The fatal slip happens so easily. We move from loving ministry because we love the Lord Jesus, to thinking that the Lord Jesus loves us because we love ministry, his people, his church. And before you know it, we are in the forsaken place where we teach grace to others, but preach and practice works
I’m excited to announce you can now pre-order The Bible Speaks Today, The Church, at discount! Open this post by clicking on the title, and then click here It’s also on Amazon, ISBN: 9781844748785 US readers can pre-order on Amazon.com, or wait for US publication in February 2014
I recently gave a talk on managing your time for gospel ends, and being well organised. I was quite struck by the high proportion of people even in their twenties who were not aware of the brilliant free software that is able to help us stay on top of things in a fast paced world.
So, I’m sitting in a relaxed and friendly setting, just watching the people engage with each other. Any guesses? They’re obviously at home. Lots of first name terms, and smiles. Hugs and handshakes too. Mostly young, but not all. Kids obviously welcome. The energy level is quite high. And they are inclusive – racially, and
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It sounds like firm, clear leadership – or ego driven leadership. It rather depends on which side of the decision and leadership you’re standing on. Those of us who are leaders have a limited amount of leadership capital, and we don’t want to spend it on the wrong issues. So we need to distinguish two
One of my heroes and gurus is Dick Lucas – man who has done one thing supremely well for decades: he opens up the Bible and shows us what is in it. Simple. When he was young, Dick loved those little metal puzzles, where two or three wire shapes interlock, and only the most patient
J. I. Packer on Killing Sin Through Prayer from Desiring God on Vimeo.
I reviewed this book when it first came out. Now it is about to come out in paperback, I want it to get as wide a readership as possible. I think it is one of the most significant books, and probably the bravest, I have come across since I first read Solzhenitsyn – and I
I should have warned her, really. A friend of mine has just published her first book, and she is understandably quite excited. A parcel of copies arrived from her publisher, and she’s checked that it’s there on Amazon too. She’s nervous, but excited. But then she said, “Actually, I’m a bit disappointed too, because I
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The end of an evangelistic talk is usually commendably frank. It doesn’t matter wither this is a friendly over a BBQ, a major service, or the end of a course: we lay out the two ways, and invite people to lay their lives down for Christ. If they do that, we have resources, books, groups.
After 33 years as their pastor, John Piper preached his farewell sermon on Easter Sunday at Bethlehem Baptist.http://t.co/KH42MuUnFy/
So we (me and a team of students) were in Kent, to work with a church in an evangelistic push before Easter. Tons of prep. Lots of nervousness. But there is really only one thing to remember, and it is from Psalm 51:12-13 – Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me
Ever since I was an undergraduate I’ve had on my shelves Don Carson’s survey of New Testament commentaries. It’s his notes on every commentary and series that he’s read (a lot), with best buys marked up. It’s gone through various editions, been joined by Tremper Longman’s OT survey, and later this year will have its
One of my heroes is Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier. But it’s not because he was the first, or the fastest, that makes him my hero. It’s what he chose to do to make that happen that makes him a parable of leadership. Many other people had tried before him,
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I first noticed it in Malcolm Gladwell’s clever little book Outliers. In almost every area of human creativity and endeavour, when you come across an overnight success story, you can bet that behind it lies hours of practice. Hours. 10,000 of them to be exact. Gladwell charts it in music, writing, the sciences – there’s
How far ahead do you you plan your sermons? Someone asked me this week, and was rather surprised when I said that my pattern in church was eighteen months ahead. Why so long? Here were my reasons Authenticity. I need to get inside this Biblical book and let it read me, repeatedly. I need to
Good question. True question. A small church with around twenty members is in a depressed part of town. Money is tight all round – the pastor is paid for by a generous denomination, weekly giving is around £25, and they have around £1000 in the bank. Most of the members are not tax payers. Years
