The Thirty Proverbs Challenge: Formulating your Life Learnings.
Proverbs 22:20 reads, “I have written thirty sayings for you, filled with advice and knowledge.” What follows are a wide range of helpful insights from the noble “Do not rob the poor… for the Lord is their defender” (V22) to the controversial “Don’t fail to correct your children. They won’t die if you spank them” (Prov 23:13) and the pragmatic “If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat, and don’t desire all the delicacies” (Prov 23:2). Each generation formulates its own wisdom. Often it is in agreement with what has gone before, but sometimes not. I decided to see if I could move...
Read MoreI will be second: Insights from an ancient friendship…
It’s an often overlooked statement that is strangely counter-cultural. You find it in 1 Samuel 23:17 when Jonathan says to his great friend David: “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.” Now that wouldn’t be too startling a sentiment if it wasn’t that everyone expected Jonathan to be king. After all, he was the oldest son of King Saul, and that’s how these things work in royal circles. The oldest son is heir to the throne – easy, straightforward, not controversial at all. So what is Jonathan doing promising the throne to David and suggesting he would be his...
Read MoreOn Turning 67: Numbering our Days…
Psalm 90:10 makes the sobering claim that “The length of our days is seventy years.” That’s mildly alarming if, like me, you’ve just turned 67. What – only 3 years to go? True, the Psalmist goes on to note that we might reach 80, but warns that “their span is but trouble and sorrow”, before advising us “to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” OK – so what does this have to say to those who, like me, are in striking distance of some of those numbers, and does it also have something for those who haven’t...
Read MoreOur Deepest Regrets: To the Judas within…
I get to preach on Judas Iscariot this week. Yup – I drew the short straw. Sure, someone has to do it, but how do you inspire a congregation with someone who is more infamous than Hitler? “With great difficulty”, I hear you reply – and fair enough. Jonathan Sacks has rightly noted that the Bible is unusual in ancient literature in that its heroes have flaws and its villains have virtues. That’s in stark contrast to the lazy triumphalism that was common for the time. But does it apply to Judas? There is no doubt he was a villain – his kiss of betrayal...
Read MoreOn Launching a Book: The Stirrers and Saints Story
There is a fair chance you already know that my latest book, “Stirrers and Saints: Forming Spiritual Leaders of Skill, Depth and Character” was recently launched. It’s my 7th, and I like to remind people that in the Bible 7 represents a complete or perfect number – so hopefully that says something about the book. People often ask me why I write, and what it takes to write a book, and what it feels like to launch one – so I thought I’d use this post to speak about that. Hopefully these thoughts will be helpful, and not simply self indulgent. So why do I...
Read MorePromise, Challenge and Task: Three Reminders…
I’m due to preach on Joshua as a one off message in a series exploring interesting Bible characters. It’s hard to condense such an important story into 25 minutes, and any lens selected will miss a lot, but I’ve opted to filter his story through three key ideas – what he was promised, what special challenges he faced and the tasks he had to do. I decided to steer the story in this direction because it struck me that these are three big categories that can be helpful for most people, and perhaps you are one of them. So what was Joshua promised? Primarily, God’s...
Read MoreHear, Help or Hug: 3 Ways to Respond
It was a slightly unexpected and somewhat abrupt question, but afterwards its wisdom struck me. I was chatting to a friend about a difficult thing that had happened and he simply asked: “So what would you like from me? To hear, to help or to hug?” It set me thinking about my instinctive response when people talk to me about something difficult. While I try to remember the importance of deep listening, I’m wired to swing into help mode. Tell me a problem, and I will quickly suggest 5 or 6 options that you can try. If you don’t like any of them, I’m usually able...
Read MoreEffort, Excellence, and Exclusion: Three challenging “E” words…
I’ve been fortunate enough to have pastored churches which grew. And I loved the challenge each brought – adding new buildings, enlarging the staff, seeing people grow in their love for Jesus and each other. But each time we came up against what I call the “effort, excellence and exclusion dilemma”. What happens when we grow to a point where what used to be good enough, no longer meets the required standard? To be clear, while much of my life is lived within the broad parameters of the church, the issue is far wider. It’s when the amateur dance teacher has a...
Read MoreTaking steps towards radical honesty…
Have you ever been in a relationship where the person says, “I want you to be completely honest with me” and you make the mistake of believing them? There is something about complete honesty that can be very confronting. Even if we are told the “complete truth” it is usually massaged to make it a little more palatable – or at least, it is massaged if the person is a friend, but might be coldly dumped (and perhaps exaggerated) if an enemy. I’ve been thinking through my values – the things I most truly hold to – and asked myself where honesty...
Read MoreThe power of “yet” and “not yet”…
They can be two such frustrating words. You hear the question:”Have you figured out how that new app works?” or “Have you worked out how to put that IKEA chair together?” You know the answer will be those two words: “Not yet!” They can be even more worrying: “Have you got the new job you’re looking for?” “Not yet.” Perhaps its even worse, “Is your relationship any better?” or “Is the chemo starting to work?” And you hear the sobering response: “Not yet.” The first word is a negative...
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