In praise of paper bibles
My wife, who is a qualified archivist, would second this one. Paper is remarkably durable.
Eternal surprise
We could all do with recovering a bit of wonder. I liked this one.
The weightiness of words
This is one of those perennial issues that all of us need to think about because we will all be on the receiving end, and the deliverer, of unhelpful words.
Why is evangelism hard? If you want the real answer, don’t ask a pastor
‘For most pastors it is not so much that world outside does not exist in reality, but it doesn’t exist in their daily experience. Which is why pastors can write an article, without pressing the issue deeper, that says the three main reasons we are not evangelising is that we don’t see the danger of hell to the unbeliever (most Christians do and are concerned about it); they don’t see the value (the article stated: “The Pharisees who heard Jesus’s message didn’t value people the way he did or share his desire to build God’s family.”), and they don’t see the joy (most Christians would be over the moon to be able to share Jesus with someone and they come to faith).’
Preaching series: Six strengths
This one argues for why preaching series, rather than standalone sermons, are particularly helpful.
Is attending a wedding an endorsement?
I think this is right and provides a helpful framework for Christians.
From the archive: Repentance, church discipline and being driven by the gospel
‘Church discipline isn’t about doing what is easy or fun… The things we do are aimed at helping the gospel advance, either into the world outside or in the lives of the believers inside. If we allow our ministries to be gospel-driven, and centred on gospel priorities, we are much less likely to to fall into the trap of doing whatever makes my life easier and avoiding church discipline because it’s all a bit awkward.’