Why that Christmas talk may have been more expository than you think

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The other day I talked about breaking the Conservative Evangelical rule that every sermon has to be expository. Here is the paradox, you may have ended up being at least as if not more expository by relaxing the rule.  I say potentially more expository first,  because what happens when we try to force fit an… Continue reading Why that Christmas talk may have been more expository than you think

Something bigger and better than Giant Santa.

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It’s good to see a happy story from our neighborhood make it into the local papers.  This story is about a family who live in the road where our church meets and they have opted to decorate for Christmas with a giant inflatable Santa Claus It certainly  brightened up our morning when we first saw… Continue reading Something bigger and better than Giant Santa.

Preparing to preach at Christmas? … First break all the rules

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Or at least two of them… One of my favourite books is by Marcus Buckingham and it’s called First Break All the Rules. It’s about how leaders are taught a whole load of conventions or rules but truly successful ones break those rules. In effect Buckingham is seeking to discover a better set of leadership… Continue reading Preparing to preach at Christmas? … First break all the rules

Why attempts to ban Islam are self defeating

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I’ve seen a number of suggestions that countries like the UK should respond to the perceived threat of Islamisation with force. Not, of course physical force but a muscular legal, cultural and political response. I tend to disagree with these suggestions because as a Christian, I’ve got different priorities. My concern is to see God’s… Continue reading Why attempts to ban Islam are self defeating

What does it actually mean to love your Muslim neighbour

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One thing that struck me about the reactions to my video on loving your Muslim neighbour is that noone bothered to ask what I meant by love. I wonder how many assumed it was to do with soppy feelings.  I wonder how many assumed it meant caving in to others without challenging them.  What if… Continue reading What does it actually mean to love your Muslim neighbour

If the problem is Islam then the answer is … Love and get to know your Muslim neighbours

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I’ve written a little recently and shared some videos talking about how we engage with Muslims, how we get to know and love them as neighbours. I’ve discovered that nothing seems to get people’s ire as the suggestion that we should get to know and love Muslims. The assumption seems to be that I’m naive… Continue reading If the problem is Islam then the answer is … Love and get to know your Muslim neighbours

Prince Andrew and the Gospel

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This week, Prince Andrew, or Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as we now must know him, was stripped of all his royal titles.  He is also being exiled from his palatial home at Windsor. This is due to the scandal he has brought on the Royal Family due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein and the specific, horrific… Continue reading Prince Andrew and the Gospel