Glen Scrivener thinks it is. So today I am going to do the risky thing and attempt to disagree with a brilliant mind! First of all, we need to distinguish between “Can we potentially control a virus.” And “have we been able to control this one” or “will we definitely be able to control it.”… Continue reading Is it hubris to believe we can control a virus?
Category: Bible Study
Isolated (Proverbs 18)
“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”[1] These are probably not helpful words for a Government attempting to encouraging COVID-19 patients to self-isolate. Yet, our experience of having to socially isolate over these past 7 months have been a crash course in the cost of such isolation. When we… Continue reading Isolated (Proverbs 18)
Facing your fears
In Sunday’s sermon I said that having peace with God means that we can face our fears. In this article, I want to talk through the practicalities of doing that. The first step of course is to recognise exactly what it is that we are afraid of. This also helps us to properly assess the… Continue reading Facing your fears
Peace (Matthew 8:23-33)
“I just wish things could get back to normal.” Have you heard other people saying that? Have you found yourself saying it too? If I were to take you back to February and March, how did you feel then? Perhaps you were anxious but there was also the adrenalin of being in this together too… Continue reading Peace (Matthew 8:23-33)
Fear and Faith in Matthew 8
The big theme in Matthew 8 is “Faith”. There is a leper who comes to Jesus pleading to be clean and to be healed. A centurion comes and begs for his servant, many come to Jesus looking for healing. Finally, two demon possessed men are set free. However, in and among these stories of faith… Continue reading Fear and Faith in Matthew 8
Health check (Proverbs 16)
Have you been for a health check-up recently? Eyes, teeth, heart … maybe the full MOT. How did you get on? Have you ever done one of those life check-ups? How’s your overall well-being? This isn’t just your physical health but how are you doing emotionally, is your life a success, what’s your status -financial… Continue reading Health check (Proverbs 16)
Belching (Proverbs 15)
Better out than in! The famous response to a good long and loud burp. Of course burps and other wind related emissions tend to be signs of a badly troubled digestive system! So I think we can easily get the point when the NLT colourfully renders Proverbs 15:2 as The tongue of the wise makes… Continue reading Belching (Proverbs 15)
Work Matters
I’ve been writing about the importance of rest over the past week or two but we cannot talk about rest without talking about work. It is that point which influenced my last article on the matter. In that article, I responded to a question about why we do not give enough attention to the part… Continue reading Work Matters
What is peace? (Ephesians 2:1-14 and Matthew 8:23-27)
A few years back I was thinking about the nature of church life. I came up with a brilliant phrase to describe it “Messy Church.” “Brilliant,” I thought, “I’ve even got a potential best-selling book title there!” There was just one problem -someone had already coined the phrase to describe midweek children’s and families outreach. … Continue reading What is peace? (Ephesians 2:1-14 and Matthew 8:23-27)
Home (Proverbs 14)
One of my favourite places to visit is Blenheim Palace. It’s an impressive tourist attraction, an elegantly designed building set in acres of beautiful parkland. As well as being a tourist attraction, it’s actually the home of the Marlborough family. However, a number of commentators have observed that it wasn’t so much designed to be… Continue reading Home (Proverbs 14)