I believe that a grace culture is one where we are quick to seek forgiveness, express sorrow and repentance, to offer forgiveness and to seek reconciliation. This reflects the teaching in the Sermon on the Mount which is all about what it means to be saturated in God’s love and grace so that we enjoy… Continue reading Grace Culture – the importance of swift repentance and forgiveness
Tag: repentance
Racism is a sin of omission not just comission
One of the things that has been concerning for white church pastors like me in response to some of the discussion about racism has been the level of defensiveness. We want to say that we are not racist and so we get very defensive when people talk about systemic racism going on in our churches… Continue reading Racism is a sin of omission not just comission
Seeing clearly and reporting accurately (my responsibility in a dispute part 2)
On our After Eight slot for Bearwood Chapel we were talking about the bit where Jesus says to take out the log in your own eye before attempting to remove your brother’s speck the other day. I asked Sarah, in the context of this, what she thought was our primary responsibility in a dispute. She… Continue reading Seeing clearly and reporting accurately (my responsibility in a dispute part 2)
It was the Russians
Finally we have had the report about Russian interference in elections. If I understand things right, there’s some evidence of attempted interference in some campaigns and none or little for others. However where there is no evidence of interference that proved that there must have been interference and the government have intentionally looked the other… Continue reading It was the Russians
Happy people – those who mourn
Our second beatitude promises blessing or happiness for those who mourn. In Matthew, the reason that they are happy, or blessed is because they will be comforted. Luke 6:21 sets an even strong contrast “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” Jesus here is picking up on an important Old Testament theme… Continue reading Happy people – those who mourn
Forgiveness, reconciliation, restored trust and domestic abuse
In my article yesterday, I talked about learning to trust again after forgiveness and reconciliation. I argued that this was possible by choosing to remember the good things about a person as well as God’s grace to them and us and to choose to not remember their weakness, sin and the pain caused. In a… Continue reading Forgiveness, reconciliation, restored trust and domestic abuse
Forgiveness, reconciliation, trust and what you choose to remember
Forgiveness does not always lead to reconciliation. It is possible to say “I forgive you” but rebuilding broken trust is difficult, takes time and may not be possible. This may leave us feeling hopeless, helpless and despairing. What hope is there for the married couple where there has been a breakdown in the relationship, they’ve… Continue reading Forgiveness, reconciliation, trust and what you choose to remember
Lockdown -an opportunity to relearn how we do forgiveness and reconciliation
Lockdown -an opportunity to relearn how we do forgiveness and reconciliation In Sunday’s Zoom talk I talked about moving from submitting to the ruler of this world to submitting to Christ. One aspect of this was that we should move from holding onto bitterness and hate to learning to show compassion and forgiveness. This led… Continue reading Lockdown -an opportunity to relearn how we do forgiveness and reconciliation
Light and Beginnings – Matthew 4:1-17
Last year, the lady who lived next door but one to us died and her daughters sold the house to another family. They haven’t moved in yet. The house was quite dated in many ways and too small for them. They have ripped it apart, tearing out fixtures and fittings, replacing windows, knocking down an… Continue reading Light and Beginnings – Matthew 4:1-17
Leaders set the tone -sometimes it is about us
In a previous article I said that we set the tone by recognising that things are not always about us. However, sometimes they are. One of the things that concerned me about early comments during coronavirus was the speed with which some church leaders and prominent speakers and writers were quick to suggest that the… Continue reading Leaders set the tone -sometimes it is about us
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