Thinking about preaching: What to learn from Jeff Manion
I’ve recently finished teaching a unit in preaching at Vose Seminary, and one of the assignments was to assess the preaching of a well known pastor whom the student could select, evaluating both the strengths and weaknesses of the approach, and asking what we could learn about preaching from this person. Several excellent essays resulted, but I was especially impressed by this one from Yvette Cherry, a Vose student who also serves on the staff at Riverton Baptist Church. In addition to being an excellent student, she is a gifted preacher and I am grateful for her permission to...
Read MoreManaging Monday with Philip Yancey
Philip Yancey’s (1949) books have sold over 14 million copies, making him one of the most widely read contemporary Christian authors. I always enjoy his work, but What’s so Amazing about Grace and The Jesus I Never Knew, are particular favourites. Managing Monday will spend a few weeks highlighting some of his gems… Christians get very angry towards Christians who sin differently than they do – Philip Yancey The solution to sin is not to impose an ever stricter code of behaviour. It is to know God – Philip Yancey I rejected the church for a time because I found...
Read MoreIs God unfair?
I was speaking at the Slavic Baptist Church this Sunday, and with the help of an excellent Russian interpreter tackled the ever perplexing question of why good people often suffer, and the question which arises from this, “Is God unfair?” I was interacting with some of the views explored by Philip Yancey in his excellent book Disappointment with God, and the response to the message made me think that what was said would be worth sharing with a wider readership. So with a few minor edits, here is what I said… I have been a pastor for over 30 years now, and in that time I...
Read MoreManaging Monday with Eugene Peterson – take 3
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...
Read MoreSigns of the Spirit’s Presence…
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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