The other day I wrote some thoughts in response to an article by Rebecca Glover on the missing generation of 18-25s in the church. Rebecca’s article was part biographical and part an introduction to the short book I’m now reviewing. The book is part of aa Grove Youth series and is short at 28 pages… Continue reading How to engage emerging adults in church Book Review
Category: Discipleship
On hospital visiting as a pastor
This is prompted by a twitter discussion recently about whether non-conformist pastors opt to wear a clerical dog-collar when visiting the sick. Dog-collars tend to be part of the traditional uniform of the clergy, particularly though not exclusively among Anglicans. A lot of us would tend to frown upon then seeing them as emphasising a… Continue reading On hospital visiting as a pastor
The hard work of the pastor
I think we can fall into one of three traps if we are involved in church pastoral ministry. At the one end of the spectrum are those who see pastors as basically chaplains, nice, homely sorts who are primarily employed to go round and visit the elderly church members and drink copious cups of tea.… Continue reading The hard work of the pastor
The danger of boxes
The other day, I wrote two articles which, it later struck me, highlighted the problem with our tendency to think we can compartmentalise out lives, putting things in different boxes. The first was a follow up on Stephen Sizer and antisemitism. I wrote about how it is possible to think that we couldn’t possibly be… Continue reading The danger of boxes
Continuing to trace the rainbow
Back a few months back, as the news came in that Queen Elizabeth II had died, a rainbow appeared over Windsor Castle. It was a beautiful symbol of God’s goodness and promises at a time of grief. I’ve frequently talked in terms of “tracing the rainbow” based on the lyrics of the hymn “Oh Love… Continue reading Continuing to trace the rainbow
Remembering my grandma on her birthday
Today would have been my Grandma’s 106th Birthday. She has now been with her Lord and Saviour for 12 years. Earlier this year as we watched the news that the Queen was dying and her family were hurrying to her bedside, I mentioned that this had brought back memories of a similar dash to Scotland… Continue reading Remembering my grandma on her birthday
If Twitter were to die tonight, would your tweets get into heaven?
Yesterday, the internet was caught up in rumours and gossip suggesting that Twitter, one of the main social media platforms people communicate on could be about to completely collapse. Elon Musk appears to have picked up the Liz Truss playbook at the same time as taking over Twitter leading to complete chaos with many key… Continue reading If Twitter were to die tonight, would your tweets get into heaven?
What’s worse: consumer Christianity or self-reliant Christianity?
A friend of mine asked this question recently. I think it’s a really good question to consider. He later gave a bit more of an explanation about what he meant by self-reliant Christianity. He was describing those who become so buy in church life and ministry that they forget our ongoing dependence on Christ’s grace… Continue reading What’s worse: consumer Christianity or self-reliant Christianity?
In his name
Quite a few worship songs talk about “the name of Jesus.” Classics include: “There is power in the name of Jesus” “There is a name, who reigns without contention …” “What a wonderful;/beautiful/powerful name it is.” “I speak Jesus” There is a risk with these kinds of song lyrics that they could be perceived superstitiously… Continue reading In his name
Why you should be baptised
How would you expect someone to respond to the good news that Jesus had died for their sin? Well one person in the Bible responds by asking for a bath. Find out more by listening to this podcast or watching on YouTube
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