I just love asking people questions like 'What's the best book you've ever read?' or 'Tell me the most important lesson you've ever learnt?' So this morning, imagine my joy as I watched 18 minutes of Sinclair Ferguson sharing the three most important things he's learnt in 42 years of ministry.
There's treasure all around if you know where to find it.
I was so blessed by my visit to St Mary's last night. If you want to experience a genuinely charismatic church (rather than one that simply has people with hands in the air) then this is one. John Peters is one of the preachers I listen to from time to time and my pal strongly recommended I listen to his two recent talks on Kingdom (Part 1 and 2). One quote from Talk 1 and DO PLEASE LISTEN to John describing his journey of church planting:
'You win battles by trusting in God'
Chris, the worship leader @ St Mary's cried with love for Jesus and had tears running down his cheek through his worship set which deeply moved me. Among other things John Peter's and St Mary's sent a plant to NZ to St Paul's Auckland which is now the largest Anglican church in that nation! Their next plant to Exeter is the largest church in that City too. There might be something in this planting business?
I am planning to go to Third Person. Incidentally, I don't think Sinclair Ferguson will be there but who knows :) Thomas Creedy has a good post on charismatic theologians which is worth scanning.
We have our Alpha supper on Thursday. I enjoyed reading this testimony.
Mrs C has been reading out loud to me chunks of Andy Stanley's book. This is one to have in the armoury of books to give away. I think we are going to give it away in our welcome pack- when we have a church welcome pack that is :)
'What great artists need' is worth a read. For 'artists', as David Murray suggests, you can substitute 'pastors'.
Every now and then I like a bit of Edwardesque (one of my favourite theologians) fire and brimstone to keep my evangelistic zeal alive. I listened again to Heaven and Hell with Mrs C over the weekend (be warned this is not for the fainthearted so click of your own volition). It is however one of most powerful and heart wrenching sermons I have ever heard.
I drink at many wells........
The reading of 'In search of deep faith' is making a man in my church cry as he reads it. He's now going to read A severe mercy as a result.
One other minor item: General synod meets this week and sadly seems have little about Jesus on the agenda- as the Cranmer wordly shows. Hope the chappy gets his motion passed about dresses and religious outfits becoming optional :) It makes me chuckle that the biggest church in the land hasn't been wearing robes and dog collars for 30 years and only now is Synod getting around to debating whether or not that's OK.
On the subject of the C of E and its clergy Linda Woodhead has an interesting piece in the Church times. I quote her conclusion:
'To put it bluntly, there are no longer enough troupers left to keep the show on the road, and the show will have to change.'
Finally, take three minutes and look at these.
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