A somewhat sobering Christmas…
This is not the Christmas post I planned to write. In my mind, it was going to be jovial, generous, and filled with hope. Indeed, Christmassy. Perhaps I will manage the hope part. Sometimes things change quiet suddenly – like today. I am writing on the 23rd, with Christmas two days out. I set out into the day with gentle confidence and a lightness in my step. My must do list had been reduced to manageable proportions, and I knew that after speaking at our Christmas services on the 24th and 25th, I could contemplate 10 days off. The prospect was pleasing. But as another item on my to do...
Read MoreIf Christmas hadn’t happened
A rather harassed looking student popped into my office a while back, claiming a mental block whilst doing an assignment. For some, that’s a permanent condition, but this student is usually pretty diligent, so I was indulgent. I asked what the assignment was about. ‘We’ve got to discuss the relevance of John 1,’ he said, as though it was a remarkable task. Now while I’m not able to recite all Scripture by heart, this is a familiar passage (‘In the beginning was the word…’ for those of you who never won any prizes for Bible memorization). As we looked at the passage together it screamed...
Read MorePrince of Peace? Really…
Last year I was part of a group finalizing a Christmas preaching series. We decided on the theme ‘Call Him’ and planned to look at a range of names given to Jesus. You know the ones I mean? He shall be called wonderful, counsellor, mighty God, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel and so on. Great names, they rightly inspire and motivate us. I landed up with the ‘Prince of Peace’ title, and dutifully set about planning a message on that topic. It turned out to be stretching. Of course the new atheists would snigger, ‘Jesus. Prince of Peace—well hardly. Do you know how many wars there have...
Read MoreIs there a place for quiet leaders?
In 2013 Paternoster published my book, The Tortoise Usually Wins. It works from the simple thesis that while we often assume that leaders need to be larger than life charismatic figures, the reality often turns out to be different. There is a place for those who are quiet leaders. Sometimes they approach the task of leadership hesitantly, even reluctantly. But they often go on to make a significant difference. Many people have found the book helpful and it has now had a second print run and has also been translated into Indonesian. Here is how the preface to the book starts. If you have...
Read MoreCan good come from conflict? Listening for the Spirit’s voice…
Most of my sermons only get preached once. They serve a particular purpose, and while I file them away, hopeful that they will prove useful on another day, most of them never resurface. Not so with this message. In some ways it is a little sad… a sermon about conflict needing to be preached over and over again. But no point in being silly about it. Conflict often does arise amongst Christians. So here is what I have said about it. If you are in a tricky situation, perhaps it will be helpful in your setting. Actually, sometimes it is better to think about conflict in a peaceful season,...
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