Blog (Page 65)
Internet Morality
This is an interesting post on the twisted idea of ‘virtual morality’. Read it here.
What is a Godly Leader? (1)
Aubrey Malphurs, is his book, ‘Planting Growing Churches’ says this: ‘Christian leaders are godly persons (character) who know where they are going (vision) and have followers (influence)’ (p126) Character People need to be trustworthy if they are to succeed in ministry. Certainly, there are lots of good actors out there, but sooner or later the…
Is God a child abuser?
I have been following a horrific story in the press over the last few weeks. A man in Wales has been sentenced to 8 years for spiking his baby’s milk with methadone. Read the full details here. God forgive me, but my first instinct is to hunt this animal down and make him suffer. I know from personal experience that his life in prison is going to be filled with…
Is God better than weed?
Somebody asked me recently that if God is so powerful and all-knowing and he doesn’t need anybody or anything outside of himself to exist, why does he need us to worship him? Does God have such low self-esteem that he needs to hear from the human race how great he is? The issue for the human race is that we have been designed to worship. It is built into our DNA. It…
Creation Issues
Let me tell you straight off the bat that I am a 6 day creationist. By that I mean that God created the world in six , literal 24 hour periods as written in Genesis 1. I believe that the book of Genesis is historical fact and not elevated Hebraic prose. Contrary to perceived opinions I don’t hate science, have a poster of Ken Ham up in my bedroom (my wife…
I’m annoyed at this post
Read this annoying post here.
Preaching With Passion
Preaching is back in vogue again (at least in certain circles). I remember a college lecturer from 10 years ago telling me that the time of ‘expository preaching’ was at an end and ‘thematic narratives’ would usher in a new era of pulpit ministry within the church. Sounds a bit like a strap line for a sort of preaching ‘Lord of the…
Meetings That Work
We have been using this book in our monthly Elders meetings in an effort to crystallise our thinking on the biblical teaching concerning church leadership and how we should lead our meetings. I have a young eldership in that the other 2 men with me have been on board for a short period of time. This has meant trying to define and redefine our roles and functions within…
The ESV v The NIV: FIGHT!!
When I was in Chicago recently for the Gospel Coalition conference there was a huge banner hanging in the hall advertising the ESV as a version you could trust because ‘men you trust’ believe in it. Then there was a picture of John Piper and several others. One, my friend informed me, was Kevin DeYoung and the other a guy called Matt Chandler (who I’d…
When People Don’t Cut It
The hardest part about leading a team is making tough, sometimes unpopular decisions. Perhaps one of the most difficult is handling people who don’t really cut it in the intensity of inner city, church planting/renovation ministry. At NCC, I run what I call my ‘core team’, an ‘internship’ and ‘committed volunteers’. Core Team This…