Mission – Ministry – Life
It risks stating the obvious but engagement in mission is part of discipleship. That’s to say that because we are followers of Jesus we will participate actively in his ministry; not least because he calls us to. Preaching from Luke 5, where Jesus calls the first disciples after their all night fishing trip had caught... Continue Reading →
January has seen me preaching a short series about mission or more accurately about being missional and I want to share some of the ideas that lay behind the series to help resource others who want to do something similar. Inevitably some of what follows will be more sermon like and less nuanced than many... Continue Reading →
I generally appear (I think) to have things together. But even though I know that’s not really true I’ve been completely taken aback this week at the power of certain memories. It comes about because our eldest, Matt, was off to New Zealand as part of a gap year; spending time exploring and learning whilst... Continue Reading →
Last term I did a preaching series based on Peter Scazzero’s book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. I read the book whilst on sabbatical and found it personally useful; it gave framework for thinking about and processing some stuff in my own life. I also thought it might give some folk in the church a similar framework... Continue Reading →
Happy New year everyone As we roll up the decorations and trim back the calorie consumption it is the moment to think about plans for the year ahead. If the last few years have taught me anything it is that life doesn’t often go to plan. Nevertheless, those who aim for nothing usually get it... Continue Reading →
It’s that time of year when preparing Christmas services comes to an end. Or, if you’re not into planning, starts with increasing levels of panic as the deadlines loom. Finding fresh ways of working familiar themes is always a challenge but also needs care as, for most UK churches, Christmas is a season where many... Continue Reading →
The Baptist Union (Baptists Together) is looking to recruit a new team leader for the Ministries team based in Didcot. Someone who will be one of the new specialist team leaders involved in leading the Union. Details of the post are here Noteworthy in the details is that the person is likely to be someone... Continue Reading →
I’ve just returned from my latest trip to Peru: teaching at the BMS supported training centre in Nauta. As usual it was a great time. The main aim of the first week was teaching at one of the regular training weeks. The idea is that the centre provides basic training for pastors and church leaders... Continue Reading →
The news story of the summer is undoubtedly the disruption of the Dover Calais crossing and the reporting of migrants seeking to get into the UK illegally. As a news junkie I’m often a bit cynical about news management but the reporting of this story has been lazy in the extreme. Travel chaos is the... Continue Reading →
As I return to my role in Poynton after a six week sabbatical I do so with an interesting mix of feelings. I’ve blogged about my trip to New Zealand before so readers already know that I had a fantastic time, enjoying learning about church life there and having the chance to visit lake Tekapo... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 