Dear Church Family, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentatins 3:22-23 For those of you who were with us on Sunday morning, you will know that it was our farewell Sunday at Life Church. As a result, I wanted to write one final letter to you, as our friends and our … Continue reading A farewell letter to Life Church
As many of you know the family and I will shortly be moving to Kingsgate Community Church (Great Yarmouth). However in order for this to be possible we’ve been praying and talking lots about what’s the right shape for the leadership team here at Life Church. On Wednesday evening we shared some really exciting news with the church family that we are exploring my dear … Continue reading Important Update: Leadership Transition at Life Church
One of the most remarkable changes that I’ve seen, over my lifetime (I’m starting to sound a little old, aren’t I?), is the changing expectation people have around Sunday church services. When I was a kid, people were just there on a Sunday. I’m sure for some it was just religious duty, but for most of the people I knew it flowed from knowing the importance … Continue reading Kingdom Scheduling (p6): Gathering for Worship
Last time I left you to ponder the question of how we decide if we have been using our time wisely. Let’s be honest, we all live very different lives. Is there any possibility that a 400 word article could answer such a complex question? I want to suggest to you that Jesus does a pretty good job in just 19 words in Matthew 6. He is talking … Continue reading Kingdom Scheduling (part 3)
Last time I kicked off a new series looking at the importance of how we fill our diaries. What we scribble or punch into our diaries reveals what we value most. Not convinced? Let’s read some famous words of Jesus, from Matthew 25: “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To … Continue reading Kingdom Scheduling (p2)
The following is the start of a new series of Life News articles I’m writing over this autumn term for Life Church. At the start of this new term, I want to focus your attention on something that may seem so utterly unspiritual (whatever that means) and off-topic at first glance that you might start to question whether I’m suffering from summer sunstroke. I’d like to talk about your … Continue reading Kingdom Scheduling (p1)
I’m writing this article early on Friday morning, as Britain awakes to a new era. For many this is a morning of sweet joy; for others it’s a bitter aftertaste that just won’t go away. My purpose in writing this article is not to comment on the politics of the remain or leave campaigns; there has been quite enough of that already! Instead I want to try to answer a simple question … Continue reading Post-referendum Special: So what do we do now?
‘“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”’ (Matthew 28:19 NASB) I believe the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 demonstrate the importance and value he places on baptism. On the eve of his ascension to heaven, Jesus declared that the defining mark of his followers would be baptism. Baptism was … Continue reading 1 in 300: Baptism
I’m often asked, What do you teach about giving? and Do you believe in tithing? Here are my answers: We don’t talk much about tithing at Life Church. To be clear, tithing is a biblical idea, and even Jesus honoured the Pharisees for their commitment to tithing their mint, dill and cumin. However Jesus also said ‘Woe to you’ – in modern language, ‘Buddy, you’re in trouble!’ Why? Because they had neglected … Continue reading 1 in 300: What does Life Church teach about giving
Key priority #5: Celebrating diversity In his book Crossing the Divide, Owen Hylton asks provocatively “How integral is this issue [diversity] to the church today? Is it not just a matter of preference or taste?” How would you answer Owen? You see, I believe this is a question we can’t avoid. Each one of us as individuals has to answer the question, even if we do so … Continue reading Celebrating our differences
