When Life is Like an Egg… and When it Isn’t.
Not all images work. I wasn’t at all sure that this one would. The speaker was likening life to an egg – not a hard boiled one, long dead and simply waiting to be eaten, but one of those with a fledgling chick inside. As the young bird attempts to come out, it pecks away at the shell from the inside. Recognising how tough the task is, you might well be tempted to lend a hand and give the shell a little tap to break it open and hasten the birds release. Apparently that’s a big no no. If you do, you have almost certainly sealed the chicks fate. There is something about it...
Read MoreRefresh: When Faith is Aspirational…
The old quip goes, “When all is said and done, far more is said than done.” It’s true. sometimes it works that way in faith as well. We claim huge things… we are set to change the world. But back at the ranch things are a little different. Sometimes faith is more about our aspirations than the reality. What happens then? This refresh post from August 2022 explores this dilemma. Refresh: When Faith is Aspirational… Have you ever asked if we do what we believe, believe what we do, or sit in an uncomfortable space of a bit of both, with belief and action sometimes...
Read MoreThe in and out dilemma: Should we magnify our differences?
By and large we live in a tolerant era – well, it’s tolerant until it isn’t. What do the things we both tolerate and exclude tell us about ourself and the time in which we live? And what’s the difference between tolerating something and embracing it? Should we go on about our differences, or focus more on the common ground between us? And should our differences drive us apart, or draw us together in curious wonder? That’s a lot of questions for an opening paragraph! I guess I’m asking them because the longer I live, the more I notice how often people...
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 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...
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