Thursday, March 02, 2017

Thursday thoughts

1. This argument for the existence of God is compelling to me.

2. I have been thinking about worship songs (many in fact that I appreciate) that can mean one thing if you are a Christian and entirely another if you aren't. Its strikes me that whilst they can be good songs and even have meaningful lyrics for a believer, if they become the diet of the church many of those singing them will overtime become ignorant of the gospel.

3. Deep work is a book that caught my eye

4. I am preaching on Romans 5 at my old church and this quote from Barth's commentary is marinating:

'Therefore, as new men we stand on the threshold of a new world. But the old man also is mankind, humanity, and the world of men. Each particular man is therefore doubly conditioned. He is conditioned, on the one hand, by that which dissolves his particularity. and on the other, by that which affirms it. As the old man, he is what he 'is', the man 'we' know, who is under the wrath of God; as the new man, he is what he is not, the man 'we' do not know, who is righteous before God'

P. 164

5. I have been mulling on 'Ten things I would do if I was raising a son today' and 'Ten things I would do if I was raising a daughter today'. ( the context is North America)

6. We are starting our Lent preaching series 'Different' on Sunday. I have been thinking a bit about the fact that my church tribe in general 'don't do Lent' and am starting to think that this is beginning to show.

John Wimber, after seeing several close friends and colleagues in ministry crash and burn over moral issues, said, 

I have seen for years where some people who experience grace and charisma of God deceive themselves that they don't have to work on their character because God is self-evidently with them and working through them. Gifts are given to the Church because of our generous God, but gifts without character can do much damage. Therefore, I've learned to look for people with character rather than people with gifting'

Different, Page 5

7. I've been listening to Rag' bone man and wondering if he's a Christian.

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Saturday blog-sweep

 Some interesting books for pastors The State we're in Attack at dawn Joseph Scriven Joy comes with the morning When small is beautiful