I was grateful that many people in the church were praying for David, Janet and me as we attended the Pastoral Refreshment Conference last week. Several asked me on Sunday whether I was, indeed, refreshed! The answer was yes! Let me explain why. By far the most helpful thing about PRC is that it treats […]
A couple of weeks ago I preached a sermon on election that provoked a fair number of questions. However, last Sunday evening’s sermon produced questions of a different sort. I included a long piece in it talking about the blessings that are ours in Christ. A few people asked me why I did that and […]
There are certain sermons that you know are going to produce questions. I very much had a sense of that when I preached on Sunday from Romans 9. Essentially it covers the doctrine of election- that God in His sovereignty has called and chosen His people. There are various reasons why I think this is […]
I love Psalm 107. It recounts various ways in which God’s people got into a mess- often as a result of their sin. In each situation the people cry out to God for mercy. The Lord hears and rescues. The intended response is repeated throughout the Psalm: “Let them give thanks to the LORD for […]
Occasionally I am tempted to wonder if there is a limit to the number of Christmas sermons that can be preached. However, by Sunday, I will have given six talks in and around the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke and I still won’t really have touched on what is, in many ways, the big […]
Often I agree to speak on topics that I know nothing about. It is the best way to get me to do the reading to plug holes in my knowledge! That’s why earlier in the year I consented to doing a presentation on three second century church leaders- Ignatius, Polycarp and Irenaeus. Most of my […]
Our Relationships Series has come to an end. On this blog over the last few weeks my main focus has been on the subject of homosexuality. However, I think our time considering friendship was as important. I am convinced (and I made this point again on Sunday morning) that close relationships, where anxieties, temptations and […]
I mentioned in an earlier post that I am not particularly keen on political campaigning on this issue. There is a reason for that- in 1 Corinthians 5:12, the apostle Paul asks this question- “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?” I don’t particularly want to preach to the non-Christian […]
Each year at the church we have a vision verse. It is an opportunity to focus our minds on one specific aspect of living as a Christian and we tend to explore it through a number of sermons across the year. Last year our focus was 1 Corinthians 10:31- “Whatever you do, do it all […]
Last Sunday evening we held the second in our series considering Relationships and Sexuality. I spoke on the subject of homosexuality and then was interviewed. Since my teenage years, I have been exclusively attracted to other men rather than women. So the question we pondered in the interview was this- what does it mean for […]