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…)
Author Archives: The Briefing
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).
A conversation with John Piper
Thought
David Starling: I want to begin by saying thank you for your books and your sermons, and for making the trip out here to Sydney. We really appreciate all that’s involved in coming across the world to see us. (more…)
The gospel according to Piper
Thought
Like the eagerly-awaited visit of Apollos to Corinth (1 Cor 16), John Piper’s visit to Sydney in August brought great excitement to many local Christians. David Starling examines Piper’s theology to see what kind of fruit this visit may bear. (more…)
Worship and an affectionate evangelicalism 2
Everyday Ministry
In my last post I challenged the widely held view that ‘worship’ is an all-of-life activity. That assertion was not at all denying the call of God for his people to live lives of complete obedience to him in heart, mind and action—the right and proper response to being saved. Rather, I was contending that the Bible does not see such obedience as ‘worship’ so much as ‘service’. (more…)
Trellis & Vine Talk 3 – are evangelistic events worth it?
Audio
This is the third episode of Trellis & Vine Talk, in which Tony and Col discuss fads and trends in evangelism, the value of evangelistic events, re-inventing Sunday night, and going to church twice a month (MP3).
Worship and an affectionate evangelicalism 1
Everyday Ministry
Thanks Tony, for dumping me in it to revive the debate on ‘worship’ language! I guess I am happy to put my neck on the block because I believe this to be an issue that is still current—whether people think it is or not. I would like, eventually, to get to discuss whether there can be such a thing as an affectionate evangelicalism without being charismatic. But understanding the worship thing is, I think, fairly foundational to getting to that point. I apologize in advance that it will take more than one post to unravel my thoughts on all this. (more…)
Working out work
Life
For most people, work is tough. I write this in the United Arab Emirates, where the great majority of labourers from the subcontinent work 10 hours a day, in 40 degree heat, to earn just enough to service their needs and remit a small surplus back to their families at home. They are not slaves, they don’t have to be here, so the obvious question arises: if they choose to work under these conditions, then how limited are their options back home? There are hundreds of millions of people on this planet working at survival levels in the slums of the megacities or out in the fields, scratching to make a living in the face of war, drought, and flood. (more…)
Trellis & Vine Talk 2 – who is your sheep?
Audio
This is the second episode of Trellis & Vine Talk, in which Tony and Col discuss discipleship gurus, what (or who) exactly is a lay pastor, a shepherds heart, and ministry of the word. Listen to it here, or download the file to catch up on it later (MP3).
Trellis & Vine Talk 1 – not about small groups
Audio
The predictable surprise of suffering
Life
If we have read our Bibles, we know that suffering is not surprising. It is part of life in this world. Yet, for some reason, we still find it shocking. If we are going to suffer well, we need to explore again the biblical promises about suffering. (more…)
What is Jesus doing now?
Thought
How important is it for us to think about what Jesus is doing now? Is it just something to merely satisfy our curiosity? After all, surely it is more important to concentrate on what Jesus did in the past—his incarnation, his life, his death, his resurrection—or to think about his future return from heaven. Right? (more…)
Does the future have a church?
Pastoral Ministry
Tim Thornborough offers here a rough guide to where Protestantism is in the UK, and a look at some particular indicators that suggest several major strategic directions that we need to consider for the future. (more…)
Dividing walls of teenage hostility
Everyday Ministry
“Who am I? … I don’t know. I guess I have a lot of things to ponder.”
-Derek Zoolander, speaking to his reflection in a puddle, in Zoolander.
In an interesting twist on the Narcissus fable, the really ridiculously good-looking Zoolander neatly sums up one of the main pressures of the adolescent years: the search for identity. Teenagers have a lot of things to ponder! (more…)
Joined-up life
Review
Joined-up Life
Andrew Cameron
Inter-Varsity Press, Nottingham, 2011. 336 pp.
Ethics may be the reason I’m still a Christian. Each time I find my way of seeing the world challenged—and it is challenged—by atheism, by the claims of other religions, by my own doubts and questions about issues like the reliability of the Bible, I seem to be won over again and again by Jesus. When I hear his teaching in the gospels, and realize how he truly lived out his preaching of loving even enemies when he died for me, it just seems so right and good. (more…)