Articles, thoughts, essays, and content from Brian as well as students – our budding theologians.
On Turning 68: A bit of an Update…
If you are reading this on the date of its first appearance, 13 July 2025, it’s my birthday. Happy birthday me – all 68 years of me! While 68 is in many ways an annoying age, marking no special milestone (it’s not a zero birthday nor even a “last year in your 60’s” birthday) it feels a little bit special if only because of some recent changes in my life. “What are they?” you ask, while perhaps assuming I will announce the big ‘R’ word. No, it’s not retire, but here are some of...
read moreRefresh: Can Good Come from Conflict? Listening for the Spirit’s voice
Today’s Refresh is a lightly edited version of a sermon I have often preached. I wish the topic had faded into irrelevance, but it hasn’t. How do we find what God is saying to us when we are in battle with one another. Though times and examples change (and this first appeared in 2015), I hope some of the principles are helpful. Refresh: Can 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...
read moreBecause No is just an invitation to a different conversation…
I think it’s Brené Brown who said that “no” is just an invitation to a different conversation. That’s a helpful reminder to dive into opportunity thinking, rather than to assume all is lost when faced with a rejection. But how might this look in practice? There is an intriguing Latin phrase, “numinibus vota exaudita malignis,” which roughly translated means “enormous prayers which heaven in vengeance answered”. Attributed to the Roman poet Juvenal, the idea appears in CS Lewis’ writing on...
read moreRefresh: A Time to Speak – 10 Reasons to Speak Up
Today’s Refresh post is the other side of last weeks. This time we look at not when to be silent, but when to speak up. It’s an important topic, and was first published on the blog in Nov 2015. Refresh: A Time to Speak – 10 Reasons to Speak Up The last post looked at 10 reasons why silence is golden. But there is a flipside. The writer of Ecclesiastes 3 is right. There is a time for everything under heaven… and that includes both a time for silence and a time to speak up. Here are 10 signs that it is the time to...
read moreBecause grief is love with no place to go…
I’m not certain where the obscure title of today’s post comes from (it’s often attributed to Jamie Anderson) but I’ve been pondering it ever since I heard it as a throw away comment in the wonderful Three Pines mystery series. “Grief is love with no place to go”. Profound, isn’t it? I think it is usually accurate. But I also wonder if it can be reframed, so that the love we have within remains life serving – even joyous. Let me try to unpack what I’m thinking… You’ve probably...
read moreRefresh: 10 Reasons why Silence is Golden
I enjoyed rereading todays refresh post. Number 5, “Silence releases us from the oppressive bondage of always having to have the last word” resonates with me, and I think it has something to say to us during challenging times. It’s a short post. Hope you enjoy it. Refresh: 10 Reasons why Silence is Golden We live in such a noisy world. Getting ourselves heard can be a real problem. With everyone else so busy talking, no one really seems to want to listen to what we would like to say. Should we care? Here are 10 reasons why...
read moreOn Wearing Your Failure Like a Flag…
Perhaps you know that my next book project is on 30 Proverbs to live by. That might not be the final title, but it is the idea behind it – that we can go a long way in life if we embrace some solid truths that guide our response to life’s varied challenges. I recently floated the “regret should be a signpost not a home” idea, and in this post would like to explore the counsel to “wear your failure like a flag”. It was the proverb given to me many years ago by a trusted mentor, Jim Johnston, who I continue...
read moreRefresh: What does a Healthy Church Look Like – 12 Indicators
There’s an old quip that says, “If you find a perfect church, don’t join. Why ruin a good thing!” Churches are filled with people in all their wonderful complexity. But what does a healthy church look like? We sometimes tell stories of sad failures – but it is as well to underline what we should look for. This post from 3 May 2016 unpacks 12 signs of church health. Refresh: What does a healthy church look like – 12 indicators. We’ve had a few posts on churchless faith and the journey towards becoming...
read moreFrom Illusion to Prayer: Facing our Limitations
Is there a control freak tucked away inside of you? If so, you probably try to be subtle about it – after all, who wants to be the anxious micro-manager, determined that everything gets done their way? Beneath it there is often a deeper anxiety, the fear that everything depends upon you and that if you loosen your grip on things, they may quickly get outside of your control. But what if you realised a deeper truth, that the feeling of being in control is at best an illusion? Rather than trigger you into panic, what if this realisation...
read moreRefresh: Why Theodosius vs Ambrose really matters…
Even if you aren’t naturally interested in the history of the church, this incident from c390 is likely to impress you. It set the stage for church-state dialogue for centuries to come, and remains pertinent today. It was originally posted on the blog in 2015. Refresh: Why Theodosius vs Ambrose really matters… Heard about the dispute between the Roman Emperor Theodosius and Bishop Ambrose of Milan back in 390? I thought not… Before you yawn a little too obviously and quote Henry Ford’s ‘history is bunk’, let me assure you...
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