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The Garden (Genesis 2:4-25)

Introduction We now get what many scholars take to be a second and possibly contradictory creation account.[1] By the way, I think it is unlikely that someone would just stick two contradictory accounts side by side: common sense tells me that. There are also good reasons found in the text itself for rejecting that suggestion… Continue reading The Garden (Genesis 2:4-25)

When your pastor gets depressed (3) Is it sin?

You may remember that a few weeks back I wrote about being offered Biblical Counselling when depressed and the implication behind that approach to counselling that the cause of depression is some buried sin from the past. There is a real danger when dealing with the problem of depression that we immediately assume that the… Continue reading When your pastor gets depressed (3) Is it sin?

When your pastor gets depressed (part 2) -a look at some potential risk factors

In part 1 yesterday, I highlighted 3 causes of depression that pastors might be particularly prone to because they are high risk factors in church and ministry contexts: social isolation, conflict and abuse. However, these are not the only causes of depression. It’s worth observing at this point that depression and anxiety disorders can strike… Continue reading When your pastor gets depressed (part 2) -a look at some potential risk factors

Irrevocable gifts and calling – the danger of out of context Bible verses

One of the biggest dangers to healthy life is our ability to rip Bible verses out of context and misapply them. One such example is this verse: 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable[1] I’ve heard this verse used by people to justify continued support for people who seemingly had a gifting or… Continue reading Irrevocable gifts and calling – the danger of out of context Bible verses

When your pastor gets depressed -what might have caused it?

I recently wrote an article for the Grace in the Depths website outlining the common signs and common causes of depression. I did so because one of the challenges we face when talking about church leaders and depression is identifying that someone has depression. The second and related challenge is that often the subject remains… Continue reading When your pastor gets depressed -what might have caused it?

Served by the Gospel… Serving the Gospel Romans 1:8-15

We started Romans by asking “What is it that believers seeking to serve God in our cities need” and I suggested that we would find the answer in this letter, specifically the need for Grace and Peace. This is now reinforced by the next part of the letter. A letter from Paul often seems… Continue reading Served by the Gospel… Serving the Gospel Romans 1:8-15

COVID and Cold Contact Evangelism

I’ve been writing about how we go about building back our outreach as we move out of lockdown. In a recent post, I wrote that I didn’t think we should rush to put back some of of our traditional outreach ministries such as children’s clubs and Toddlers groups. The reason for this is that we… Continue reading COVID and Cold Contact Evangelism

Long COVID and long lockdown

A number of people have reported long term symptoms after suffering from COVID-19. This has led to the term “long COVID” being coined. The symptoms observed include:[1] extreme tiredness (fatigue) shortness of breath chest pain or tightness problems with memory and concentration (“brain fog”) difficulty sleeping (insomnia) heart palpitations dizziness pins and needles joint pain… Continue reading Long COVID and long lockdown

Women teaching men revisited – another look at 2 Timothy 2:12

One of the key verses in the debate about the role of men and women in the church, especially in relation to teaching, preaching and leadership is 2 Timothy 2:12 which says: “12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” There has… Continue reading Women teaching men revisited – another look at 2 Timothy 2:12