Today there is war in Europe. We cannot underestimate the size of this conflict. Ukraine has a population of around 41.46 million, a little smaller than the United Kingdom, Russia is a permanent member of the UN security council with a population of 146 million and one of the largest nuclear powers. The conflict is… Continue reading Russia and Ukraine -what next?
Author: faithrootsdw
Pastoral care – guidelines
Yesterday I shared some training notes on giving pastoral care in the church. Here are some guideline notes based on guidelines and policies from a previous church Safe-guarding Your church should have a children’s and at risk adults’ safeguarding policy. It is important that we recognise that those policies respond to specific legal and medical… Continue reading Pastoral care – guidelines
Discipleship, pastoral care and counselling
If you are involved in discipling others then there will be times when you are asked to counsel someone. This might be about helping them to work through a particular issue or decision -whether to go for a job or it could be because they are facing specific circumstances such as marital problems, debt or… Continue reading Discipleship, pastoral care and counselling
Jesus and John Wayne (Review)
One of the big hitter books of the last year has been Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. It’s also one of the books mentioned by Jonathan Leeman in article about deconstruction. I’ve been working through the list and have just completed Du Mez’s book. Du Mez is a historian and so… Continue reading Jesus and John Wayne (Review)
Putin’s bluff – a possible silver lining to the dark clouds over Ukraine
On Monday, Russian formally recognised provinces in the east of Ukraine as independent countries. This then was used as a pretext for Russian forces to be invited into those areas as “peace-keepers.” Things don’t look good for Ukraine right now and I’m sure many will be joining in praying for our brothers and sisters there… Continue reading Putin’s bluff – a possible silver lining to the dark clouds over Ukraine
COVID update
Here’s a quick update on where we are on UK COVID data as England prepares for the final lifting of all restrictions. Note that there will still be guidance in place and that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different regulations and guidance in place. I’ve stopped providing regular reporting of case data but as… Continue reading COVID update
Depression, sin and trust issues
I just wanted to pick up on something I’ve seen suggested a few times namely that depression is intrinsically sinful because it involves a lack or loss of trust in the Lord. I’ve seen this suggested in the context of medication -that you should be depending on God to heal you but I’ve also seen… Continue reading Depression, sin and trust issues
The end of a world
I recently wrote about whether the book of Revelation and other apocalyptic literature (Daniel, Matthew 24) etc predict current events that we are seeing now. I guess my answer was “yes and no.” No, in the sense most people understand the prophecy to be working. We are not meant to find chapters in the Bible… Continue reading The end of a world
Food from around the world wide web
You can’t hack your way to a faithful ministry : “An industry has grown to help us. Books, blogs, podcasts, and conferences offer us tips and hacks for ministry. But here’s what every pastor needs to know: you can’t hack your way to a faithful ministry. You can’t learn pastoral ministry from blogs (including this… Continue reading Food from around the world wide web
Cult tactics
How do False Teachers get a foot-hold and gain influence in the lives of others? Here are some ways. They will target people who are already passionate about faith. They particularly look for people who are either: Disillusioned because they feel that the church has failed them by not being loving. Alternatively, if someone feels… Continue reading Cult tactics