We all get circulars in the post. Pastors usually receive seasonal notices from para-church organizations of a recently released method(s) to congregational spiritual health or growth. When I read them two things strike me: first, the formulaic and methodological thinking in the“if you do this, then this…” or the “A”PLUS “B” will guarantee result “C” and… Read More A True Cliché
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
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
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!
