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Become like a little child; Understand the Kingdom of Heaven
The Story of Cain and Abel This basic little story is not complex. It is structured like a children’s story. But for reasons I list below, theologians almost universally fail to understand it. It means what it says: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” ()
Read MoreFor me, to live is Christ – Philippians 1:21
“To Live is Christ” – a bold claim. Today at church we sang “Let it be Jesus”, a beautiful song of worship (Click here to listen to it) that had me streaming tears. It occurred to me, however, that many of those singing one of the refrains, “For me, to live is Christ”, probably would […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 18
Chapter 18 This is part 18 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 18, Jesus is brought before religious leaders, before being handed over to Pilate, the Roman Governor. At every stage in the process, guess who is […]
Read More… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 13
The Word on the Street The Leaven in the Dough So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. I hope this series […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 17
Chapter 16 This is part 17 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This whole chapter is Jesus’ prayer for the disciples. It continues to underscore and reinforce our theme of hearing and believing. It becomes the central understanding around […]
Read MoreActs 17 – Paul’s address to the Athenians – That moment when God made foolish the wisdom of the world.
Paul in Athens The Book of Acts tells the story of the early church in Jerusalem, and then follows Paul’s missionary journeys. In chapter 17, Paul addresses the wise, the powerful, and the religious of Athens. What he said there is often misunderstood or misrepresented. This was, however, arguably the moment that Paul would later refer […]
Read MoreMatthew 18:34-35 – Honour, Reconciliation, Forgiveness, and the People of God
Did Jesus just say, “… his lord handed him over to be tortured … likewise my heavenly father will do this to every one of you unless you forgive”? In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells a story. The punch line sounds like he is saying that God is going to torture people who don’t forgive each […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 16
Chapter 16 This is part 16 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 16 opens with the profound words, “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling”, as if to underscore this theme of hearing and […]
Read More… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 12
The Word on the Street Clothed with Christ So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. I hope this series gives a […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 15
Chapter 15 This is part 15 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In chapter 15, Jesus continues teaching his disciples in preparation for the Crucifixion. He talks about two things: The “True Vine”, and the fact that the world […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 14
Chapter 14 This is part 14 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In chapter 14, Jesus speaks with his disciples and prepares them for what is about to happen. The story is now converging on the moment at which […]
Read MoreHusbands, Love your Wives
A Man-to-Man Marriage Manifesto: My son, I care deeply about your life. I care because God cares. I also care because you are preparing for marriage, and your life is going to be joined to the life of another, and God cares very deeply about marriage. I have learned a lot of things that can make […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 13
Chapter 13 This is part 13 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This is the Last Supper. At first glance it may seem that our “seeing” and “hearing” theme is absent here, but in fact it does play a […]
Read More… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 11
The Word on the Street Princess Mary of Christchurch So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. I hope this series gives […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 12
Chapter 12: This is part 12 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, we see the effect that the resurrection of Lazarus had on the Jewish observers, and we find foreigners coming to enquire into the teachings […]
Read More… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 10
The Word on the Street No, getting punched in the face is not your fault So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 11
Chapter 11: The Resurrection and the Life This is part 11 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. This is a pivotal moment in the story of the Gospel of John, as […]
Read More… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 9
The Word on the Street Texting the Gospel So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. I hope this series gives a […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 10
Chapter 10: The Voice of the Shepherd This is part 10 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus uses the metaphor of a shepherd talking to his sheep to illustrate his point. Much as been said over the […]
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