worship Activating our Spiritual Muscles for Worship May 14, 2022 I’ve been reading Stephen Charnock’s masterpiece, “The Existence and Attributes of God”. It is simply magnificent. Ancient Puritan prose, but glorious. Utterly thorough and profound, yet delightfully heart-warming and deeply pastoral
prayer An Ordination Prayer April 16, 2022 Almighty God, creator of Heaven and Earth You who spoke this universe into being by your powerful word, You who have given us a message of life for this broken world a world
An easy funeral sermon March 19, 2022 Tom Martin was a man who made it easy to preach at his funeral. Sometimes a minister wrestles trying to find the appropriate verse—not so for this funeral. There was only one
Books Two ‘must-read’ books February 05, 2022 I love books which help me understand what makes us tick as human beings—how we think, why we think the way we do, why and how our bodies and brains function (or
Psalms The Galilean Voice January 01, 2022 A new year often brings a plethora of articles about a fresh commitment to scripture. Maybe as you start a new year you are looking for something fresh—a fresh Bible reading plan,
The Lost Art of Humility December 18, 2021 I was watching a clip the other day about a 911 emergency call operator who twigged that something was up with a 911 call they received. Albeit it took them considerable time to
GUEST POST: THAT STUFF ABOUT ORIGINAL SIN SPEAKS TO WHERE WE’RE AT AS A SOCIETY November 06, 2021 (I don't read many blogs, but one of the blogs I enjoy dipping into is Building Jerusalem by Stephen Kneale. I find his commentary on where we are at as a society particularly
Marriage For better, for worse… September 18, 2021 Last week I came across a remarkable story. Jean-Pierre Adams was a French footballer in the 1970s and 80s, and he passed away on the 6th September, aged 73. He was capped 22
Hope in a World of Brokenness September 04, 2021 “Do you have any sense of hope?”—Kabul had just fallen, and the news was full of imagery from the captured city. Airport besieged by people looking to get out; terror etched on
Don’t be ‘authentic’ August 07, 2021 One of the great buzz words of our times is ‘authenticity’—we are to be ‘authentic’. We are meant to express ourselves authentically— from “I’m just saying what I feel” to “I
Christian living The Problem of Distraction July 03, 2021 We live in what some psychologists have called a state of “Continuous Partial Attention”. We are at our desks writing a report or essay, and consciously and subconsciously we’re monitoring for WhatsApp
Christ in the Psalms The Cost June 19, 2021 We see the athlete atop the podium clutching their gold medal, a broad smile covering their face, eyes sparkling. Unless we personally know them (or others like them), we don’t see the
Christian living No U-turns allowed June 05, 2021 We live in a plastic world—I’m not referring to the avalanche of plastic which fills our bins, or litters our beaches. I’m thinking of the idea that we can be
preaching Fossilised Preaching? May 15, 2021 Most preachers are familiar with the diagnostic question: Could your sermon have been preached in a mosque or a synagogue? It’s a helpful question that pinpoints whether or not we have been
Of Pharaohs and Easter April 10, 2021 Last Saturday night, with great fanfare and razzamatazz, under tight security and the gaze of a television audience, twenty-two of Egypt’s Pharaohs were moved to their new home in the National Museum
Losing Forgiveness March 27, 2021 Maybe it has always been thus—the crowd baying in the arena for more gore, more death. The angry revolutionary mob laying hands on whomever and administering ‘justice’ with the zeal of victors
Grace The Tyranny of Merit March 06, 2021 What happens when you build a society on the idea that if you work hard enough you will be successful? I mean it sounds a good idea, doesn’t it? It seems to
COVID-19 Covid-19 & Making Decisions in the light of all Scripture February 06, 2021 (This article originally appeared on the Christian Voice Ireland website—written for an Irish context, but the principles discussed still apply.) I’ve been asked to put my thoughts down as to the
Croissants & Original Sin... January 16, 2021 One of our family viewing habits over lockdown has been watching the BBC series ‘Inside the Factory’. Each episode follows a particular item—it could be cornflakes, crisps, rich-tea biscuits, baked beans, waterproof
Domestic Systematic Theology January 02, 2021 New Year—a time for starting reading plans. Plans to read through the bible, plans to read a set number of books from different categories, or perhaps, for some, plans to read though
leadership Abusive Leadership November 07, 2020 Ezekiel 34 was in my Bible reading this week. What a sombre passage for pastors, for shepherds of the flock. ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "Woe to you shepherds of Israel
COVID-19 Reviewing My Predictions for 2020 October 17, 2020 Who could have foreseen 2020 unfolding the way it has? What a weird year and there are still 10 weeks to go! A friend recently messaged me and asked “Well, did you get
self esteem The Myth of Self-Esteem October 03, 2020 “Never criticise” is the mantra that we are all told these days when it comes to working with young people. I don't know if it is still the case, but for a while
perfection Enjoying Imperfection September 12, 2020 There isn’t much about failure to enjoy. Depending on what it is—giving away a penalty in the last second of a semi-final and costing your side the game, a moral failure
reasonableness The Elusive Trait of Reasonableness July 25, 2020 (This article first appeared in the Reformed Presbyterian Witness--reprinted here with permission. That article in turn drew on one I wrote which first appeared here at Gentle Reformation. Anyhow, with the all the
