It’s now 3 years since we said goodbye to my mum and Sarah’s dad within the space of a few weeks. In both cases, there was an unexpectedness although we were aware of serious health conditions. In mum’s case, she had gone into hospital for surgery on a hiatus hernia but didn’t recover from the… Continue reading Home and grief
Category: pastoral-care
What are we really triggered by? More on the Sheffield University trigger warning
The other week, I mentioned that Sheffield University had introduced a trigger warning for literature students that parts of the Bible might include violence and sexual violence. The Gospels were included in this. Now, perhaps those sharing and commenting on the story should have included their own trigger warning as it seems that this story… Continue reading What are we really triggered by? More on the Sheffield University trigger warning
Christians and long-term grief
I’m continuing to do some work on how Christians can walk alongside each other through grief. Partly, that’s about how do we all as believers bare one another’s burdens and partly it’s about how pastors and elders can particularly support church members but it is also about what it means for those of us who… Continue reading Christians and long-term grief
What about marriage and eternity?
When Jesus responds to the Sadducees conundrum and the Levirate marriage, he insists that in “the age to come”, there is no more giving and receiving in marriage (Luke 20:27-40). This may leave us with a few pastoral questions and implications. First of all, there was the immediate pastoral implication for people in that context. … Continue reading What about marriage and eternity?
Pastoral Care Training
I’ve been putting together some pastoral care training resources. I’ve now completed a set of videos. I’m hoping to develop some further resources, in particularly training notes and possibly some assessment resources. However, in the meantime, I hope the videos on their own will be of help. I’d love your feedback to help me to… Continue reading Pastoral Care Training
What isn’t consumed
When Moses is in the wilderness, he spots a bush on fire, the famous burning bush. However, it’s not the fact that a bush is on fire that gets his attention. This may well have been a normal sight for him. What really is the miracle there? It’s the fact that the bush itself is… Continue reading What isn’t consumed
Demon hunters and discernment
Secular TV has an obsession with the idea of going hunting for demons. You may recall that the original Buffy the Vampire slayer moved from vampire hunting to an obsession with demons. Recently, Netflix has been pushing a film with associated sound track called “K Pop Demon hunters.” At times, it can seem that Christian… Continue reading Demon hunters and discernment
Demons, deliverance and complex pastoral care
I’ve recently been thinking about robust pastoral care systems. I’ve also been talking a bit about deliverance ministry. Putting the two together, here is a first stab at a pastoral care policy/giudance notes for pastoral care in deliverance contexts. Context -why this is important Background We believe in the reality of the Devil and demons… Continue reading Demons, deliverance and complex pastoral care
World Suicide Prevention Day
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Did you know that there are about 7000 suicides in the UK every year? This means 19 people are likely to take their lives every day. Both suicide and the mental health factors leading to it including anxiety and depression sadly remain taboo subjects, the elephant in the room. … Continue reading World Suicide Prevention Day
So what about the Christian who seems to be demonised?
When it comes to the creation v evolution debate, I remember someone once giving some helpful advice. They suggested it was always worth double checking two things, first that we have read the Biblical data correctly and secondly that we have read the empirical data correctly. We should do so humbly, recognizing our own fallibility.… Continue reading So what about the Christian who seems to be demonised?
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