In 2 Samuel 12 David and Bathsheba decide to call their child Solomon. But the Lord has other ideas, declaring that his name is Jedediah. A short encouragement about names, and how what God says about your identity is the truest thing about you. liamthatcher.com/2025/07/18/a...

Who knew Bear Grylls was so old?!

On Sunday I (co)preached on Mark 2, in which four men go to extreme lengths to get their friend to Jesus! In this talk, Chloe and I consider what it looks like to build a community characterised by life and faith. liamthatcher.com/2025/06/30/a...

A few thoughts on the practice of tithing under the New Covenant, adapted from a recent sermon: www.advancechurches.uk/news/tithing...

Today, the day after Pentecost Sunday, I'm writing a sermon on Joel 2. While I've preached on Acts 2 many times, I've never before preached in a series on Joel. It's a beautiful challenge to get into the mindset of a pre-Pentecost reader and imagine what they might have expected.

Tim Friede has been bitten by snakes more than 200 times and received 700 injections of venom. Now his blood could save hundreds of thousands. It’s an imperfect gospel metaphor to be sure, but it’s not bad. 🐍 liamthatcher.com/2025/05/06/v...

May the 5th be with you

It’s amusing to me that on this hottest of weeks, my most read article is an old one I wrote on a biblical theology of sweat 💦 liamthatcher.com/2021/10/01/s...

There are stories in Scripture which, honestly, I struggle with. One of them comes in 2 Samuel 12, when the Lord took the life of David’s innocent son. Here's how I try to make sense of this troubling passage, in the context of God's salvation plan. liamthatcher.com/2025/04/29/t...

THE BANISHED ARE BELOVED A short reflection for Holy Week, comparing David's wicked sons with David's True Son. liamthatcher.com/2025/04/15/t...

A few weeks ago I spoke at Project Weekender, a 24-hour conference for students and 20s passionate about seeing God move in their generation. It was so much fun – and I was delighted to discover I wasn’t even in the top 10 oldest people in the room! liamthatcher.com/2025/04/14/4...

Me: "I wonder when my favourite band will release new music." Band: "Allow me to answer that with a series of riddles, which can only be cracked by the most experienced of cryptanalysts with nothing else to occupy their time." Me: "Yeah, I'm just gonna find a new band..."

J: “Daddy, I don’t like your new glasses.” Me: “Why not?” J: “It’s the colour and the shape. Oh… and your face!”

When learning to prophesy, people often fall into one of two mistakes. They’re paralysed by overthinking or limited by underthinking. Here's a helpful principle from an unlikely source: the world of improv comedy. liamthatcher.com/2025/03/31/y...

HEBREWS 8: HIGH PRIEST OF THE NEW COVENANT The tabernacle was an earthly representation of a heavenly reality. This is why Moses was warned to follow the pattern God showed him. He was depicting something that already existed: the dwelling place of God. www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

EXODUS 29: CONSECRATION AND COMMUNION Having described the tabernacle and priestly clothing, God introduces a seven-day ceremony involving a lot of blood! In today’s reflection we consider the purpose of the sacrificial system. www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

EXODUS 28: DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION The High Priest’s clothing is described in great detail. Heavy, ornate, covered in jewels and rich in symbolism. But what does it all represent? www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

EXODUS 27: BEARING FRUIT AND SHINING LIGHT Inside the tabernacle, in front of the curtain, was an ornate golden lamp stand covered in shapes like almond flowers. What is the purpose of this lamp stand, and what relevance does it have for us today? www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

EXODUS 26: BEHIND THE CURTAIN After giving instructions for the ritual furniture, God begins to describe the design of the tabernacle itself. There are a lot of curtains! www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

I had the privilege of writing for Bible Society's Lent Encounter. Each day this week, you can find a short reflection - written and audio - on the Tabernacle, the Priesthood and how they point to Christ. Today's offering - Exodus 25, a Portable Eden: www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

On Sunday I spoke at Horizon Church Carterton, continuing their series on Romans, looking at 'freedom' in chapter 6. It's always a joy to visit, and to see the ever-increasing number of new faces and ever-decreasing number of spare chairs!! 🙂 #ThrivingChurches liamthatcher.com/2025/03/17/f...

A PRIEST LIKE MELCHIZEDEK: How does an enigmatic priest-king, mentioned only in a handful of Old Testament verses, point to Christ? And what does Melchizedek teach us about the levitical priesthood, the wonder of scripture, and the practice of tithing? liamthatcher.com/2025/03/05/a...

