Boxing up

We cooked Turkey for a crowd and everything miraculously came out hot and on time which was a mini-triumph.  Grateful to Delia's guidance. We have fab new gadget that is a gravy pourer that removes the fat.  

We watched The Mole etc by Charlie Mackesy.   It is so simple and full of lovely pithy truths but I wonder if they make much sense without the backdrop of the gospel? One line struck me

'Life is difficult but you are loved' 

I am reading 'Seasons of sorrow' and meant to put this book about Cromwell on my Christmas. I may get it as NY present to myself. 

We've been singing this in our house as we wash up dishes thank to Tim Challies for the recommendation.

I gave my mum  'Us' to read and she's loving it. The book is much better than the BBC series.

This is another list of recommendations of good 2022 albums.

One of the great pleasures in life is reading a good cookery book on Boxing Day and then picking a recipe to rustle up. This is the one I'm enjoying by Nigel Slater who manages to make food writing into story-telling.

....., though I may have grumbled about becoming trite over time, right now, nothing is more precious to me, nothing more important to me, than this: God is good all the time, and all the time God is good'

Seasons of sorrow, p.28

That was the year that was

As you may have noticed, it's been very quiet here for a long time but it's now time to start writing and sharing again. 

When I first started blogging, one of the bloggers who blessed me was a man called Tim Challies. He pointed me to lots of good books and interesting places that fed my soul in countless ways. However, because I've been off blogging, I've been off reading blogs too so as I came back on stream I read his blog for the first time in a long time. 

What I learnt so saddened me. I read that Tim had lost his only son who died suddenly and tragically young. As the father of two sons, I can't imagine the pain that he must have been through and the deep questions of how  God could put him through such a thing. Tim has called his book 'Seasons of sorrow' and it's now on my Christmas list to read in 2023. 

 

Tim has his Collected best lists of 2022 reads.

Empire of pain

 The blog has been very quiet but I am putting my toes in the water again. We'll see how it goes.

The book I read over Christmas was one of the most compelling things I've read in a long time. It's called Empire of Pain and tells the story of the Sackler Family. A tale of brilliance, greed, power, deceit, denial and much besides. Won lots of accolades and they are all deserved. Stunning stuff.

 I recommend the read but Dopesick tells the story- just out on Disney +

When the wind blows

 'We are all in the same boat, in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty'

G K Chesterton

Guns to God

This is an extraordinary and deeply moving story 'Guns to God' written by a friend who came to Christ here in Barnes and who is now training to be a Vicar.

Saturday blogsweep

 Slow reading Fast reading

Richard Bewes

Why reading is a lost art

6 ways pastors should handle opposition

The startling evidence of a changed life

How should we deal with unwanted sexual behaviours?

Saturday blogsweep

Where do Christians go when they die?

Dane Ortlund

15 New books including a biography of Eugene Peterson

Copycat culture wars

Lessons from the downfall of Ravi Zacharias

Don't throw away encouragement

Four not very 'Wow' things

We've been doing a thing with Lead Academy which has been interesting. 

It's basically a learning community with about 20 churches exploring a plan for post-Covid church. We've had lots of good input - some better than others. I am generally struck by the constant pull of the US Megachurch and the 'go and do as Pastor X does' approach to teaching. 

One chappy said this:

'People don't want sermons on Ephesians-  they want something helpful'

Really. 

I'll let you into a secret. I am not Andy Stanley. I've not written a book, I am not a 'high-performing' leader, I'm not that clever and I have so many shortfalls I could type them here all morning. I pastor a small local church. On the journey though , I've learnt a thing or two about the kingdom but no one will ever ask me to share this at conference. 

Why?

I don't have a model or 'Five tools to grow you church' or the anointing of the 'super-apostle'. 

I have nothing very wow to share.

Ministry boils down to four things (tomorrow of course these four might be different!):

1. Read/ dive into the Bible.

2. Pray and teach others to pray.

3. Care for your own soul (and look after your family if you have one).

4. Keep learning and reading

You will be absolutely amazed how little time pastors/ people working for churches spend doing these four things.

