“Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune.” — Carl Jung Personal and ethical boundaries are necessary for daily interaction. They guide us during difficult or tempting situations and help keep us on course. Boundaries […]
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 released online
Here it is! Lamentations Song is now on YouTube for your viewing and listening pleasure! We had fun putting this lyric video together. Most of the photos were taken in a little place called Little Beach, an out-of-the-way intimate bay hidden somewhere on the south tip of WA. We stumbled upon it while on holiday […]
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. […]
True Lamentations – Conclusions
I have written more than I originally intended about this topic. It has opened up more aspects of Christian living, and of human living, than I first realised. It has been intriguing unpacking these ideas further. I have also received some interesting comments from readers in response to this series on lamentations. One reader noted […]
True Lamentations – Part 4: Healing
We are often tempted to think in terms of formulas when it comes to healing. You can see it in all the self-help books out there: “7 steps to total enlightenment” and “How to avoid making any mistakes ever again.” I jest, but you get the point. After a period of intense and prolonged lamentation, […]
True Lamentations – Part 3: More Joyful Grief
After talking in my last blog about repentance, I’ve decided to continue exploring this intriguing mixture of joy and grief. Here are 3 more ideas to unpack. Love Lost. Many of us know what it is to lose someone or something precious to us. It is difficult to know how to celebrate something which is […]
True Lamentations – Part 2: Joyful Grief
Feeling joyful or hopeful when one is in the midst of grief can be difficult, if not impossible. I am going to write about a few examples of how grief can yield joy, or how the two may be mixed together, like combining light with shadow. Today I will focus on one example in particular: […]
True Lamentations – Part 1
“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart, and bids it break.” – William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3, Line 242. Shakespeare, a man after my own heart. Shakespeare was famous for taking the tragedy of human souls, defeated and discouraged, and applying words to give way to expression […]