Bathbombination (noun): The full-scale olfactory ambush experienced when walking past a LUSH store.

STRIKE THE GROUND (2 KINGS 13) At the recent Thrive conference for Salt and Light Advance, I spoke on praying for revival, from the story of Joash and Elisha, calling us to cry out to God with desperation and faith. liamthatcher.com/2025/02/26/s...

STRIKE THE GROUND (2 KINGS 13) At the recent Thrive conference for Salt and Light Advance, I spoke on praying for revival, from the story of Joash and Elisha, calling us to cry out to God with desperation and faith. liamthatcher.com/2025/02/26/s...

I'm writing a sermon on Melchizedek, and you better believe I've got his name on my clipboard ready to paste. Ain't no way I'm repeatedly typing that out!

What does Proverbs say about wealth? I recently had a conversation with friends at Bible Society for their Rooted Podcast, talking about the theme of wealth in the book of Proverbs. You can listen in here 👇🏻🎧 liamthatcher.com/2025/02/24/r...

“No matter what you do, your first 200 sermons are going to be terrible.” (Timothy Keller) A few thoughts on improving as a preacher, with some suggestions for development. liamthatcher.com/2025/02/18/q...

I’ve learnt the hard way that there’s no correct answer when your daughter asks you, in front of your wife, which of the female gladiators is your favourite! 😬

In pretty much every sermon I allude to two verses in Hebrews: "It says somewhere..." (5.6) "We cannot discuss these things in detail now..." (9.5)

A long but important read. Co-founder of Wikipedia Larry Sanger explains how he went from being a skeptical philosopher to a Christian. larrysanger.org/2025/02/how-...

What do you mean this is too niche?!

Last weekend I had the privilege of speaking at Kings Church Eastbourne for a conference on the Holy Spirit. We had so much fun! Here are some of the highlights, and recordings of all the main sessions. liamthatcher.com/2025/02/10/w...

Pastor: Please welcome our guest preacher, who will be speaking on ___ Me (having prepared an entirely different message)

I was due to have a church meeting this evening. A few weeks ago I cancelled it, since we've got many sessions in close proximity and a whole day tomorrow.

Whenever I teach on mission or evangelism, I tend to leave people two simple pictures: keys and nets. Together these pictures help us see how to share our faith in a way that’s authentic to who we are, but also sensitive to the needs of our friends. liamthatcher.com/2025/01/24/p...

This joke is at the exact intersection of my wife's two great passions: Frasier and the Ikea catalogue. I will never beat this.

This is such a dumb idea for a show, but a wonderfully contrived pun! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The worst thing about #TraitorsUK is the state of those breakfast pastries! Shocking.

This was a genuine CAPTCHA I encountered on a government website. I'm so confused.

I'm gonna start signing off emails like the Apostle Peter signs off his first letter: "BTW, she who is in Babylon sends her greetings!"

Today I saw a sandwich called a VLT. Presumably 'Vegan Lettuce and Tomato', which is confusing since lettuce and tomato are already vegan. Unless it actually contains strips of roasted, thinly sliced vegans?

My daughter has got into Jane Austen and has read all the abridged books over Christmas. Now she finds it hilarious to call me different characters knowing I have no idea who she’s talking about. Today I’m Mr Collins, apparently.

I’ve come up with a brilliant idea for a locked room mystery, and now I’m torn between using it to write a short story or commit murder.

I previously described OT revelation like a jigsaw pieced together down the ages. But that’s not quite right. With a jigsaw you already know what the final picture looks like. There's not much mystery, it's all revealed on the box. So maybe it's more like a wasgij? liamthatcher.com/2025/01/10/j...

On Sunday I kicked off a brand new sermon series, looking at Jesus in the letter to the Hebrews. I spoke from chapter 1, and considered four things the author tells us about the Eternal Son. He speaks He shows He sustains He sits liamthatcher.com/2025/01/06/t...

Still feels strange. But present-day me is grateful for me-of-Christmas-past having done some solid prep work in 2024!

Goodbye for Christmas 🎄

I don't know why it feels so odd starting to write a sermon in December for the first Sunday in January?! I usually like to start a couple of weeks out anyway, but the fact that it's for a different calendar year just makes it feel strange somehow...