The other day I wrote a little bit about what it means to seek the good of the city. I was prompted to think about this because we’ve just had a week of prayer as a family of churches in Birmingham and on the Wednesday night, the theme was “For the good of the city”… Continue reading Jesus for the good of the city
Author: faithrootsdw
Where did it all go wrong for Kwasi Kwarteng -and what can we learn from it?
o, Kwasi Kwarteng’s short and eventful time in office as Chancellor of the Exchequer is over. How did it go so wrong? Here was a man who was both a close friend of the Prime Minister and was united with her in a shared vision for how to take Britain forward economically. That vision was… Continue reading Where did it all go wrong for Kwasi Kwarteng -and what can we learn from it?
For the good of the city
Our church has a list of reasons that we exist. One of them is that we exist “for the good of the city.” Our church has been planted here in Birmingham with the conviction that we should not just become a “holy huddle.” A challenge is sometimes given to churches “If you ceased to exist… Continue reading For the good of the city
A question of authority
Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem certainly was making waves. There was something strategic about his actions. Arriving on a donkey in line with prophetic promises of God’s anointed king arriving in such a manner, he had then gone into the Temple courtyard and caused disruption, pronouncing judgement. This was a declaration of intent. Jesus was taking… Continue reading A question of authority
Trickle Down Gospel?
Government economic policy in the UK has led to renewed discussion of the term “Trickle Down Economics”. The term comes from the belief supposedly held by some that if we simply permit the wealthy to get wealthier then that wealth will eventually “trickle down” to the less well off. I say “supposedly” because I’m not… Continue reading Trickle Down Gospel?
Don’t miss it
We get really excited about that bit in Mark 11:22-25 which talks about having faith to move mountains. How many times have you heard it referenced in songs, prayers and sermons? We’ve seen that in context, those words relate to Jesus having just cursed the fig tree. Mark 11 is all about the authority that… Continue reading Don’t miss it
Is it just psychobabble?
Over the past couple of days I’ve shared a couple of posts drawing on observations that psychologists make about trauma and suggesting some lessons for church leaders. Some of us might be a little bit nervous of seeing articles that appear to draw primarily from secular thinking. I mean, there’s huge scepticism about the ability… Continue reading Is it just psychobabble?
Why getting the full story of divided Sundays matters
I’ve just been to a day conference on racial reconciliation and the church. The main speaker Owen Hylton, gave the example of a Nigerian believer who joins your church. He wants to meet to pray You tell him “There’s the monthly prayer meeting for 1.5 hours in two weeks time.” He says “I was thinking… Continue reading Why getting the full story of divided Sundays matters
A redundant Temple
The Old Testament prophets promised good things for God’s Temple. Whilst Isaiah prophesied destruction, devastation and defilement and Ezekiel and Daniel were set against the backdrop of that desolation already having happened, all the major prophets expressed hope of a coming day when God would bring his people back into the promised land, Jerusalem would… Continue reading A redundant Temple
The Russian people need to know where the real existential threat is coming from
The great tension over whether or not Vladimir Putin will use nuclear weapons or not comes down to two factors. The first is that he has two types of nuclear weapon. When we talk about nuclear weapons we primarily think of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles – strategic nuclear weapons. The UK’s version of this is the… Continue reading The Russian people need to know where the real existential threat is coming from
