word | spirit | world | church
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Dr Pepper asked us repeatedly—since I don’t like it, I always assumed that drinking it was punishment enough. They also printed this under the ingredients which is wonderfully self-aware marketing, if a little dark. Though, I read that this was not their slogan outside of the UK, so perhaps… Continue reading Taking the Long View
There I was, stood shifting from foot to foot on a sodden football field, the cold air biting at my bare knees. Dreaming, but not hoping, that this week I would be picked to play up front, imagining that winning goal. In all honesty I only dreamed of a well-placed kick that added something to… Continue reading Outsiders
In Genesis chapter 3, after the events that we usually call ‘the fall’ where the man and the woman are cursed along with the snake and the woman is given a promise for the future, Adam names the woman Eve. Then they are gifted new clothes from the skins of a sacrifice so they can… Continue reading The Naming of Eve
When Aesop, busy imagining tortoises volunteering for foot races, said “in union there is strength” he was acknowledging a truth that we all recognise. Like O2 used to tell us when trying to flog phone contracts, we’re better connected. That’s easy enough to say, but when it comes to doing something about it we swiftly… Continue reading United
In Ezekiel chapter one, the prophet relates to us a bizarre and compelling vision he has of Yahweh enthroned on his chariot by the rivers of Babylon. I’ve been reading through Ezekiel recently, with Robert Jenson’s commentary as a guide. The commentary is idiosyncratic and moves from flashes of brilliance to Jenson’s seeming admission that… Continue reading Jesus in Ezekiel
I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a really posh restaurant—Michelin star posh—but they often start the meal with what they call an Amuse Bouche. It’s French for ‘mouth amuser’, which is a strange phrase when you think about it. It’s a small bite-sized something that is supposed to taste good, show off the… Continue reading A Backwards Economy
At the height of the pandemic, I was invited by one of my best friends to preach at his church in Manchester, which of course meant via Zoom from my living room. This collided with the height of our house renovations—we had a labourer in to strip the old plaster off the halls, stairs and… Continue reading Eternal Surprise
How do we know we’re in? How do we know that God loves us and will preserve us to the end? It's got nothing to do with Bourbon, before you get too excited. There are three ways that we know that we know him. I’m talking about what we commonly call assurance, the certainty that… Continue reading Maker’s Mark
What is discipleship? This is one of those perennial questions that get’s thrown around by those in some sort of ministry. We’re all in favour, and we’re very happy to call a lot of things ‘discipleship’, but what is it? Maybe it’s easier to start with what it isn’t. It’s not going and having a… Continue reading On Discipleship
How does someone know that you love them? My wife knows that I love her. She can remember that I swore vows to do so, she can remember all the times that I’ve said so before, she can watch my behaviour both past and present and see that it must be true. She knows that… Continue reading From Knowing to Knowing
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