In my weakness, your growth

Life, Sola Panel

None of us wants to be the cause of another person’s sanctification – at least, not unintentionally – and yet, so often, that is what we are.
Is this one of the reasons that God allows us to become weak, dependent and forgetful as we grow older? Is it so we can place a necessary burden on those who were once dependent on us: a burden of forbearance and loving care? (more…)

Speech and salvation 8: Learning how to talk

Everyday Ministry, Sola Panel

“I can’t do what they’re doing.”
Maybe you’re convinced that gospel-speech is at the very core of what it means to be a Christian. Maybe you’re convinced that the world needs to hear the gospel. But you look around, and you see real live gospel speakers. You watch them closely, and listen to the way they talk. Then you look at yourself, your own speaking abilities, your own background, your own life situation. And you realise, with a mixture of bewilderment, disappointment, and maybe even a twinge of jealousy, that you’re not like those gospel speakers. You don’t have their gift. How could you ever do evangelism like they do it? (more…)

The big read

Everyday Ministry

Pete Woodcock, a pastor in south-west London, talks about how he’s trying to excite his congregation with the Bible—and how he wonders whether we’re missing something in our churches. (more…)

Trellis & Vine Talk 4 – all about small groups

Audio

In this fourth episode of Trellis & Vine Talk, Tony and Col discuss the difficulty of summarising problems with small groups, the negative connotations of ‘community’, living the Christian life with other people, mission in a group setting, and the goals of a small group (MP3).

Audio MP3

Editorial: The art of reading

Wednesday night is a highlight of my week.

Around about 7:30pm some 15-20 young adults descend on our place. (Actually, they’re all university students, so it’s usually a fair bit after the ‘official’ start time.) I fire up my coffee machine—I have an industrial-grade behemoth for just this reason—and we sit down together to share our lives around God’s word. (more…)

The Course of Your Life

Everyday Ministry, Sola Panel

Just in to our office are the advance copies of The Course of Your Life. Tony Payne tells us that it is the “most important thing I’ve ever written.” That is a bold claim. But, having read through the manuscript many times, I agree with him. I am excited to start a disciple-making team with this resource. (more…)