Posts by David Stone (Page 3)

FEAR OR FAITH

One Saturday, several years ago, my wife and I were confronted with what, at the time, we considered devastating news. The following day, we attended the usual church services “putting on a brave face” The evening service was a special occasion that was preceded by a prayer meeting for the few who attended. My thoughts…

If only I had known

I read the following extract from an American Facebook post. For those unaware of American driving, a “stick or stick shift” is a manual gearbox instead of an automatic. “As I was pulling into work, I was following this car. The sign in the back window says, “Learning stick sorry for any delay.”  Knowing this…

ASSURANCE

I recall a work colleague telling me that driving home after a holiday, he came across a long line of traffic following an accident. He stopped in plenty of time, but unfortunately, the vehicles behind did not. His car was shunted into the cars in front of him, but because the car he was driving…

Lost for words?

Some years ago, I visited a Christian couple whose daughter had been murdered.  During our conversation, he mentioned that his best friend, having heard the news, telephoned him and during their chat said, “Don’t worry, brother, Romans 8 verse 28,” Aware of this verse I asked him what his reaction was, and he replied, “I…

LORD?

I recall a business colleague once saying to me, “That the faults we see in others are often a reflection of our own faults”. About an hour later in our conversation, he asked, “What would you say are my faults?” I suppose many Christians have a “soft spot” for the disciple Peter, especially while in…

PRAYER

871 the then Prince of Wales’s recovery was widely thought to have resulted from nationwide prayers, not from advances in medicine. There have been subsequent national days of prayer, and some might say we could do with more today. But it did make me wonder, initially, how many similar or identical prayer requests are made…

Cutting the ties?

In a recent media poll asking if King Charles should cut ties with Prince Andrew, I was amazed that, at the time of reading, 81% voted Yes! Several Bible passages came to mind, initially, the story described in various ways as – The prodigal son, the lost son or even the forgiving father. This was…

Listen to what I say. 

I recall a time when my wife asked me if I had heard the weather forecast and I replied, “Yes”. “What did it say?” she asked. My response was, “I don’t know, I wasn’t listening”. The ability to hear without listening is not dissimilar to listening to a familiar Bible passage and suddenly becoming aware…

Where are the other nine?

For many years before and after our marriage, I was blessed by having a Christian father and a Christian father-in-law.  They were so different in character but both demonstrated their relationship with God in various ways. One example would be when they visited us, on separate occasions, on a Sunday to spend the day or…

ADVERTS

I recall a meeting I had with a Bank customer and, as part of our conversation, he told me he was an advertising executive. Our chat side-tracked to TV adverts, and I mentioned the one I thought was, at that time, the worst on TV. He then made an interesting comment, that “the makers of…