Here are some startling words written by J.I. Packer in the forward to a reprint of John Owen’s book Death of Death. Read these words slowly and then gulp when the reality that they were first penned in 1959 (yep 1959!) hits you: There is no doubt that Evangelicalism today is in a state of perplexity and unsettlement. In such matters as the practice of … Continue reading A new (another) gospel and why it really matters
Let me be clear, I’m very grateful for zoom, skype and more lately google meet. They have enabled a kinda of face-to-face meetings in a season of pandemic, lock-downs and growing isolation. However, I think the following quote from Scott Sauls sums up why I’m looking forward to ditching zoom (well mainly) and reengaging in true cheek to jowl community. “Unlike true friendship, relating to … Continue reading Why I can’t wait to ditch zoom
Over the past few months, there have been increasing numbers of articles about pandemic induced frustration. People from all walks of life are finding that their emotional resilience is just not where it normally is and the silliest of things is triggering them. This is not surprising after the year that we have been through and is quite understandable. For many of us, we’ve been … Continue reading I feel frustrated (there, I’ve said it!)
“This withdrawal of theology from the world of secular affairs is made more complete by the work of biblical scholars whose endlessly fascinating exercises have made it appear to the lay Christian that no one untrained in their methods can really understand anything the Bible says. We are in a situation analogous to one about which the great Reformers complained. The Bible has been taken … Continue reading Quote: Why we need a fresh reformation
READ Acts 13:1: “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” (NKJV) THINK John Stott helpfully reveals that the list of prophets and teachers described in Acts 13:1 “symbolized the ethnic and cultural diversity of Antioch”. Barnabas was a … Continue reading Acts 13: A Multicultural Church
Last time, we talked about the importance of creating a habit or ritual of a daily Quiet Time or devotional time and hopefully since then, you’ve been thinking about how you can craft this in your own life. Over a number of years, I’ve been trying to reduce the resistance and ensure that I daily get to the thing I love the most, which is … Continue reading The Power of habit & ritual (part 2)
What happens when my alarm goes off at 5:30 am? For those of you who don’t know, I love running and in order to fit it into my schedule, I get up between 5:30-6 am, 6 mornings a week and run 6 to 10 miles clocking an average of 50 miles plus a week. However, if you were to be at our house any evening, … Continue reading The Power of Habit & Ritual (part 1)
“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.” – Acts 11:19-20 THINK Up until this point, … Continue reading ACTS 11: THE UNKNOWN MISSIONARIES
READ “I [God] will show him [Saul] how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16) THINK “In the secular view, suffering is never seen as a meaningful part of life but only as an interruption.” – Tim Keller I think the verse above is remarkable because it forces those of us who are followers of Jesus to confront the issue of suffering. In fact, … Continue reading ACTS 9: JOY AND SUFFERING – THE UNLIKELY BEDFELLOWS OF THE CHRISTIAN
If I was only allowed to recommend one book to you that I’ve read in 2020, I would reach for James K.A. Smith’s ‘You are what you love‘! Much of the book explores Augustine’s great idea: “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you”. It really is a brilliant, brilliant book!I was going to drop in a … Continue reading Bookshelf: My best book from 2020
