“Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” ‘God Knows’ – Millie Haskins ******** I was walking along our local beach recently when I encountered a woman with two dogs both of which … Continue reading The Hand of God
One well known Christmas Carol ‘God rest ye merry Gentlemen’ contains the phrase ‘Tidings of Comfort and Joy’ , words that are a more traditional rendering of the Angel’s words to the shepherds on the Judean hills of ‘Good news that will cause great Joy’ in Luke 2:10. It occurs to me that the original meaning … Continue reading Remember the Seven Thousand
There is a general assumption (even if subconscious) among members of western churches that the way ‘Church’ is done is the way it has always been done, and so should continue to be done. This is one of the reasons for the change-averse and risk-averse thinking that binds the contemporary western church. This bondage also … Continue reading The Celtic Way – Our Missional Future?
‘He is stolen and it is not harmless!’ _____________ I entered the large shopping complex and there He was, front, centre and large, enthroned in his palace. There He was, ‘the reason for the season’. The One who is always encouraging the children to come to him, and woe betide anyone who want to … Continue reading The Stealing of Christmas
A booklet with the title ‘Something Completely Different – The Mixed Economy Option’ has been downloadable from the resources section of this site for some time. It provided an analysis of the reasons the contemporary standard model ‘church’ in the West has been failing in missional effectiveness for decades, and suggested that such churches might … Continue reading ‘Something Completely Different – A Response to the Crisis’
I posted an original version of this article some years ago. However, given the fact that the serious ‘Degrading’ trends in our society have continued apace, I thought it worth posting an updated version as follows. ____________________________________ “Things fall apart; the centre … Continue reading The ‘Degradation’ – What About the Children?
Most local churches have a stated aim to see the lost won for Christ. Commonly, this desire is expressed in the organisation and resourcing of a range of ‘Outreach’ activities. Even though not always clearly articulated, the methods used usually follow the same process that has generally been basic to all mission since the time … Continue reading Unbounded Church – A One Stop Shop
I recently came across this quote from Greg Sheridan, the Australian journalist and author of ‘God is Good for You’, who headed a recent article with – ‘The West cannot survive without a re-energized belief in Christianity’ Sheridan’s blunt, but I believe hard to argue with, observation flows from the fact that the socio-spiritual culture … Continue reading A Crisis in the ‘West’
‘Go (keep on going ) and make disciples’ ***** The goal of the standard strategy adopted by churches for local mission over many decades has been to draw people into Sunday services. Such a strategy has traditionally involved running special ‘guest’ services or other events that will attract non-Christians into the ‘church’ … Continue reading Mission Pluto
The Roman Empire was a religiously pluralistic society much like most of the western world today. This meant that people were free to worship the ‘god’ or ‘gods’ of their choice, it was up to each individual. There was one restriction however. This was that no matter what other ‘gods’ were worshipped, one that each … Continue reading Welcome to Rome – Again
