Posts from 2017 (Page 4)
Margaret Court Vs Sensible Evangelicals
“Aptly named Aussie tennis legend Margaret Court’s outspoken public comments today against same sex marriage may have her opponents on the other side of the net seething. But it’s her doubles partner that I most concerned with – her fellow Christians who don’t necessarily want to be seen on the same side of the court as her. You see, one of the biggest fears among evangelical middle class Christians in these increasingly confusing and hostile times in the public square,…
Loving Your Annoying Family
“Church shouldn’t be a place where we go to hang out exclusively with our friends. Of course we will do that, but we also need to open our horizons to those other people sitting in our circle. We need to switch on our ‘family radar’ to locate those who are struggling, feeling like an outsider, lost, awkward. They may well be annoying—after all, nobody is as funny as we are, and they haven’t memorized our plans for the day—but that…
An Awkward Discussion
The way in which our sister Mae Bennetts prepared much of her thanksgiving service in advance reminded me of an article Rev. John Zuidema wrote recently. And I’d be very happy to talk with you about it over the coming weeks if you’d like to give this some thought together – Pastor Andrew Read the article…
6 Very Good Reasons to Consider Your Short Little Life
“Our lives are short. They are, in the words of the author of Ecclesiastes, little more than vapour, dust blown by the wind. Yet the very thought that could dismay or depress you, can also motivate you. Here are some blessings that will be yours when you pause to consider your short little life.” Read more…
Creating a Culture of Hospitality
Church doesn’t just happen on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights. We all know that. In our busy and self-isolating culture, we have to make intentional, personal contact with each other if we want to be a real community. But how do we do it? Let me suggest one centuries-old method: invite people over. Read more…
How should Christians comment online?
“Reading people’s comments online is an interesting and sometimes troubling study in human nature. And reading comments by professing Christians on Christian sites (as well as other sites) can be a discouraging study in applied theology. So… how should Christians comment online?” Read more…
Can’t Keep Jesus Down
“Jesus was dead and buried, with a big stone rolled against the tomb, and the Pharisees came to Pilate to ask for permission to seal the stone and guard the tomb. Pilate responded, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can” (Matthew 27:65). So they did. They gave it their best shot — in vain. It was hopeless then, it is hopeless today, and it will always be hopeless. Try as they may, people…
Twenty-six letters
“Amazing, really, when you think about it! Those same letters of the alphabet that can be used to praise God and bless other people, can also be used to curse God and tear people down. What I’m talking about, of course, is the miracle of language. It’s one of the things that set us apart from the animal world. I can teach my pet parrot to mimic a few English words. I can teach my dog to respond to some…
The Spiritual Discipline You Need in Times of Trouble
From a ministry student at the RTC, Reuben Posthuma: “On occasional dark days, I’m tempted to view my life as a losing, lonely battle. “Existence is suffering,” my foolish heart cries, and with Sartre, “hell is other people.” When pain and darkness crush our hearts, we find it difficult to cry out to God. In the midst of suffering, we cry, but our cries often ignore the living God. This is not a new problem.” Read more…
What if I don’t want to sing?
“Let’s be honest. Even the most stably enthusiastic in our gatherings have had Sundays when we wished our hearts burned more brightly. We experience an inner struggle in these moments. On the one hand, we know that we should sing because we’re at church. On the other, it’s good to be authentic and real, so it feels like a lie to sing when we don’t feel like it. Is it better to be honest and silent than an audible hypocrite?”…