On proceeding as the way opens…
You might know the lovely Quaker saying, “Proceed as the way opens.” In a risk averse era, one where we want absolute clarity and know that we are liable if we forget to read the small print, this is a gentle prompt to accept the ambiguity of life, and to remember that everything isn’t known in advance, but that we must trust the process, or better still, trust the steady hand of God, and proceed as the way opens. Trouble is, this often requires patience. The way doesn’t always open as quickly or as obviously as we would like. The dilemma is not new. Ask Gideon, who...
Read MoreRefresh: About Church Buildings…
Todays Refresh post originally appeared in November 2015 after a holiday Rosemary and I had just completed in Europe. I think it is well worth a re-read. Refresh: About Church Buildings… A common question of tourists is ‘So what did you see today?’ If they are touring Europe (as Rosemary and I have just done), you are likely to hear the reply, ‘abc’. Lest you have not heard the quip, abc stands for ‘another bloody church’. It is a little ironic that the worlds most secular continent is filled with church buildings – and not just...
Read MoreOn Bringing Little Bits of Happiness: The Value of Micro-Encounters
I was listening to a podcast to pass the 15 minutes that lay ahead on the elliptical trainer. The sentiment expressed was simple, but I thought it worth developing. Whoever the podcaster was (being on the trainer is my excuse for not knowing) said we often think that we only make a difference when we do profound and life changing things. She went on to cite research suggesting that pleasant micro encounters can make a major difference to the happiness of those who experience them. Perhaps that sounds just a touch too theoretical, but she was affirming an important truth. When we smile at a...
Read MoreRefresh: To Strive for Great Things. Is Ambition OK?
Ambition… It’s such a vexed question. This longish Refresh post from 9 Oct 2015 raises some important questions and outlines helpful principles to guide us. Hope you find it helpful… To Strive for Great Things. Is Ambition OK? J. Oswald Sanders starts his classic book Spiritual Leadership by contrasting 1 Tim 3:1 To aspire to leadership is an honourable ambition with Jeremiah 45:5 Are you seeking great things for yourself? Seek them not. There is a creative tension between the two sentiments. Is there a place in the life of a Christ follower for ambition? If you listen to...
Read MoreThe Different Faces of Temptation: A 21st Century Take
I’m part of the preaching team at my home church, Carey Baptist, and this Sunday get to preach on “Temptation”. It sounds like a quaintly Victorian concept, something you really shouldn’t take seriously – after all, one of my favourite chocolates is named “Temptations” and the manufacturer expects me to eat them, not avoid them. Isn’t “temptation” about the fun in life – with only the most dull and drab refusing to dive into all that is on offer? Perhaps, but I’ve enjoyed digging into Matt 4:1-11, the well know passage...
Read MoreRefresh: Churched, Un-Churched and De-Churched
This was a relatively early post on this blog – dating all the way back to Nov 2015 – but continues to be one of the most frequently downloaded. If anything, the topic is even more pertinent a decade later. Churched, Un-Churched and De- Churched If you’re up with the discussions on the future of the church you’ll know that commentators distinguish between people who are un-churched (as in never had any significant contact with a church) and those who are de-churched (as in once were involved, but no more thank you very much). While the church has always worried about those who...
Read MoreWhen the elephants fight, the grass suffers…
A good friend recently drew my attention to a fascinating Swahili proverb, best translated “When the elephants fight, the grass suffers.” We had been talking about the rise in global unrest, and who the victims are. When the big players fight (or when the elephants fight), it is a host of innocent bystanders (the grass) who suffer the most. True, sometimes elephants fight to the death, especially during the “musth” period when testosterone filled bulls can become very aggressive, but most often they simply walk away, while the grass below takes a lot longer to...
Read MoreRefresh: Easter Cancelled. They’ve found the body…
Today’s Refresh is suited to the post Easter period. It’s wonderful to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but how likely is it that it happened? The blog is a light taster of this important topic – if you want to read some of my more developed thoughts on this and other apologetic subjects, see my book Why Christianity is Probably True. But for now, enjoy this post from Sept 11, 2015. It was part of a short series on apologetics. Refresh: Easter Cancelled. They’ve found the body… Graffiti was an art form during my university days. It adorned three of the walls...
Read MoreEaster 2025 – Why Timing Matters
To be honest, it’s been a really busy week and so I asked myself, “Why not just use an old Easter post for resurrection Sunday? After all, it’s not as though the message of Easter 2025 is different to Easter 2024 or Easter 1924.” At a certain level that is entirely true – and at another level, entirely false. To some extent it depends on if you view Easter as primarily a comfort, or as a challenge. If you see Easter as essentially a comfort, there is a timelessness about the message. Easter is the reminder that even death by crucifixion could not destroy Jesus....
Read MoreRemembering the Friday…
We are sometimes a little uncomfortable with Good Friday, and tend to rush past it to arrive at Easter Sunday as quickly as possible. Yet unless we feel the weight of the Friday, we will miss much of the mystery of Easter. If you are a theologian you might say that a theology of suffering must precede a theology of glory, lest the latter becomes trite and superficial. So this Good Friday I have been noting the things I need to remember… I need to leave the last supper and walk to the Garden of Gethsemane. I need to pause – is that Jesus, crying out to God, “Father if it is...
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