‘John replied, “a person can receive only what is given them from heaven”’ (John 3:27) Fame and notoriety has always been a heady intoxication. However, with the saturation of social media, reality TV and talent shows, the desire to be known has become an overwhelming issue. I’m not talking about mass stardom, but rather the desire to draw identity from what other people (and the … Continue reading FINDING STABILITY IN AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD
Authentic faith makes a home nestled in the unfamiliar (pt 2) ‘And by faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country.’Hebrews 11:9 Authentic faith in a growing church can also collide with some personal motivations which are not necessarily noticed in a smaller context. Let me try and explain. When you are needed week-in, week-out in lots … Continue reading AUTHENTIC FAITH UNPACKED: 5
Authentic faith makes a home nestled in the unfamiliar ‘And by faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country.’Hebrews 11:9 Feeling at home is a strange concept. It’s very personal and subjective. For example, whenever I head north and get near Sheffield and hear someone with a good Sheffield accent, I feel at home. It’s like I’ve … Continue reading AUTHENTIC FAITH UNPACKED: 4
Faith is active ‘By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.’ (Hebrews 11:8) In the last post we saw how faith starts by hearing the voice of God. Here in this verse we also see another key ingredient of authentic faith — it acts!Abraham believed … Continue reading AUTHENTIC FAITH UNPACKED: 3
‘By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.’ (Hebrews 11:8) In Hebrews 11:8 we read about the call of Abraham to leave his home town and head off into the dusty distance to a promised place. Let’s just pause for a moment and … Continue reading AUTHENTIC FAITH UNPACKED: 2
As many of you will know, a few weeks ago I spoke on Authentic Faith in our Sunday meeting. Since then I’ve been living with this message and feel freshly stirred to help us, as a church, explore what it means for us to become a community of authentic faith. So over the next few weeks this is where we’re heading in these short Life … Continue reading AUTHENTIC FAITH UNPACKED: 1
When I was about 16 years old I spent a summer holiday working for a retired bank manager who lived in a large property in the Peak District. It was a lot of hard work but fun at the same time. However there was a moment each day which I will never forget. Each of these moments started with the click of the main gate … Continue reading GRACE TERRIERS
Psalm 23 ‘He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.’ – Psalm 23:2-3 Throughout the previous posts, we’ve been walking through the realities of life with scrolls of psalms in hand, seeing how the psalmist doesn’t duck the real and often pressing issues of … Continue reading A NOMADIC PEOPLE
Psalm 23 “He makes me lie down in green pastures … even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Psalm 23:2-4 In this final reflection on Psalms for a Lonely Planet I want to linger a little longer in Psalm 23, which is probably one of the most well-known pieces of religious literature. Notice how … Continue reading GREEN PASTURES. DARK VALLEYS. FAITHFUL SHEPHERD.
Psalm 23 ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want’ (Psalm 23:1). Psalm 23 is by far the most well-known psalm of them all! Yet in that lurks great danger, because familiarity can often breed contempt or at least the dulling of our sense of wonder to the melodies of truth that are being sung. So let’s try and listen afresh to … Continue reading THE SHEPHERD-KING
