Author: faithrootsdw

Protecting leaders from exhaustion

I recently saw the question asked “what can churches and pastors do to protect against burnout?”  As you know, I prefer not to use the term burnout as it is often used as a cover for all kinds of things including depression and anxiety. However, presuming that we are describing here mental and physical exhaustion… Continue reading Protecting leaders from exhaustion

Why we cannot stay silent when antisemitism turns up in church

Another day and another church scandal relating to an evangelical leader drops into the mainstream news. As with the recent abuse scandals, the Stephen Sizer case has been rumbling away within conservative evangelical circles especially on social media and blogs.  Like with the other cases, the frustration felt by those who have been campaigning to… Continue reading Why we cannot stay silent when antisemitism turns up in church

Living through economic hard times, a practical suggestion

One of the big fears at the moment is that we are about to hit a recession.  A recession is a period of time, technically a minimum of two quarters (6 months), when the economy shrinks.  A shrinking economy is likely to lead to significant job losses as businesses cut costs to survive. Meanwhile, some… Continue reading Living through economic hard times, a practical suggestion

Recognised by enemies (Mark 3:7-12)

We’ve seen that Jesus is getting a lot of attention.  Crowds are coming from far and near, Judea, Galilee and Idumea (Edom) are mentioned here. This is causing problems for him because as his fame grows so do the crowds and this means that his movement and activities are restricted.  We’ve already seen an example… Continue reading Recognised by enemies (Mark 3:7-12)

Mental Health, spiritual warfare and demons

Traditionally one of the tensions and taboos around mental health has been the perception that this is primarily a spiritual issue with people believing that mental illness from depression through to schizophrenia is caused by sin or even by demonic oppression and possession. When I’ve written about mental health before, I’ve urged care in this… Continue reading Mental Health, spiritual warfare and demons

Beyond Repair? (Mark 3)

Here’s my sermon outline from today. Introduction We loved our little Citroen C3.  It took us everywhere and we spent thousands of pounds on annual repairs.  Until one day, on a journey to Bradford after a decade and 100k miles, it decided to die. We crawled up the M6 and M62 at a dangerous snail’s… Continue reading Beyond Repair? (Mark 3)

A day made for you

When challenged about what his disciples are doing by picking and eating corn on the Sabbath, Jesus says: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 At the time Jesus was speaking, the Jewish Sabbath was in force. Jews observed Saturday as a day of rest from work remembering that God… Continue reading A day made for you

Food from around the worldwide web

From baby boom to missions boon – this one caught by eye as my own parents found themselves involved in cross-cultural mission, spending their 50s in China before continuing to visit regularly right up until 2019. You can build but it will crumble – Alistair Chalmers reflect on a visit to Ephesus Essentially significant –… Continue reading Food from around the worldwide web