Posts

What do we do with the ending to Mark’s Gospel?

At Home Group the other night, the group were wrapping up Mark’s Gospel. The group leader felt it was worthwhile spending some time talking  about how we responded to the the shorter and longer endings to the book. I am not going to rehearse the arguments for and against the inclusion of v8b or v9-20… Continue reading What do we do with the ending to Mark’s Gospel?

Living through a lengthy lockdown -facing the emotional challenges

Below is our latest Afternoon Tea conversation.  The key points from the discussion were Our experience of lockdown may feel very similar to a grieving process The following 7 stages of grieving have been identified SHOCK & DENIAL- You will probably react to learning of the loss with numbed disbelief. … PAIN & GUILT- …… Continue reading Living through a lengthy lockdown -facing the emotional challenges

Why I changed my mind about diversity and church

A few days ago, I republished an article I wrote sometime back about whether or not our churches should focus on reaching specific cultural groups based on things like ethnicity nd class.  In the article, I argue that we should aim to grow churches which are culturally diverse. I argue against the Homogenous Unit Principle… Continue reading Why I changed my mind about diversity and church

Food from around the world wide web

Leadership in a lengthy lockdown The FIEC have been providing some helpful resources for churches in lockdown. Here’s their most recent webinar. We are realising that elements of the lockdown are likely to be around for a long time and it will be quite some time before church is anywhere near back to normal 10… Continue reading Food from around the world wide web

Assumptions, Lockdown and the urban church

A lot of the assumptions I hear made about Coronavirus, the lockdown and life ahead assume a middle-class, suburban perspective on things.  Those might sound like provocative words but let me explain why I am saying this. First of all, there is a tendency to talk about the virus not discriminating. I understand the sentiments… Continue reading Assumptions, Lockdown and the urban church

Church in long term lockdown

Here’s the recording of today’s #AfternoonTea as we talked through the implications of a long term lockdown for church. Here are my notes from the FIEC’s very helpful webinar with John Stephens on this subject. 1. He opened with Daniel 9 -not identical but some analogies esp the sense of being in a situation longer… Continue reading Church in long term lockdown

Trusting God for the long-haul (2 Peter 3:1-7)

Have you noticed the consistent theme that has come through the recent government briefings. Within that umbrella word “government” I am including the road map document, civil servants, science officers and the devolved governments in Scotland. I know there were some controversial issues, some confusing messages and some disagreement. However, everyone was agreed that we… Continue reading Trusting God for the long-haul (2 Peter 3:1-7)

Coronavirus in our care homes – why does sorry seem to be the hardest word?

Special Agent Gibbs is the hero of NCIS.  A man of few words with his own traumatic past, he leads a team of agents with a passionate commitment to justice.  One of the unique things about Gibbs is that he has a rule for everything, a code to live by.  One of his best known… Continue reading Coronavirus in our care homes – why does sorry seem to be the hardest word?

Don’t forget about children during Coronavirus Church

This is an appeal to all those leading churches and preparing for Zoom, Youtube and Facebook services.  It is also an appeal to parents. I appreciate there are so many reasons why we might put that a long way down the list.  Putting together an online service can be complex for those of us not… Continue reading Don’t forget about children during Coronavirus Church