Here are a few things I've heard children sing:
"Henry's bible! Henry's bible!" (Send revival! Send revival!)
"Faith, I can move a mountain, I have got a big surprise" (Faith I can move a mountain, I can do all things through Christ)
"You are a bubble king" (You are above all kings)
Any of your own to add?
Afterthought: do we make songs too complicated for kids or is it a case of the words just not fitting particularly well with the music?
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Tuesday 29 September 2009
When Benedict met Darlene
I was channel hopping through the religious channels yesterday and in truth, it all seemed a bit dull. A bit predictable. Until I got to EWTN - the catholic channel.
I could never have predicted what I was going to see and hear. There was Benedict preparing to celebrate mass in the Czech republic with "This is my desire, to honour you..."(in Czech) belting out in the background.
What's happening? Is the catholic church becoming more open to the Spirit? Is it an attempt to hold on to their young people? Or is it all a Roman ruse to lure away weak evangelicals?
I don't know, but it certainly wasn't what I expected!
I could never have predicted what I was going to see and hear. There was Benedict preparing to celebrate mass in the Czech republic with "This is my desire, to honour you..."(in Czech) belting out in the background.
What's happening? Is the catholic church becoming more open to the Spirit? Is it an attempt to hold on to their young people? Or is it all a Roman ruse to lure away weak evangelicals?
I don't know, but it certainly wasn't what I expected!
Monday 28 September 2009
Here is water...
Last night I baptised a new believer for the last time as pastor of Elim Church Crawley. It is always an enormous privilege to baptise new believers and last night was no exception.
One thing that made it a little different though, was what happened at the end. Instead of just singing a song after the last baptism, we left it open for anyone who wanted to be baptised. And Laura responded. I thought she might really want to be baptised, but she was feeling a little apprehensive.
Once the appeal was made she came to the front and read her testimony from a little piece of paper she had in her pocket. One of our elders immediately volunteered to help me, and we performed our unexpected baptism.
As the Ethiopian said "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptised?" (Acts 8.36)
One thing that made it a little different though, was what happened at the end. Instead of just singing a song after the last baptism, we left it open for anyone who wanted to be baptised. And Laura responded. I thought she might really want to be baptised, but she was feeling a little apprehensive.
Once the appeal was made she came to the front and read her testimony from a little piece of paper she had in her pocket. One of our elders immediately volunteered to help me, and we performed our unexpected baptism.
As the Ethiopian said "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptised?" (Acts 8.36)
Wednesday 23 September 2009
Volunteers
I was discussing volunteering with a relatively new Christian. I loved his take on it.
"It's not such much the church asking me to do something as God asking me through the church." Now there's a thought. What about that for an ecclesiology?
"It's not such much the church asking me to do something as God asking me through the church." Now there's a thought. What about that for an ecclesiology?
Tuesday 22 September 2009
A church like heaven
I spent some time with a friend the other day who is a little older than me.
He told me of his experiences in the early days of what was known as the renewal movement.
His church was opposed to the gifts of the Spirit and those who wanted to know more were forced to meet in secret and discuss such things.
Eventually people began to leave their evangelical churches and form new charismatic churches. He was involved in one locally, almost from its inception.
What was it like? "Like being in heaven". That's what he felt.
I guess sometimes we take our Pentecostal / Charismatic heritage just a little bit for granted.
He told me of his experiences in the early days of what was known as the renewal movement.
His church was opposed to the gifts of the Spirit and those who wanted to know more were forced to meet in secret and discuss such things.
Eventually people began to leave their evangelical churches and form new charismatic churches. He was involved in one locally, almost from its inception.
What was it like? "Like being in heaven". That's what he felt.
I guess sometimes we take our Pentecostal / Charismatic heritage just a little bit for granted.
Monday 21 September 2009
Thursday 17 September 2009
Thursday Thoughts
"The goal is not a solution to a problem but a sign of hope". This is the way Jean Vanier's L'Arche communities have been described. Is this the essence of true ministry? That we are not here so much to fix a problem as to be bringers of signs of the coming kingdom - and the coming King?
What do you think? Would love to know your thoughts.
What do you think? Would love to know your thoughts.
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Men, women and story: some interviews with Eugene Peterson
Tuesday 15 September 2009
Blog plug
I keep my eye on a few blogs. One of my favourites is Cookies Days It is managed by David Cooke a minister in Richmond, London. It's very informative and draws information from a wide variety of sources. Well worth reading. Look out for the blog sweeps in particular.
Monday 14 September 2009
Saturday 12 September 2009
Bluetree "God of this City" Story
You've probably heard or sung "God of this City". I didn't know the background to the song. Very powerful.
Friday 11 September 2009
So Bono's a Calvinist, eh?
"And U2's 2009 album, No Line on the Horizon, chimes in with, "I was born to ring for you / I didn't have a choice but to lift you up," with the refrain, "Justified until we die / you and I will magnify / the Magnificent." Who knew that Bono was at least a three-point Calvinist?"
Read the whole thing here
Read the whole thing here
Thursday 10 September 2009
New book by an old friend
My good friend Paul Sinclair a.k.a Faster Pastor, has finally got himself into print.
