Articles, thoughts, essays, and content from Brian as well as students – our budding theologians.
Those little extras…
I’ve been reading the account of the feeding of the 5000 in Matthew 14:13-21. You’re probably already sighing and thinking this is a miracle you have heard about often enough. It’s the only miracle to pop up in each of the gospels, a reminder that there is something about food that is unforgettable. Feeding 5000 – yes, that was a truly memorable day. Except it wasn’t feeding 5000, was it? Tucked away in verse 21 is the little detail that they fed “about 5000 men, beside women and children.” Each time...
read moreDFM: The Direction, Focus, Motivation Trio
You might know that I now direct AVENIR Leadership Institute. It’s a lot of fun to lead something I was instrumental in founding, especially as it means I can’t pull the “I don’t know what the founders were thinking” card. If it’s not to my liking, it’s a little too obvious who is to blame! We’ve got a great team, a wonderful culture and a huge amount to be grateful for, not least our clients, who let us dive deeply into their world. They look to us for many things – ideas, an external...
read moreFor the Applause of Nail Scarred Hands…
I love Mark Batterson’s counsel to “live for the applause of nail scarred hands”. It has echoes of R.T.Kendall’s instruction to live “for an audience of one”. Both remind us that it is God’s perspective of who we are and what we do that matters. That’s easy to forget in an era that places great weight on what others think and say of us. It’s also a reminder that it’s not all about “me, myself and I”, but that I am a very small part of a very large story- the story of God....
read moreMisdiagnosis…
If you are into medical thrillers you know about the dangers of misdiagnosis. You will have seen shows where the medication supposed to help the patient is quietly killing them, while the actual cause of the problem remains untreated. Misdiagnosis is an issue, but it’s compounded when no one is willing to concede that they have got it wrong. Stubbornly sticking to the wrong treatment is hazardous – but what if it’s not in the realm of your health? What if you have misdiagnosed why a relationship is failing – and its...
read moreFrom Mindfulness to Watchfulness…
I usually enjoy excellent health but some months back succumbed to a minor ailment which required me to be on medication for 10 days. The doctor informed me that as a likely side effect was sleepiness, I should take my daily tablet half an hour after I finished my evening meal. Came day four, and about thirty minutes after dinner I stopped and thought, “Have I taken my medicine?” Answer – I had no idea. I had a vague recollection that I might have, but had been so busy doing one thing after another that I really wasn’t sure. I tried to recap...
read moreSunday: Afraid yet filled with joy…
“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Matt 28:8 Have you been at a wedding where the groom cries, and the bride, and the parents, and granny – and as they do they all tell you how happy they are. Emotions are funny things. We sometimes cry when we are happy. And then there are those funerals where people burst into loud laughter as the idiosyncrasies of the deceased are recapped and tolerantly recalled. At many funerals mirth and tears intermingle seamlessly....
read moreSaturday: Waiting
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” Luke 24:1. See also John 19:38-42. There is nothing worse than waiting. You’re caught in that in between time. For those who loved Jesus it was made far worse by Sabbath rules and regulations. They had rushed his body into a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea, but really it was far from satisfactory. Joseph and Nicodemus had done their best to bury Jesus according to Jewish customs – but...
read moreFriday: Love so amazing…
This Easter reflection is from my book, Could this be God? It is the first of the three posts for this Easter weekend: Friday; Saturday; Sunday. Don’t know if you have ever been face to face with a little child who insists on asking ‘Why?’ No matter what answer you give, it’s immediately followed by yet another ‘Why?’ I feel a little like that when it comes to Easter. You can’t but scratch your head and ask in amazed bewilderment, ‘So why did Jesus love me so much that he would die for me?’ No matter how good a theologian you are, it’s a...
read moreJudging or Discerning?
In Matthew 7:1 Jesus challengingly instructs: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” It is an oft quoted sentiment from the Sermon on the Mount, and is sometimes used as a get out of jail free card by those who know they have erred badly, “If you listen to Jesus you won’t judge me.” Even if you challenge back, “That sounds pretty manipulative” the retort is going to be, “Manipulative! There you go, judging me again!” Realistically, Jesus didn’t seem to expect us to obey this...
read moreFrom Statements of Faith to Theological Architecture…
If you are a Christian, tell me what kind of a Christian you are? In a divisive age where faith is expressed in varied and sometimes incompatible ways, this has become a relevant question. While most of us feel a little uncomfortable asking it, it is a little naive to assume we all love Jesus, so everything is OK. Ever since the 1054 Great Schism between the church in the East and West we have lived with the idea of a divided church. This was accelerated by the 1517 Protestant Reformation which went on to birth a plethora of new...
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