Parents, Do You Protect Your Children’s Dignity When You Discipline Them?

‘Parents are rarely at their best when they are being challenged by their children. They are rarely at their best when they are in church or other public settings and their kids act in embarrassing ways. Yet this never gives parents an excuse to mistreat their children or to handle them in inappropriate or undignified ways.’

The only thing green are the weeds

‘We have had a baking summer in London. I think we are at something like four heat waves. We are still in an official ‘drought’ and there’s a hose pipe ban. In the last week, the temperatures have gone back to normal and we’ve just begun to get some rain. The earth is scorched, the ground is bone dry with cracks in the turf. Our gardens are parched, flowers are dried up, the grass that is left is like stubble. It has become chaff. Kids playing football in the park create clouds of dust. The trees are drooping and look forlorn and dry, longing, gasping for rain. Plants once colourful and vibrant are now dried out and brittle, so thirsty for water. The only thing that remains green are the weeds.’

The Ministry of Saying Less

‘Whether it is insecurity, laziness, or another reason, there is a danger that we say more than we should and the listeners miss the part they needed to hear. Good preaching, teaching, leading, and counselling require not only knowing what to say, but knowing what not to say.  Cutting material is not an admission of weakness; it can be an act of love toward the listeners and good stewardship before God.’

You Don’t Have to Dread Your Vocation

‘Every Monday morning, I receive an email that reads, “Pastor, it’s Monday. Don’t quit.” The email comes from an important ministry that serves pastors, providing resources to help them persevere and thrive in ministry. As a pastor, it’s a ministry I appreciate very much. Pastoring can be lonely, and it’s always encouraging to receive practical help from others who are in the trenches of ministry… To be honest, I’m frightened by the email. I know how easy it is for me to adopt a mindset of self-pity and dreadful loathing of what God has called me to do. I don’t need a weekly assist in this area. In fact, in my interactions with other pastors, I don’t think any of us need to be reminded that ministry is hard. I believe this messaging is dangerous.’

Why Did Jesus Call Her a Dog?

‘A story in Matthew’s Gospel stops readers cold. You read it, and then pause and ask, “Wait, did I just read what I thought I just read?” The story is about a Canaanite woman, a mother — a desperate mother who begs Jesus to save the life of her demon-possessed daughter, a daughter sick beyond the reach of all other help. She has one hope: Jesus. And Jesus, the emblem of love, ignores her at first — or so it seems. And then later, when he does approach her, he seems to insinuate that she is in the category of a dog, an unclean, dirty animal… Why did Jesus call her a dog?’

Why

‘Why? It is one of the first questions that a toddler learns to ask. It is at the heart of the long painful lament that emerges from the mouth of Job as he wrestles with the puzzling events that have stripped away almost everything from his life. The question ‘why?’ is also one that emerges from the lips of Jesus when he enters the deep suffering of the cross. Jesus makes use of Psalm 22 to reflect centuries of pain arising from millions of hearts.’

From the archive: Don’t despise transfer growth

‘For many churches, the transfer of one or two couples can be a major boost to their ministry. Not just in terms of numbers on seats, but in terms of evangelistic outreach and discipleship. It can be the impetus for reaching more people and what began as transfer growth (boo hiss) specifically leads to growth by conversion (yay!) It is hard to have a problem with transfer growth when it is the catalyst for growth by conversion, which is apparently what we are all aiming to do. What is more, sometimes the right people transferring can have a major transforming effect on your discipleship so that – in ways you might not have managed before – your members are built up so that they are better equipped to do the work of evangelism that leads to – yes, you’ve guessed it – growth by conversion.’