Author: faithrootsdw

What is Birmingham’s bankruptcy saying to us?

Yesterday I wrote about our city going bankrupt and what that might mean for us.  As I explained in the article, there’s actually a lot of uncertainty and the honest answer to “what does this mean?” Is that we really don’t know yet.  It is entirely possible that for most of us we’ll see very… Continue reading What is Birmingham’s bankruptcy saying to us?

When the car crash has happened – guilt and shame revisited

In our look at 1 Corinthians 10,  I used the example of someone pushing the boundaries, taking risks with their faith being like a driver taking corners at speed close to the cliff edge. They risk plunging off of the edge into a deep ravine. 1 Corinthians 10 offers a warning against taking risks, falling… Continue reading When the car crash has happened – guilt and shame revisited

Help! My city has gone bust.

This week, Birmingham City Council announced that they had issued a Section 114 notice, the public sector equivalent of announcing bankruptcy.  This means that spending is under severe controls, limited to “protecting vulnerable people and statutory services.”  With all other spending stopping with immediate effect.[1] What exactly does all of this mean for the city… Continue reading Help! My city has gone bust.

What kind of church? A free church (1 Corinthians 9)

We sometimes get into disputes about how Christians are to relate to “The Law”.  Are we under Law or under grace?  Now, for obvious reasons, there doesn’t tend to be much discussion or debate about whether or not we are under any requirement to not murder or steal.  So, the focus when it comes to… Continue reading What kind of church? A free church (1 Corinthians 9)

Summer is still to come

Autumn is nearly upon us and the school holidays are almost over.  Teachers will be returning for training days shortly followed by pupils. Students will be returning or heading off to university for the same time. For some, the sense that the nights are drawing in and the loss of day light will hit particularly… Continue reading Summer is still to come

How many of the Ten Commandments did Adam and Eve break?

Adam and Eve broke one specific commandment in the Garden of Eden: not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  However, I want to suggest that there is a sense in which they may well have been breaking each of the Ten Commandments.  How? Well, first of all, by listening to… Continue reading How many of the Ten Commandments did Adam and Eve break?

Freedom in Christ changes relationships to others

As well as writing letters to churches, Paul wrote to a few individuals. We have three examples in Scripture, though I’m sure he wrote more.  He writes to his co-workers Timothy and Titus giving them instructions about how to pastor the churches within their care.  The third example, to Philemon is even more personal. Paul… Continue reading Freedom in Christ changes relationships to others

For such a time as this

I’ve been working through the book of Esther but often accounts like this are best understood when we see the whole story together. Whilst we can preach sermon series on books like Esther, Ruth and Jonah, there’s benefit from time to time to getting that big picture view to understand the overall message. So, here’s… Continue reading For such a time as this