Dear Boris, I’ve written open letters to you throughout the pandemic. As we approach the end of what we all hope will be the last lockdown, I want to write to you again concerning some of the rumours and hints that are currently going around. Over the past few weeks, the narrative has built up… Continue reading We need a way out of costly social distancing measures, not just lockdown (open letter to Boris Johnson)
Category: Bible Study
Gifting, discernment and abuse
This is the sermon mentioned in my article about spiritual abuse Worship is about Glorifying and praising God Encouraging one another up /being a witness Hearing God speak to us? How do we know that it is God speaking? By Knowing our own limitations (v 1-2) A question about Spiritual things –… Continue reading Gifting, discernment and abuse
Grace and Peace (Romans 1: 1-7)
I have spent the bulk of my life living in three of the UK’s biggest conurbations. I grew up in West Yorkshire, spent 4 years in London and then we moved to the West Midlands. This has given me a huge concern for the city. I am keen to see churches rooted and established on… Continue reading Grace and Peace (Romans 1: 1-7)
Kiss The Son (Psalm 2)
“I’ve learnt that it’s okay to be angry at God” “I have discovered that I need to forgive God first.” Have you heard statements like that? They sound radical and edgy and I’ve heard these sorts of ideas put forward to help believers that are struggling with grief or emotional heartache. If they believe that… Continue reading Kiss The Son (Psalm 2)
Strength made perfect in weakness
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about an incredible vision he has had (although he talks in the third person, it is generally agreed that he is referring to himself), where he is caught up into heaven. However, alongside the vision he is given a crippling “thorn in his side.” Just as people have speculated… Continue reading Strength made perfect in weakness
The happy person (Psalm 1)
I have been spending a lot of time in the Psalm’s recently. A few days back I wrote up a short meditation on Psalm 1. Here is a longer sermon I preached this morning. How do you stay happy throughout relentless suffering ? I’m writing this as we come to the end of a year… Continue reading The happy person (Psalm 1)
Hard Pressed (Psalm 3)
I’ve mentioned when talking about my experience of depression that whilst not everyone experiences suicidal thoughts, the same type of feeling can be experienced either as a desire to hit the self-destruct button or to run away and hide. That desire to flee can come of a sense of being overwhelmed, anxious and not knowing… Continue reading Hard Pressed (Psalm 3)
How should we interpret Genesis 1 -3?
One of the big questions we will have to consider is “How should we interpret Genesis 1-3. . Of course, whenever we think about interpreting and applying Genesis 1-3, the question of Creation and Evolution is never far from my minds. Or to put it another way, how do we interpret the Bible’s account of… Continue reading How should we interpret Genesis 1 -3?
Breaking it down and finding the flow
I’ve been writing a few posts about how I study a passage in the Bible in order to give you a feel for how to go about the close textual analysis involved in exegesis. This should be helpful to anyone who is planning to preach, lead a Bible study, teach a youth group or even… Continue reading Breaking it down and finding the flow
Paul and the mysterious Jesus quote
I picked up on a discussion the other day about Paul’s relationship to the Gospels. The original questioner observed that there was a notorious issue with Paul’s lack of reference to the Gospel accounts in his letters and sermons. The usual assumption for this is that Paul wrote first with the Gospels coming much later… Continue reading Paul and the mysterious Jesus quote