I've know Paul for nearly 25 years and have watched - sometimes speechless - as he has used his enormous creative talent to engage the public with the good news.
His book, Now Open Sundays: A Celebration of Faith From A Church With A Message, promises to be humorous, inspiring and challenging, in other words just like one of Paul's sermons.
You can find out more here. Click here to find out more about Paul's Motorcycle Funeral business and here for the Fasterpastor website.
I've know Paul for nearly 25 years and have watched - sometimes speechless - as he has used his enormous creative talent to engage the public with the good news.
His book, Now Open Sundays: A Celebration of Faith From A Church With A Message, promises to be humorous, inspiring and challenging, in other words just like one of Paul's sermons.
You can find out more here. Click here to find out more about Paul's Motorcycle Funeral business and here for the Fasterpastor website.
Wednesday 9 September 2009
Who was the Strict Baptist who prophesied?
No, it's not a question from Charismatic Trivial Pursuit.
I was having a clear out on Monday and discovered some notes from a Randy Clark talk c.1996. He said some very interesting things. One was that in 1954 a Strict Baptist pastor had prophesied 20 years of God restoring grace to the church, 20 years of God restoring New Testament church life and then 20 years of revival.
Has anyone else heard of this prophecy? Anyone know who this brother is?
I was having a clear out on Monday and discovered some notes from a Randy Clark talk c.1996. He said some very interesting things. One was that in 1954 a Strict Baptist pastor had prophesied 20 years of God restoring grace to the church, 20 years of God restoring New Testament church life and then 20 years of revival.
Has anyone else heard of this prophecy? Anyone know who this brother is?
Tuesday 8 September 2009
Monday 7 September 2009
Rebuilding the Family Altar
My sister attends St. Aldates Church in Oxford. Before our summer holidays she gave me a book called The Discipline of Intimacy written by the Rector, Charlie Cleverly.
Somehow this book touched my heart. It is very informative, very biblical in its approach, but it has what I can only describe as drawing power. It drew me. It made we want to read. More than that, it made me want to pray. It made me want to seek God.
However, it went even further. One chapter in particular might prove to be the most important chapter that I've read in any book for a long, long time.
You see the chapter in question, chapter 9, is about rebuilding the family altar. The author was challenged about the importance of this by an African pastor. This pastor, John Mulinde, told him that he was surprised that having visited many Christian homes in the West, prayer was not part of the warp and woof of the lives of these families. He then went on to explain that in Uganda Christian families prayed together for about an hour daily.
The author told of his own experience of rebuilding the family altar in his home and gave ten practical steps for anyone who wanted to set out on this journey.
Can you imagine how it would affect the prayer life of the church if every Christian family was committed to family prayer? Can you imagine the potential for impacting the world?
You can find out more about the church Charlie Cleverly leads here
Somehow this book touched my heart. It is very informative, very biblical in its approach, but it has what I can only describe as drawing power. It drew me. It made we want to read. More than that, it made me want to pray. It made me want to seek God.
However, it went even further. One chapter in particular might prove to be the most important chapter that I've read in any book for a long, long time.
You see the chapter in question, chapter 9, is about rebuilding the family altar. The author was challenged about the importance of this by an African pastor. This pastor, John Mulinde, told him that he was surprised that having visited many Christian homes in the West, prayer was not part of the warp and woof of the lives of these families. He then went on to explain that in Uganda Christian families prayed together for about an hour daily.
The author told of his own experience of rebuilding the family altar in his home and gave ten practical steps for anyone who wanted to set out on this journey.
Can you imagine how it would affect the prayer life of the church if every Christian family was committed to family prayer? Can you imagine the potential for impacting the world?
You can find out more about the church Charlie Cleverly leads here
Saturday 5 September 2009
Safely within the premil fold
Premillenialism. I know it might sound like a disease for which there is no known cure. And maybe it is, kind of. The belief that Christ will return and then set up an earthly kingdom for a thousand years has thrown a great shadow over my life - sometimes protective, sometimes restrictive.
Despite the appeal of amillenialism and the triumphalism of postmillennialism - will I ever forget the excitement on reading Iain Murray's The Puritan Hope - I am now safely within the premillennial fold.
Listening to Tom Schreiner's sermon on Revelation 20 confirmed me in the faith. His points that (i) Satan is not presented as "bound" in the rest of the NT and (ii) "Resurection" is physical everywhere else in the N.T. (he cites the work of N.T. Wright to strengthen his case), I think are very strong arguments for the premil position.
So I am going to bed tonight a happy premillennialist.
Now if Ephrem the Syrian really did hold the pretrib position, I might have to consider that as well...life can get so complicated.
Despite the appeal of amillenialism and the triumphalism of postmillennialism - will I ever forget the excitement on reading Iain Murray's The Puritan Hope - I am now safely within the premillennial fold.
Listening to Tom Schreiner's sermon on Revelation 20 confirmed me in the faith. His points that (i) Satan is not presented as "bound" in the rest of the NT and (ii) "Resurection" is physical everywhere else in the N.T. (he cites the work of N.T. Wright to strengthen his case), I think are very strong arguments for the premil position.
So I am going to bed tonight a happy premillennialist.
Now if Ephrem the Syrian really did hold the pretrib position, I might have to consider that as well...life can get so complicated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)