Ps 32:7: “God’s my island hideaway, keeps danger far from the shore, throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.” (MSG) This little verse nestled in the middle of Psalm 32 gives poetic imagery of the rest that God’s children can find in Him. We often talk about resting in God and the peace of God; […]
Counter-culturalism
Counter-cultural challenges to the modern church and to society in general
Countercultural Contentment
Entitlement. It’s the new buzz word of our society. For some it’s a good thing, standing up for oneself and one’s rights; but it can get a bit carried away, even turning ugly and aggressive. Living in a relatively affluent part of Australia (not by any means the most affluent, but then affluence is relative), […]
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 […]
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 […]
Lord of the Oceans
This song is intended to be a call and a challenge to the modern Church. In contrast to many contemporary songs out there, including Christian ones, this song is not about feeling good, safe, secure or even close to God. I don’t even know if you can technically call it a praise or worship song. […]
Ethics: Leadership
“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” ― Sophocles We as leaders can set an ethical example in the Church. Our leadership sets the pace and culture for others, for better or worse. As leaders we are […]
Ethics: Fights worth fighting
I’ve been talking with people lately about conflict in church. I’m not talking about disagreements based on preferences, aka “They should paint that wall a different colour” or “The music is too loud.” I’m talking about two people in the body of Christ working against each other; in particular, two people working within the same […]
Ethics: Confessions
Recent experiences have me thinking about ethics in the church and in church ministry in particular. Hence I have started working on a new series on ethics and implications for church life. Today I want to focus on the role of ethics and confession in keeping us in good relational standing with one another. Jam […]
Lamentations Song
Here’s the story behind the writing of “Lamentations Song.” One favourite Old Testament passage for me is from the third chapter of the book of Lamentations. I believe it is quite a well-known passage but I will quote it here anyway: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. […]