Sandyknowes Blog

Living beside the busiest roundabout in Northern Ireland gives plenty of opportunity for watching the world go by. Sandyknowes Blog is the personal blog of Niall Lockhart (minister of Ballyhenry). Pull in and have a read…

Asher's

8 November 2014

Earlier this week the Presbyterian Church in Ireland issued a statement reflecting on the apparent decision of the Equality Commission to take further steps towards legal action against the owners of Ashers Baking Company. The statement offers a thoughtful Christian response to this unfolding situation which has been prominent this week in our local news. To read the statement in full click here.

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Looking forward to Christmas !?

22 October 2014

Earlier today I met up with Chris and Sarah Keiller. Chris and Sarah are OMF missionaries who are currently on ‘home assignment’ from Thailand. Before they left for Thailand in 2010 Chris and Sarah visited Ballyhenry and since then we as a congregation have followed them and their work with interest.

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I Keep Going to the River to Pray

11 October 2014

I’m not an X Factor devotee but I caught the start of the ‘Live Shows’ earlier this evening. If you were watching you will have heard Paul Akister singing Ella Henderson’s Ghost. The song (first released in 2014) includes the lyric: ‘I keep going to the river to pray / Cos I need something that can wash out the pain.’ I’m not sure the story behind those lyrics, but for me there a real echo of a story found in the Bible book of the Acts of the Apostles.

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The Jesus Storybook Bible

28 September 2014

Recently in church we mentioned The Jesus Storybook Bible, and commended this as an excellent Bible for children of primary school age. This Bible is particularly good at helping us see how the Old Testament points to Jesus. On Sunday we quoted the following extract:

At the centre of the story, there is a baby, the Child upon everything would depend. From Noah to Moses to King David, every story whispers His name. Jesus is like the missing piece in a puzzle – the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together.

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This Sunday - 28th September

26 September 2014

On Sunday morning (11am) we come to the second part of our series on the Sermon on the Mount. This week our topic is 'Beyond the Law' when we will be looking at Matthew 5 vs 17-26. One of the big questions that lies at the heart of this passage is 'How can I enter into a right relationship with God?' That question (of particular interest to those who aren't yet Christians) is balanced by a discussion within this passage on what it means to live the Christian life.

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