Tag Archives: Holiness

From the vicarage May 2011

Posted on May 3, 2011 by neilrobbie

From the vicarage May 2011 I’ve been looking again at a paper I wrote for my interview for the post of Vicar at Holy Trinity. As I read it I rediscovered this seven value statement, which I borrowed from another … Continue reading →

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Prime & Begg on Being a Pastor.

Posted on September 13, 2010 by neilrobbie

This summer my reading list included “On Being a Pastor” by Derek Prime and Alistair Begg.  Last year I read “Mentoring Leaders” by Carson Pue which I’ve blogged some extracts from.  I found Prime and Begg to be a useful … Continue reading →

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Form, content and character in church meetings

Posted on September 6, 2010 by neilrobbie

A God glorifying church meeting is a combination of three things. 1. Content. Paul writes to Timothy “follow the pattern of sound words” (2 Tim 1:13-14). There are sound and unsound words and the church service must contain the former. … Continue reading →

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Ebenezer Erskine on what it means to be justified

Posted on July 12, 2010 by neilrobbie

Here’s a little extract from another Ebenezer Erskine sermon, this time on the wonders of what it means to be justified. It is God that justifies, who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is … Continue reading →

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The difficult balance of self-love and self-sacrifice

Posted on April 8, 2009 by neilrobbie

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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Avoiding ministry burnout

Posted on March 18, 2009 by neilrobbie

I’ve been in post as vicar at Holy Trinity for 1 week, I did three services on Sunday and hosted an open house for over 30 people. Yesterday I was at a pastors’ prayer meeting at 7:30am and finished a … Continue reading →

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Dr Sangster on taming the tongue

Posted on March 16, 2009 by neilrobbie

I’m an extrovert thinker, which can be a problem when my tongue is working ahead of my brain. I was on a diocesan training course last week and wonder why it is that when clergy get together, the problem of … Continue reading →

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The complete and consistent Christian

Posted on March 12, 2009 by neilrobbie

Practical holiness is hard to get right.  Neonomians (those who mix grace and works) look at themselves and try a bit harder to be holy, but the focus of the Christian must be Christ and his light, so that, as Horatius … Continue reading →

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Christ, His Spirit, the word and holiness

Posted on March 10, 2009 by neilrobbie

In this extract from God’s Way of Holiness, Horatius Bonar describes the partnership between The Holy Spirit and Christ through scripture in bringing believers to greater holiness: He then that would be holy must be like Christ, and he that … Continue reading →

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Holiness and its counterfits

Posted on March 3, 2009 by neilrobbie

What is holiness? Horatius Bonar sets out what it isn’t and points to Christ for what it is in the opening paragraphs of chapter 9 of God’s Way of Holiness. That which among men so frequently takes the name of … Continue reading →

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