Author: faithrootsdw

How important exactly am I – when we demand too much in friendships

And now to Precosia.  In some respects, I find this the saddest of all the scenarios we have looked at.  Why do I say that? It’s not to diminish the seriousness of the other situations. However, I think that generally speaking we are more likely to get what is stake with the other ones.[1] When… Continue reading How important exactly am I – when we demand too much in friendships

Learning to Enjoy God – An Alcoholic meets the good God

When we came to Methuselah, the alcoholic, we intuitively went to Ephesians 5:18: “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Here we see that being filled with the Spirit is contrasted – not compared – with being drunk on wine.  I think that one… Continue reading Learning to Enjoy God – An Alcoholic meets the good God

The doctrine of God and a marriage on the rocks

Now we return to Tom, Gladys and Ethel. Tom had been giving Ethel lifts to home group whilst his wife Gladys stayed at home.  When we first met their situation, we talked about a gut instinct that things were wrong and that we weren’t getting to hear the whole story. Tom had admitted that his… Continue reading The doctrine of God and a marriage on the rocks

Love, holiness, relationships and rivalry

Remember Juliet? We met her at the coffee shop where she was looking longingly into the eyes of Romeo, her work colleague. In conversation, it comes out that When you talk with Juliet, she defends her relationship as follows. By the way, I’m not suggesting that she presents the following points in a neat, structured,… Continue reading Love, holiness, relationships and rivalry

Why does what we call God matter?

Throughout our look at who God is, we’ve kept coming back to the point that what we believe affects how we live. This means that when we talk about The Doctrine of the Trinity, belief that God is Sovereign or the question of Predestination, we’ve not just been engaging in an intellectual exercise. These beliefs… Continue reading Why does what we call God matter?

Job opportunity in Birmingham: May suit potential church planter

I just wanted to highlight this job opportunity working for the Church Central group of churches in Birmingham and partnering with a couple of other churches including Christchurch and Redeemer. This is an opportunity for someone with particular compassion for those struggling with poverty, debt and low incomes. Income Maximisations Project Worker It is also… Continue reading Job opportunity in Birmingham: May suit potential church planter

What is God called?

What’s in a name? Different names have different meanings.  My name means “loved.” My wife’s name, Sarah, means “princess.”  Generally speaking, though, we don’t tend to pick names primarily for a specific meaning associated with the child. Names are given based on how they sound or because there is a family tradition. For example, I… Continue reading What is God called?

The pastoral power of predestination

The problem when we approach predestination philosophically Predestination is often (almost always) seen as one of those tricky doctrines to be explained and defended (a bit like the Trinity). It’s something controversial and complicated. However, just like with The Doctrine of the Trinity, if we treat Predestination as one of those embarrassing relatives to be… Continue reading The pastoral power of predestination

Predestination or free will?

The Big Question So, this is the big question that has stumped theologians and divided Christians. If God is sovereign and predestines, then what freedom do we have to make choices and thus what responsibility do we have for our actions. This is a question we will come back to in more detail when we… Continue reading Predestination or free will?