just because of his prior achievements in the game.
But then Sunday’s final neared and, as people asked who’d I’d like to win, I replied: “Argentina, because Messi deserves it.” Yes, I’m big fat hypocrite (and also a bit salty because of France’s victory over England)…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in December 2022. To read the full piece please click here.
There is a huge amount not to like about this World Cup – and for very good reason. But with the tournament now underway, it has been nice to focus a bit more on the football and, with it, the small and unexpected moments of joy, including some lovely public declarations of faith…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in December 2022. To read the full piece please click here.
Source: Reuters
“So, are you looking forward to the World Cup?”
If there’s one question that’s emerged more than any other in recent conversations, that’s the one. The answers tend to share the same sentiment.
“Hmmmm, not so much…”
This is followed by a list of reasons why this World Cup just doesn’t seem quite right. But for many, there was an expectation that, once it got going, a semblance of excitement would emerge. That’s been true for me, helped by a few surprise results and one decent England display…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in November 2022. To read the full piece please click here.
Can we really think about the renewal of the Church in the midst of a chaotic world? What if in the midst of political instability and rising living costs, God is up to something exciting? That’s the belief of Mark Sayers. Tim Bechervaise caught up with the Aussie church leader, podcaster and writer to find out more…
This interview appeared on the Premier Christianity website in August 2022. To read the full piece please click here.
A few weeks ago, something strange happened. Elon Musk’s name was being associated with something other than cars, AI or even space. Instead, to widespread curiosity, it was Jesus. To date, the clip of him talking with Babylon Bee about his admiration for Jesus has been watched more than 2.2 million times…
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity website in February 2022. To read the full piece please click here.
For many people, playing and watching sport provides escapism and relief. At the onset of the pandemic, as sporting events fell like dominoes and clubs were cancelled, many people felt bereft at the loss of activities and occasions that provided a welcome distraction from jobs, responsibilities and worries.
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in January 2022. To read the full piece please click here.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to grab a coffee and chat all things worship with two of the world’s most respected Christian songwriters? Well, imagine no more, because Matt Redman (‘10,000 Reasons’, ‘Blessed be your name’) and Jeremy Riddle (‘This is amazing grace’, ‘One thing remains’) have taken the conversations they were having in a coffee shop to a recording studio for a wider audience to savour – and it works a treat.
This review appears in the January 2022 edition of Premier Christianity Magazine. An online version of it is available to read here.
Source: Reuters
There are times when, even if a particular sport is not our thing, it’s impossible to escape the fanfare of a certain event. Whether its newspaper headlines, Twitter, workplace banter, or even sermons, it’s just everywhere.
We’ve seen this a few times this year. In July, England almost self-combusted as the men’s football team made history by reaching a major tournament final. In September, we collectively crowned a new tennis hero in Emma Raducanu after her incredible US Open victory. And last weekend, the country rallied behind Lewis Hamilton in his attempt to win a record-breaking eighth Formula One championship.
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in December 2021. To read the full piece please click here.
Source: Alamy
We’re barely into Advent, but it’s highly likely you’ve already heard the dulcet tones of Michael Bublé on more than one occasion. Love or loathe his music, the charming Canadian is an indelible part of our soundtrack to the festive season. This year sees the re-release of his 2011 album Christmas, so expect to hear a lot more of his voice over coming weeks. Loathers, you have been warned.
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in December 2021. To read the full piece please click here.
For some people, retirement is not in their vocabulary — and for many years, that seemed to include Pat Robertson.
He’s the 91-year-old founder of CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network), the first US Christian television station, and America’s longest-running TV host. But last week, Robertson told viewers of The 700 Club that, after 55 years hosting the programme, he was to step down, to be replaced by his son, Gordon.
This article appeared on the Premier Christianity Blog in October 2021. To read the full piece please click here.