James Catford

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Articles & Essays by James Catford

Essay

Bible and Borderlands: Journeying Deeper Into the Kingdom

Featured December 1, 2019

“There’s a vast number of Christians,” says Renovaré Board Chair-elect James Catford, ​“who live their entire lives on the border of the Kingdom.​” In this essay, James helps us see the Bible as a companion that helps us move our whole self further into the Kingdom of God.

Article

Step into the Streams

Published March, 2017 • Featured May 6, 2019

James Catford shares a personal story of how Richard Foster introduced the idea of the Six Streams of the Great Christian Tradition to him. Something clicked for the young British book editor, and Streams of Living Water became a foundational work in his faith journey. He tells us why.

Essay

The Way of Peace

Featured December 17, 2018

In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates John 1:14 as ​“the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood,” crossing the threshold into humanity. James Catford muses on what this means for us today as we invite the surpassing peace of Christ into our Advent season.

Article

The Royal Touch, Part Two

Featured December 1, 2016

In this conclusion to his reflections on Bill Vaswig and healing prayer, James Catford takes us into the heart of the matter: what does this ministry look like when practiced by the ​“royal priesthood” of the great Healer himself? And how do we approach the use of this spiritual gift?

Article

The Royal Touch, Part One

Featured November 29, 2016

Once upon a time, it was thought that the touch of an earthly king had miraculous powers of healing. Here, James Catford reflects upon Bill Vaswig’s life’s ministry of healing prayer and calls us who are the ​“royal priesthood” of the King of Kings to share in Christ’s marvelous works of restoration.

Article

The Rest Will Follow

Featured June 16, 2016

James Catford offers some personal reflections on the tension and pull between faith and doubt. Drawing from Dallas Willard and John Wesley, James shares about his own walk — a balance between minding the gaps and knowing that ​“the rest will follow.”

Article

Which Gospel? Wesley Can Help

Featured June 14, 2016

In dealing with doubts about the gospel, we must first find out if the gospel in question is actually a fair representation of the good news. James Catford and John Wesley look at misrepresentations that present a barrier to trust.

Article

The Bible Just Left the Building

Featured March 10, 2016

This week’s guest editor (and Renovaré Board member) James Catford ushers us into the weekend with a thoughtful piece on Scripture’s endangered status as center of knowledge in too many churches, why we should have confidence in our holy texts, and how we can engage with the Bible in ordinary life.