THE SECRET
By Not Known Most of us want to be happy and we want happiness for those whom we love. There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of happiness. But there is everything wrong with looking for happiness in the wrong place. Many seek happiness through having ‘things’ such as possessions, wealth, degrees, titles, career, relationships, good experiences and such like.…
Is My Past Really Passed?
By Not Known Many people live with a sense of a bad past. We may have a sense of a bad childhood with overly strict, uncaring, foolish or abusive parents. Or perhaps there were experiences at school or with friends, strangers or neighbours that leave us scared. Maybe our sense of a bad past is bound up with foolish choices or sinful actions on our part: we chose the wrong…
GODS OF OUR OWN IMAGE OR THE IMAGE OF GOD?
By Not Known Who are you? Consider these views: I think therefore I am. (Descartes) I am but a monkey shaved. (WS Gilbert – adapted) I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul. (WE Henly) I am who I am. (Popeye the sailor man) I think I am IM therefore I am Some views diminish humanity into a quivering mist of uncertainty, indistinguishable from other…
THE (COM)PASSION OF JESUS
By Not Known We sometimes make a virtue of being passionless. Thus we respond to suffering with a (non-Christian) stoical ‘stiff upper lip’ instead of a tear. And permit ourselves just a passing smile at joy. This is not the heart of Jesus or of his Father. The Gospels show the passion of Jesus in abundance. Consider these examples: Compassion for crowds…
The Annual Ministry Meeting – Stewardship & Accountabili
By Not Known We are rightly careful to exercise good stewardship and accountability with the church’s finances. Thus we have prudent policies to handle all monies, submit the books to external audit and publish financial reports for all to see. This is good. But what of our stewardship and…
Where are you in the church’s mission?
By Not Known It’s rare to find an organisation that doesn’t have a mission statement. Mission statements tell what we will do in order to fulfil the vision of what we want to be. Our Ministry Plan 2006-2015 includes this mission statement. Under God, our mission is to : honour God’s name through faithful and reverential worship and in faithful preaching…
A Vision for Ministry
By Not Known When using a map we start from where we are, look where we want to be and then plan how to get there. That picture of where we want to be is our vision. It is important for Christian people to have a clear vision of eternity, to motivate and guide our present conduct on the horizon of eternity. Likewise for God’s church. Our understanding of where and…
Planning for Ministry
By Not Known Most of us plan. We plan our shopping, work tasks, holidays, finance, fitness regimes, eating and such like. We plan because it makes us more effective at being what we want to be and doing what we want to do. God plans and everything moves according to his plan (Eph 1:11). We Presbyterian Christians like to emphasise the sovereignty of God. That’s…
SILENT IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE?
By Not Known Jesus assumed that his first followers would be hated and persecuted by the unbelieving world, just as he was first hated and persecuted (Jn 15:18). The reason for this is simple: neither Jesus nor his followers belonged to the world. We are different. If our first loyalty is to God and his kingdom we will be ‘strangers in the world’ (1 Pet 1:1).…
