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
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
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 [https://rpwitness.org]--reprinted here with permission. That article in turn drew on one I wrote which first appeared here at Gentle Reformation [https:
balance Resuming Breakneck Speed July 04, 2020 Years ago I went to see a film called Koyaanisqatsi. It was like Ecclesiastes without the resolution of chapters 11 & 12. It consists of slow-motion and time-lapse footage from natural landscapes and
worship Worshipping By Faith, Not By Sight June 06, 2020 For many of us—depending on where you are—either you have been or you soon will be looking forward to meeting together as congregations for the first time in a long time.
COVID-19 The Easing of Lockdown May 16, 2020 Countries wait with bated breath. Children strain at the leash. Parents look forward to it. Here in Ireland after 7 weeks of greatly restricted movement, the prospect of some levels of freedom are
COVID-19 Mother Earth or Father God? March 21, 2020 Apparently, the city of Venice is enjoying crystal clear waters in its world-famous canals due to a lack of debris from tourists and near-zero boat traffic under Italy's ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
preaching The Need for Nuance in Preaching February 29, 2020 Once again my friend Andrew Roycroft writes with wisdom and precision. His article on the need for nuance [https://thinkingpastorally.com/2020/02/24/why-we-still-need-nuance/] and careful thinking and speaking in a world
The Power of Guilt February 15, 2020 Douglas Murray’s book The Strange Death of Europe is a fascinating read. Murray is a political commentator, journalist, and as to his religious leanings, he is atheist. Wikipedia tells me that, “he
Lack of goats made me do it January 18, 2020 A while ago I came across the story of a Swiss man caught speeding on a Canadian highway. His excuse was a classic. He blamed his actions on the lack of goats on
My Predictions for 2020 December 28, 2019 The last several years have defied the predictions and wrecked the confidence of the pollsters, soothsayers and prognosticators. How many times over the last 3-4 years have we shook our heads at election
Christian living Stepping out of the Shadows December 07, 2019 It would be easy to bemoan the state of the world in which we live. 2019 was a year of momentous change with the introduction of abortion in Ireland and in Northern Ireland,
YouTube Picks October 26, 2019 Following last week's post on YouTube I'm actually going to recommend a few YouTube videos I've enjoyed in recent weeks. There are three long ones, and two
Christian living YouTube Heaven? October 12, 2019 We live in the world of viral videos—at least those of us connected to the internet. The latest video becomes the topic of conversation—have you seen the one where…? Together, we
Liar, Liar September 21, 2019 “What is truth?” a jaded and cynical politician once asked. Sounds current doesn’t it? A couple of weeks ago, broadcaster and television producer, Dorothy Byrne posed the question: “Is it time for
preaching A Word to Preachers on different types of Preacher August 31, 2019 I recently saw video clip [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc5ELGLFtVA] featuring Alistair Begg describing different types of preachers—poor preachers: The Cheerleader (always looking applause), The Conjuror (pulling things out of
Christian living Distinguishing Marks of an Unteachable Person August 03, 2019 Kevin DeYoung wrote a great piece on the “Distinguishing marks of a Quarrelsome Person” [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/distinguishing-marks-quarrelsome-person/] . I found it convicting and helpful. It was the sort of piece
