One of the things many people involved in leading worship miss about having a traditional hymn book is the provision of an index that sorts songs by subject. The benefits of such an index are twofold. First, it enables you to choose songs linked to the specific sermon theme that week, secondly it enables you… Continue reading Contemporary worship songs by subject
Category: Church life
Balance is often the enemy of truth
One of the idols we chase is “balance.” It is an established political fact that unless everyone else has headed off to the extremes, elections are normally won from the political centre. Opinion polls show that most voters consider themselves to be in the centre and judge the parties by where they believe they sit… Continue reading Balance is often the enemy of truth
Learning to See – That important detail
On a couple of occasions, I’ve been asked for informal advice about a legal matter. Sometimes it has been to do with employment law, once or twice about family law and often to do with immigration and asylum. Often people start with a lengthy story of every single possible grievance or defence that might have… Continue reading Learning to See – That important detail
Learning to see – the full picture
Going back a month or two, you may remember that when asked, Boris Johnson promised that if necessary, the armed forces would be made available to help with the effort against COVID-19. This led to predictable headlines and tweets about troops on the street and people claiming that the Government was using the pandemic as… Continue reading Learning to see – the full picture
Swallows and Vaccines
Yesterday was a good news day in the battle against COVID-19. The twin announcements of a mass testing trial in Liverpool and the positive results from vaccine trials were signs op hope. However, in the Prime Minister’s statement last night, we were reminded by him and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer that there is still… Continue reading Swallows and Vaccines
Learning to See
Yesterday I paid a visit to Eye casualty. I was picking up a sort of wormy line in my vision. I suspected it was a floater and those are generally harmless but given I have a pre-existing eye condition and cornea grafts I thought it wise to get things checked out. The doctor confirmed all… Continue reading Learning to See
Shall we gather? The case for physical gathering may actually prove the opposite!
Before we go any further, I want to make it clear that I prefer to see local churches physically gather in a specific venue. There are so many reasons as to why I believe this is far better than zoom and Facebook. I long for the day when we can gather without restrictions, singing God’s… Continue reading Shall we gather? The case for physical gathering may actually prove the opposite!
Lockdowns and Christian Witness
Yesterday I explained why I believed that the Church should challenge the current lockdown measures but also why we should comply with them if unsuccessful. A big part of my argument is the priority of Christian witness. If eschatologically, we are focused on the great gathering of God’s people to come, then yes part of… Continue reading Lockdowns and Christian Witness
Welcoming Refugees – The extra mile
There were about 35,000 asylum seekers who came to the UK last year. Some of them will have ended up at churches, some because they were Christians, whether nominally or as heart believers. Others will have come looking for help, advice, practical support and ESOL classes. Some will have been avoided to kids clubs Toddlers… Continue reading Welcoming Refugees – The extra mile
The problem with Christian Exceptionalism and the distinction between submit and support
From this Sunday, church buildings in England will be closed again for public worship due to a second lockdown. I expect that most church leaders will comply with this, all with a heavy heart. Some will do this quietly. Others will have raised objections through blog posts, letters to MPs, petitions and possibly a legal… Continue reading The problem with Christian Exceptionalism and the distinction between submit and support
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