Monthly Archives: April 2009

The trees in “My first Message” bible

Posted on April 29, 2009 by

My middle son has just moved up from “My First Message” bible to “New Century Version International Children’s Bible“ My First Message has been a real favourite for my son, as the battered spine and torn edges show. It has … Continue reading →

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Strong as oaks, tender as rose buds.

Posted on April 28, 2009 by

The title of this post is an attempt at a cultural translation of John Piper’s section ‘Durable as Redwoods, Tender as Clover’ in his book ‘The Roots of Endurance.’ I posted yesterday about the effect joyful, confident Christians had on … Continue reading →

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Transforming grace in the life of Olaudah Equiano

Posted on April 27, 2009 by

In Chapter 10 of his autobiography, freed slave and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano describes how he came to faith in Christ. He was clearly a moral man who at one point was attracted by the higher morals of the Muslims and … Continue reading →

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When churches schism or grow

Posted on April 22, 2009 by

I blogged yesterday on acceptance and godliness in marriage and relationships. The principle of not mixing acceptance (justification) and behaviour (sanctification) in relating to God and each other applies to church as well as marriage. The result of mixing acceptance … Continue reading →

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How marriage works and fails

Posted on April 21, 2009 by

Building on what I wrote yesterday about acceptance and godliness, I’ve been thinking about the relationship between acceptance and godliness in relationships. Just as Christians often mix acceptance (justification) and behaviour (sanctification) in relating to God so the two can … Continue reading →

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Unravelling acceptance and godliness

Posted on April 20, 2009 by

At the heart of Christian faith and practice there are two mutually exclusive truths. The first is that God accepts (justifies) sinners through faith in his crucified Son, Jesus Christ. The second is that these children of God should want … Continue reading →

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My song is love unknown

Posted on April 12, 2009 by

Brilliant Easter joy:

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At the cross

Posted on April 9, 2009 by

I’ve posted exerts from W.E. Sangster’s, A Spiritual Check-up (Christian Co-workers, taming the tongue and a home check-up). All the questions he asks leave room for spiritual growth and drive the believer back to Christ. This is Sangster’s Cross Centered … Continue reading →

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The difficult balance of self-love and self-sacrifice

Posted on April 8, 2009 by

I have been vicar of Holy Trinity West Bromwich, in an inner city urban priority area, for 4 weeks now. In my new post, I am keen to avoid burnout, which means some degree of self-preservation. As I relaxed in … Continue reading →

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More benefits of faith union with Christ

Posted on April 7, 2009 by

I led a session on our lent course, The Cross Centered Life, on meditating on the the benefits of faith union with Christ.  One of the members of the course sent me this email, which was originally shaped like a … Continue reading →

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