Monthly Archives: April 2010

Empiricism and faith in Nanny McPhee

Posted on April 28, 2010 by

Our family loved the first Nanny McPhee film with Emma Thompson so when adverts on buses appeared for “Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang” we had our Easter holiday cinema visit sorted. The second film was every bit as good … Continue reading →

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Tom Bingham: The rule of law decontextualised

Posted on April 27, 2010 by

I’ve been reading The Rule of Law (London, Pengiun, 2010) by Tom Bingham (retired Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice and Senior Law Lord) in which he traces the development of the rule of law, its importance and modern … Continue reading →

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Church structure and ministry made simple

Posted on April 26, 2010 by

What is the local church trying to achieve and how do we achieve it? This diagram attempts to simplify church life (click on the picture for higher definition). I used the diagram at yesterday’s APCM (AGM). For a healthy, vibrant, … Continue reading →

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West Bromwich East Hustings at Holy Trinity

Posted on April 22, 2010 by

Ian Garrett (Liberal), Alistair Thompson (Conservative), Tom Watson (Labour) and a UKIP representative will take part in a hustings for West Bromwich East to be held at 7:30pm Thursday 29th April at Holy Trinity Church, Mary Road West Bromwich, B70 … Continue reading →

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10 ways in which God in Christ is a God of love #10

Posted on April 22, 2010 by

Here’s the 10th and final abridged extract from Ebenezer Erskine’s 10 point sermon on 10 ways in which God in Christ is a God of love: 10. God in Christ is our God (to crown all). He makes a grant … Continue reading →

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Creed and confession for Colossians sermon series

Posted on April 21, 2010 by

We’re using the following creed and confession for our sermon series on Colossians which starts this Sunday. The creed comes from Michael Perry’s book “bible prayers for worship” which is out of print but Amazon.co.uk has a few second hand … Continue reading →

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Home groups and sermons, before or after?

Posted on April 20, 2010 by

I’m thinking through how to launch new home groups and linking them to Sunday sermons. Do we go for a study on the passage the week before or a discussion on the passage/sermon the week after? If we go before … Continue reading →

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John Humphrys: It’s the “why” that’s tricky.

Posted on April 19, 2010 by

John Humphrys’ report in the weekend’s Telegraph about shameless legless boozers seeks answers to why we are living in an age of social and moral meltdown. Humphrys’ reflection goes part of the way to answering the question: But none of … Continue reading →

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The wonder of substitutionary atonement: Ebenezer Erkine

Posted on April 5, 2010 by

Here’s a wonderful little post-Easter series of thoughts on Christ’s death from 18th century Scottish preacher Ebenezer Erskine: Let faith fasten upon the suretyship of Christ, or his substitution in our room and stead. He gave bond, may faith say, … Continue reading →

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From the vicarage April 2010

Posted on April 1, 2010 by

From the Vicarage April 2010 The season of Lent is almost over, signalling three things. First the arrival of spring. New life, fresh smells, longer nights and a bit of warmth, which is really welcome in the vicarage. Second the … Continue reading →

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