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Category Archives: Christian living
fear to hope
in fear despairing doubting denying dying alone in hope embracing believing rejoicing living in Christ
Posted in Christian living, Journey with Cancer, Poetry
2 Comments
humble ORTHODOXY
Humble orthodoxy: holding the truth high without putting people down by Joshua Harris is a potent little book. I think it should be recommended reading for all ministry trainees, all theological students, all pastors, all Christian academics. In reality, every … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Christian living
Tagged argument, doctrine, heresy, humility, Joshua Harris, love
3 Comments
Ministry in the NT
I was totally persuaded we should head to the NT to begin a new ministry. Everything was pointing in that direction. The burden on our hearts. The enthusiasm of family and friends. The great need. The neglect of so many. … Continue reading
Posted in Christian living, Journey with Cancer
Tagged guidance, plans, sovereignty of God
1 Comment
Our time is in God’s hands – Psalm 90
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12) My days are numbered. So are yours. There’s no point in denying it or ignoring it. It’s a fact we can’t overcome. What … Continue reading
No comment? On reflection, comment!
In my recent post on A pastor’s pride I initially finished it with a request for people not to make comments. I wrote much the same thing on the Facebook link. It wasn’t that I was seeking to stifle comment or … Continue reading
Posted in Christian living, Journey with Cancer, Relationships
7 Comments
A pastor’s pride
Late last night I wept. I lay in my bed and I cried until my pillow was wet. What brought it on? It suddenly hit me how proud I’d become. My heart was full of me. And this blog was … Continue reading
Posted in Christian living, Journey with Cancer, Leadership, Pastoral ministry, Relationships
Tagged apology, humility
10 Comments
The pastor’s heart
Some years back we surveyed the members of our church about what they expected from their pastors. It was hard to know what to do with the results. There were almost as many ideas as there were respondents. Some emphasised … Continue reading
Posted in Christian living, Leadership, Pastoral ministry
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Dysfunctional pastors
Pastors everywhere are not doing their job. They’re not doing what they’re called to do and it’s hurting our churches. Not only is it restricting the growth and health of our churches, but it runs contrary to God’s word on … Continue reading
Posted in Christian living, Leadership, Pastoral ministry
Tagged equipping, mentoring, training
8 Comments
Little acts of kindness
Little acts of kindness may not seem like much, but they can go a long way and have a lasting impact. They bless the recipient and that’s good enough. But sometimes they can become contagious. What you receive, you pass … Continue reading
Posted in Christian living, Journey with Cancer
6 Comments
Please let us speak
‘Confessions of a blind pastor’ or ‘A new view from the pew’. These were potential titles for this post. You see, I’ve started to observe church a little differently over the past year or so. Instead of being up front … Continue reading
Posted in Christian living, Pastoral ministry, Relationships
11 Comments
Easter Sunday and new life for Bronwyn
Easter Sunday. Resurrection Sunday. The day Jesus Christ rose from the grave and first appeared to his disciples. The first day of the week. The first day of a new life, a glorious future, for all eternity, with the God … Continue reading
Get off the bandwagon
I’ve seen a lot of bandwagons over the years. I’ve ridden a few too! Maybe you have as well. I wonder, is it time to get off the bandwagon? I’m thinking especially as a pastor, one in Christian ministry leadership. … Continue reading
The pride of planting churches
A message to my tribe… Church growth used to be all the rage in Christian circles a few years back. All the focus was on how to make your church bigger and bigger. If you really wanted to be successful, … Continue reading
Do you feel called by God?
I think I need to take more plane trips. They’re a great way to set aside time for reading. Bit expensive though! This book was started on the trip back from Sydney and finished during chemo this morning. The chemo … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Christian living, Leadership, Pastoral ministry
Tagged call, calling, ministry, missionary, vocation
1 Comment
One forever
I’ve recently received two books on union with Christ. One Forever by Rory Shiner and Paul and Union with Christ by Con Campbell. I’ve been keen to get into both these books and decided to bring one with me on a plane … Continue reading
Fatigue
I’ve gone from sleeping 6-7 hours a night for years and years, to needing more than 9 hours a night. Some nights I need 11 or 12 and still wake up feeling tired. This on top of occasional nanna naps … Continue reading
Not my problem
I’ve noticed this phrase has made its way into our vernacular… Not My Problem. We can even send it as a text… NMP. It’s pretty callous and cold. It highlights our preoccupation with ourselves and our overall lack of responsibility. We … Continue reading
Bloody facebook
I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. It’s awesome for staying in touch with people, good for keeping contact details up to date, more interesting and engaging than email, fantastic for hearing what people are doing, a nice way to … Continue reading
The trellis and the vine
For some reason I’ve kept putting off reading The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. It might be the familiarity breeds… thing. After all, I did a ministry apprenticeship with Col nearly 30 years ago, and I overlapped … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Christian living, Leadership, Pastoral ministry
Tagged disciple-making, discipleship, ministry
6 Comments
Getting ready for Easter
The department stores and supermarkets are always ready for Easter. I think once the Christmas stuff comes down, the Easter stuff goes up. There’s over-priced, over-packaged, hollow chocolate as far as the eye can see. I usually wait for the … Continue reading
Posted in Christian living, Leadership
2 Comments
