Remember that Martyn Lloyd Jones quote I mentioned the other day? Unhappy Christians are a poor recommendation of the Christian faith.” I thought it might be worth digging a little deeper into it. As I suggested in my previous article, it probably works best as one half of a proverbial provocation. On the one hand,… Continue reading When my unhappiness does not commend the Gospel
Tag: grief
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints
Today we lay to rest my mother’s body. It’s part of the process of saying goodbye. We as a family had the opportunity to say our goodbyes to mum in those last few days and hours. Mum is already present with Jesus, which means in the words of Scripture that she is “absent from the… Continue reading Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints
Pastoring the grieving
I’m continuing a little series on the day to day work of a pastor and so today we want to think about what happens when a member of the church or one of their family dies. What should you be doing. We cannot be over prescriptive here because every family will have different needs and… Continue reading Pastoring the grieving
How does a Christian doctrine of suffering affect counselling of the bereaved?
In June 2005, my Great Aunt was mugged and knocked unconscious. She died in hospital two days later. As a family we went through the full range of emotions; shock and sadness at the tragic loss, anger at those who did it, guilt at our failure to visit “Auntie” more often. Whilst each bereavement is… Continue reading How does a Christian doctrine of suffering affect counselling of the bereaved?
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
What I need for Christmas
Mariah Carey sung: I don’t want a lot for ChristmasThere is just one thing I needI don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas treeI just want you for my ownMore than you could ever knowMake my wish come trueAll I want for Christmas is you Songwriters: Mariah Carey / Ellis Williams / Robert Allen… Continue reading What I need for Christmas
Saying goodbye to mum: Between joy and grief
On December 2nd at just around 4am in the morning, my mum went to be with her Lord and Saviour. It has been a roller coaster 10 days prior to this. Mum had gone into hospital the week previously for planned surgery knowing that at her age there were risks but confident in Jesus that… Continue reading Saying goodbye to mum: Between joy and grief
Talking to children about death and grief
It is said that the Victorians had a taboo about talking about sex but spoke freely about death and dying. In our age we have reversed that. Yet, life is fragile and death can come at any moment. So, it is important that we should be able to talk about it and this includes with… Continue reading Talking to children about death and grief
Homeward bound: More on a Biblical Theology of death as exile
Yesterday I wrote about the theme of death as exile. In the Old Testament, it is that theme of banishment and exile that most visibly shows the consequences of death for humanity. However, it is important that we remember that this is about how death is the post-fall penalty for sin. Christ’s death on the… Continue reading Homeward bound: More on a Biblical Theology of death as exile
It’s time we learned to talk about death and dying
I wanted to share some thoughts about how we approach death and dying. Our last church, Bearwood Chapel had the full range of ages with plenty of children and young people but also a significant number of people in their 80s and 90s. That meant we saw a fair few deaths and funerals for people… Continue reading It’s time we learned to talk about death and dying
Faithroots 