Worship in contemporary church has become something pretty and dignified. But worship is not meant to be a face-saving exercise. Nor is it designed to inflate our sense of self-importance. We cannot be worshipping Jesus and at the same time thinking about how good we look. Worship is not about ego or reputation. Worship can […]
Author: Steph Penny
Risky Business
I have worship on my mind this morning. I’ve been pondering the nature of worship and worship leading in the context of a congregational service. Here are a few of my thoughts. Worship is confusing – and yet so simple at its core. Worship at times can feel very private and personal, and yet we […]
Fat chance
I read with horrified gasps Joy Beth Smith’s article, “Fat. Single. Christian. In Church, being overweight and dating feels like a sin.” Not being overweight myself, I was oblivious to the unique issues faced by Christian overweight singles attempting to date. I would like to take the opportunity of this weeks’ blog to highlight some […]
Singles liberation movement
I recently reviewed a wonderful article, “A liberation theology for single people,” by Christena Cleveland. It was refreshing to read such an encouraging blog by a single pastor and professor and I thought it was worth sharing some of my thoughts. Christena started by sharing a story of a distraught student whose worst nightmare was […]
More than a Single Reason
Charlie Grantham’s article “Three reasons singleness should be praised” describes some interesting advantages to the single life. The reasons expounded by Charlie deal with singleness being a calling, a gift, and a provider of unique opportunities. These and other points touched on in Charlie’s article are worth a response. Charlie suggests that marriage has become […]
What Lies Beneath
I recently read an article on the lies that society feeds us about singleness. Writer Natalie Floyd took the time to explore “Three lies culture tells us about being single” and while there may be more than three lies out there, I thought the three she selected were worth further unpacking. Natalie spoke of the […]
Rethinking Singleness
At last, a breath of fresh air. In this weeks’ article review we have a single pastor commenting on the Church’s perception of singles. I found the article refreshingly honest and yet gracious, hence worthy of a response. The author Karina Kreminski addresses “8 ways to rethink the conversation about singleness” and I would like […]
Oh, for Single’s Sake: A Response
I recently read an article entitled “Oh, for Single’s Sake,” written by a girl called Tamara. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to blog a response. The author of this article makes several great points about singleness that are worth touching on. The first point is about our assumptions regarding marriage. I have […]
Single File
Last week a woman asked me, “What would you say to a single person who was frustrated with being single? If they wanted to know what to do, what would you say?” My response was, “I would recommend they buy my book, Surviving Singledom.” Shameless sales pitch aside, the reason why I wrote a book […]
Going deeper into Lord of the Oceans
The sermon of the coracle was not the only inspiration behind this song. My writing was also influenced by an old prayer known as the Lorica by St Patrick. There are a few songs – old and new – based on this prayer, including “Christ As A Light” by Ryan Flanigan and “Christ Be All […]