Precious are the times when a classic hymn transfixes you. One did this week. Under pressure for a sermon draft deadline, my head was down and the fingers moving across the keyboard as iTunes played a shuffle of songs behind. That’s when I heard Anglican John Newton’s 1779 hymn, “I Asked the Lord that I… Read More I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow
Just been reading Peter Adam’s St. Antholin’s Lecture, Gospel Trials in 1662: To Stay or To Go? for reasons I will explain if I have more time, when I read this paragraph: Two groups of people prefer the theory that Puritans cannot be Anglicans, nor can Anglicans be Puritans. Some Nonconformists may take this view because… Read More Two Brands of Anglicans
We’ve just returned from our vacation in the Adirondacks. Part of the offerings where we were staying was a series of seminar talks by a well-known Christian celebrity with a very successful women’s ministry. What was so startling in the talks was her use of the Scriptures. Being in my little embattled corner as a… Read More Irrational Numbers
This past week I went to my first Acts29NJ church planters conference at Emergence Church, Totowa NJ about 18 – 20 minutes from where I grew up. The plenary and discussions got my mind working as I sought to apply what I learned from these planters and what I have experienced in ministry these 22… Read More Musical Tone
No, not the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge held by Isaac Newton and more recently by Stephen Hawking, but another “Lucasian” chair. This one is at St. Helen’s, Bishopgate and cheekily named by me for its long time Rector, Dick Lucas. St Helen’s, Bishopsgate is an Evangelical Anglican Church (Church of England) in the… Read More A Lucasian Chair
Nearly everyone who attended the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, last year (2010) agreed that the testimony of the young North Korean woman was one of the dramatic high points of the gathering. Her story of sacrifice, anger, salvation, and courage must be seen by every committed Christian. Not only is she inspiring,… Read More A Christian’s Story from North Korea
One of the fruits of today’s conferences is the ability to watch/listen through LiveStream in real time or in free video/audio recordings. Here is just one of the excellent presentations of The Gospel Coalition Conference, 2011 that I attended before Holy Week. Tim Keller speaks on Exodus 14. It is about an hour so brew… Read More Getting Out!
The Vicar's Garden 