You can ignore these four and grow a church. 

You can grow a church with human talent, money, driven-ness and an off the shelf model.

All of these are fine but not without 1 to 4

Read the Bible

The Bible is not a text book of theology or a model of how to live. It's a story we're invited to jump into. A pal arrived on my doorstep with a brand new five volume set of commentaries called Thru the Bible. I am currently using it as I read through Matthew each morning. It's great and it's helping the story come alive again.

Pray

I use the Daily Prayer app and the BCP takes you through all 150 psalms every 60 days. I am also reading this book on prayer which is blessing me. I am still reeling listening to Paul Miller say '90% of pastors admit to having no discernable prayer life'. 

Care for your soul

Start by taking a Sabbath. It will be hard. There's lots to do I know. But you have to STOP. For the good of your soul. 

Keep learning and reading

I always have a book on the go. I leave them open around the house. You'll be stunned how much you can read if you cut out Twitter and Instagram. I'm reading the Institutes on the loo. If you are wondering what to read, then get hold of Indelible Ink and choose a book that strikes you. 

Do these four things and together we may, by grace, get to the end of the race having remained faithful and part of a local church and still loving Jesus. 

I'm not there yet and I may fail yet- so we'll see.

What I've been learning

'For the first time in my life, I connected God's justification of me with how I related to another person. The result? I didn't defend myself. I quietly rested in "the righteousness from God that depends on faith". My silence was a form of love. Love comes from faith'

The J Curve, Paul Miller, p.43

This year a friend texted me to tell me 30 years ago we were on an Alpha course together. I had encountered Jesus in my last year at university and had moved to London. Someone suggested I should do an Alpha course which I duly did. The person who led it (who is now a dear friend) remembers me being one the most disappointing people he ever had on a course. I am a slow starter and learner.

One of the first letters in the Bible I read as a Christian was Philippians via a book called 'A life worth living'. The title captures a problem I think many new Christian's experience, which is that we think we've invited God to join in with our life, when in fact it's the other way around. It took me over a decade to grasp this basic principle which is why perhaps I struggled a tad. 

This letter is the most joyful of Paul's communications and seemed to be one of the more functional churches he planted. Apart, of course, from a couple of ladies falling out with each other. Other than that, Paul insists that what God began would be brought to completion however gingerly you begin. I can testify to that. In fact, many a keen bean in those early days have long since bailed. Little old me, with the dunce hat at the back of the class, find myself a pastor with 30 years of mileage on the clock and still driving, however slowly and inadequately.

I'd never dwelt much in Chapter 3 which is a section about death and resurrection. I've come to see recently, not only from this letter, but also from painful experience, that a life worth living will be full of many dying and rising moments. 

What put me on to this is a book I'm reading called 'The J Curve' . It was this Best Books of 2020 post that brought it to my attention: 

'Brilliant book. So much theology, so much of life, is made sense of by the J-curve. Before I knew this book existed I built my logo around, and wrote this article about, The J-Curve. I wish I wrote this book, but I don’t have the wisdom, humility, life-experience, or holiness to write like Paul Miller. What a gift of a book. Deeply study this book and it will give you new eyes.'

Now I see that dying and rising is all over the letters and has huge implications for how we live. Most of you won't read the book, though I commend it heartily (together with 'The Praying Life' which is also terrific). So here is a talk that nails the key idea in an hour and, be prepared, Paul really does enjoy a chart!

Saturday blogsweep

 Did Harry and Meghan have a 'secret' wedding?

How will Covid permanently change churches?

Why is atheism no longer cool?

