Jesus Christ
Why the approval of God OR the wilderness is a false dilemma
In Mark 1:11, Jesus rises from the waters of baptism and is greeted by God the Holy Spirit and God the Father who states simply his deep pleasure in his son: You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. The struggling, faltering believer hardly dares to hope for a similar approval from [...]
Did Jesus exist?
Someone recently told me “I have no reason to think your Jesus ever lived or died.” The comment seems absurd to those who live within the orb of Christianity, but are there grounds to question the historical existence of Jesus the Christ? The question really entails two questions. The first question has to do with [...]
From Fire Insurance to Love Story
The initial and primary motive drawing me to Christ was ‘Fire Insurance’. When the reality of hell and judgement sunk in, I quickly began taking Jesus seriously. If we are honest, this motivation is a driving factor in most of our conversion experiences. I call it the ‘Sinners in the Hands of [...]
The scandals of that silent night
Silent night, holy night… The song brings to mind images of moonlit fields and starry skies; shepherds laughing around a cosy fire; an awestruck husband and a contemplative new mum. We’re warmed as we recount the comforting joys of that night so long ago. Our hearts become settled, peaceful, serene… But underneath the serenity were [...]
Easter Is For Runners
“What is your most popular Easter egg?” I asked the lady at Darrell Lea. She pointed to a large-sized egg. “Oh, definitely the nougat egg — the whole thing is filled with nougat!” Sounds way too sweet, I thought. No offence, nougat fans. For most people, Easter is a nougat egg. It’s filled with sweetness [...]
Death and taxes: The theology of Easter
They say only two things are certain: Death and taxes. I suppose we could think of tax as one of a citizen’s liabilities in a contract between a nation and its citizens. A contract that’s broken by death. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to escape our bondage to taxes through death but then [...]
Of Relationship and an Open Mind
I try to keep an open mind. You can broach just about any subject with me and I’m willing to listen and consider other perspectives… usually. There’s one thing that tends to get in the way of my open mind. That’s when someone has a go at someone I love. Don’t get me wrong. I’m [...]
Resources For Youth Groups
For teens, youth group can be a great way to have fun and to learn and live out the Word. But for leaders, it’s often a challenge to juggle activities and provide proper instruction. Here are three educational resources I’ve used, which can enrich teens and assist leaders. A Sneaking Suspicion (John Dickson) Written primarily [...]
God’s Love Demonstrated
Thanks to Facebook, I recently saw something I had not seen before in a wedding, from a couple I knew from uni. Both are musicians and in their wedding, the groom chose to sing to his bride as she approached. I showed this to teens at school and asked what they thought. Their reactions ranged [...]
Designer Furniture & Monks
I recently read an article about designer furniture on a domestic flight in China. In summary: 1) The wealthy in China have property and technology, 2) Furniture will be the next status symbol, and 3) Buying furniture from China is unacceptable (this is ironic considering where the rest of the world buys its furniture…). The [...]
Insights For Easter
This time of year is a great opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection. Here are some insights gleaned from John Stott’s The Cross Of Christ: “In the Christian theology of history, the death of Christ is the central point of history; here all the roads of the past converge; hence all the roads of [...]
Face to Face with the New Testament
See this morning’s post for the context of this post. I wanted to give you the information for Dr. Don Barker’s seminar Face to Face with the New Testament. You can get the information on the web here (go down to #4). The following information is taken directly from the pdf brochure which Dr. Barker [...]
