Posts by brian

Managing Monday with Eugene Peterson – take 3

Posted by on Jun 12, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

Say the name Eugene Peterson (1932- ) and many things might spring to mind. There is his refreshing paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, or it could be one of the thirty plus books he has written, or more likely it might be one of the many gems of wisdom you have remembered from one of those books. This is the final of the three post where we look at some of his striking insights… Waiting in prayer is a disciplined refusal to act before God acts – Eugene Peterson The silence that makes it possible to hear God speak also makes it possible for us to hear the world’s words...

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Signs of the Spirit’s Presence…

Posted by on Jun 6, 2017 in Blog | 6 comments

I was with the good folk of Mt Hawthorn Community Church this Pentecost Sunday, and being Pentecost, thought it would be helpful to ask if there are signs we can look for that indicate that the Spirit is at work. One of the lovely features of Mt Hawthorn is that they have a Q and A after the message, and it provoked lots and lots of discussion, making me think it would be worth posting my notes on the blog. So with a very light editing, here they are… A number of year ago noted evangelist Leighton Ford asked this question: “If God were to remove his Holy Spirit from the church, how...

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Managing Monday with Eugene Peterson – take 2

Posted by on Jun 5, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

Say the name Eugene Peterson (1932- ) and many things might spring to mind. There is his refreshing paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, or it could be one of the thirty plus books he has written, or more likely it might be one of the many gems of wisdom you have remembered from one of those books. This is the second of the three post where we look at some of his striking insights… You are defined by what you embrace, not what you resist – Eugene Peterson One way to define spiritual life is getting so tired and fed up with yourself you go on to something better, which is...

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Managing Monday with Eugene Peterson

Posted by on May 29, 2017 in Blog | 2 comments

Say the name Eugene Peterson (1932- ) and many things might spring to mind. There is his refreshing paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, or it could be one of the thirty plus books he has written, or more likely it might be one of the many gems of wisdom you have remembered from one of those books. We’ll spend three weeks looking at some of his striking insights… Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God – Eugene Peterson No life of faith can be lived privately. There must be overflow into the lives of...

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Managing Monday with Abraham Kuyper – take 2

Posted by on May 22, 2017 in Blog | 2 comments

This is the second and final post on Abraham Kuyper. To refresh you memory on who Kuyper is, here is the introductory paragraph from the previous post, with a fresh set of quotes then added… The relationship between Christianity and politics is vexed, and for many (regardless if they know it or not) has been shaped by the thinking of Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) who served as the 20th Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901-1905. A journalist, neo-Calvinist theologian and statesman, his political and theological views continue to be influential, especially in Reformed circles, and...

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