1776

Gentle and lowly

Pastoral ministry means death

Luis Pilau

 Luis Pilau 

An image of discipleship

I was thankful today for the real life experience of the quote Mrs C read me recently from a book she is reading:

'As a little girl, I remember an afternoon I spent playing in the front yard while my Dad was busy picking up sticks and weeding  At one point, he stopped his usual work and went into the garage. He came back with some tools and began doing something I'd never seen him do before. There was a young thin tree that was bent over, suffering from the damaging effects of a storm that had recently blown through. (And, if I remember correctly, it was also suffering from the effects of neighborhood children- myself included- who liked to bounce on its bent-over limb for fun.) He took a rope and tethered the young tree to the much older tree- one that was sturdy and strong standing straight. When I asked him why he was tying the two trees together, he explained that the older tree could offer support and strength to prevent the younger tree from growing askew. The older tree had withstood years of winds and storms. Just by standing beside the younger tree, it offered stability'

Growing together, Melissa Kruger

Saturday blogsweep

Larry Crabb: the counselor who kept exploring

Gay Christians and the Anglican Communion

So many great books

Pastors are paid to stare out of the window

Those who have gone before us

The hope that sustained Tim Keller through 2020

Meek

1. I am aware I have not written here for a very long time. It's been quite a year hasn't it? I saw someone today who, whatever sort of year you've had personally, I don't think it's been a bad as the one they have had. There is something healthy about perspective. It is something that's escaped us in quite a few areas of life.

2. I am reading the 'Mountain Rain' and it's fired up my prayer life. If you live in post-Christian Europe this book has something to teach us about being missionaries.  

3. John Calvin is teaching me about prayer as I read about it in a big thick book he wrote five centuries ago. 

4. I've given up twitter and the air is clearer.

5. I was given the West Wing for Christmas and we are working through the whole thing slowly. At one point a character says 'If someone's shooting at you, you must be doing something right'.

6. We are preaching through the Beatitudes and it's struck me that 'meek' isn't a word we use any more.

7. Sometimes I order a book and am excited about it arriving. This one's called 'The J-Curve'.

8. The Pastor's Justification is healing for me. 

9. I watched a film about the church in Iran.

10. The way my wife reads the Bible and prays humbles me.

Dominic Cummings and the church

Ian Paul's piece on the church and Dominic Cummings is instructive.

The Bible Room

Steven Copsey, who is Assistant Pastor at HT Barnes, has a new podcast . He kicks it off with his excellent series 'The Story of Scripture' which he has been teaching us weekly through lockdown. If you want to see how the story of the Bible hangs together, then you could not do better than to take these talks on a walk with you.

What's coming?

'Strategies for winter' is one of the best things I've read on the times. Do read the 'Blizzard' piece first as it gives you the context. Good to read and reflect on with a leadership team, other pastors or folk running businesses/non-profits.

And the Lamb Wins

I have often spoken here at the blog of a book written by a pal that I think might be a helpful read for you. Someone said recently that you should play word count bingo for how many times you get a text or hear said the words 'for such a time as this'. However, this book really will be a timely addition to your bookshelf.

I have seen utter nonsense posted on-line in 'This is what the Lord is saying' videos, as Pastor X from Tulsa Ohio tells you (wrongly) what God's up to. Steven, who is our Assistant Pastor here in Barnes has a sermon series brewing on all this as he gets more and more frustrated by some of the things he's hearing. As he told me this, I recommended Simon's book to him which he now has to help restore his sensibilities and his soul.

You would do well to get yourself a copy of  'And the Lamb Wins' to keep you Jesus-focused, Scripture-saturated and prayerful in these 'stay at home days'.

Staying together apart

Dear friends,

What days we live in. I intend to write, I hope daily, on the blog to encourage you, post resources, share some thoughts and generally keep you remembering Jesus is good and he's got this. We recorded our Sunday service today which was fun which will be posted on our website at 10am this Sunday.

Now you have some time and a clear diary you can catch up on the Psalm 23 sermons you've missed. Also, do listen to Steven who has joined the Team here and is teaching a great evening sermon series. If your church doesn't have an on-line Sunday service feel free to join us.

Grace,

David

Saturday blog-sweep

Reading the Bible for busy parents

Gay marriage and Brexit

Brexit day

Why do we read Scripture?

Book list- Part 1 and Part 2

Is the church obsessed with sex?