Over the years I have developed a pattern that I have found helpful in keeping going in pastoral ministry: the monthly away day. It was recommended to me back in my days with UCCF. Once a month I travel to somewhere nice (the venues all tend to be near coasts!)where I have a good Christian […]
One of the most discomforting of Scriptural statistics is that when the Lord Jesus speaks to the churches in Revelation 2-3 five of the seven have something of which they need to repent. It is a helpful caution for us against the complacency that says we must be OK. It is a reminder as to […]
August always feels like a quiet month in the life of the church with many people away. September is likely to be very different… There are two big issues for us as a church in the month of September. The first is that we will be moving out of our current premises in order for […]
This is probably one of those posts that will have people reaching for the imaginary “Dislike” button on Facebook. And I know how you feel. When I am sitting in the congregation on a Sunday evening it is tempting to want to sit back, listen and not feel I have to contribute very much. On […]
It is always hard to get used to a different situation. For the last couple of hundred years or so, there has been a widespread perception in this country that to be a Christian is a good thing. This would be a view held even by those who would not have a strong Christian allegiance. […]
As part of our church weekend we considered Jesus’ command: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38) I don’t think ‘workers’ is limited to those who get their employment from Christian activities. Nevertheless, it is the […]
I came away encouraged from our recent church weekend. As ever, I was struck by people’s willingness to work hard and serve (special mention to Jenny, Hannah and the team who did the children’s work, to Steve and Jane and the team who oversaw the catering, to Samantha, our resident ‘Parkinson’ and to Long Crendon […]
At some point in the next few weeks, the elders will be discussing sermon series at the church for the next year or so. I thought this might be a useful point at which to outline some of my thinking and convictions on how to go about this. 1. The value of consecutive exposition We […]
Those who know me well will appreciate that I don’t relish controversy. So, if I’m honest, my heart sank as I started to prepare my sermon on Isaiah 56 a couple of week ago. I was eager to talk about the inclusion of the foreigner and the eunuch in the people of God but I […]
Those who have listened to enough of my sermons will know that Tim Chester is a modern author I tend to quote frequently. I’ve read many of his books and have always appreciated his engagement with Scripture and challenging application to the church today. Both of these qualities are evident in his book based on […]