God meets with people right at the end of their ropes. He stands to meet us right at the end of the runway of our own capabilities and self-assuredness.
Sermon Notes – 7 October 2018 – Blessed are the Poor in Spirit: Matthew 5:3
Sermon Notes – 28 October 2018 – Stay Thirsty (Matthew 5:6)
This week we reach a beatitude that at first seems to make no sense. It seems to make no sense because it again flies in the face of the common wisdom of that day and the common wisdom of today. But, it also seems self-defeating and borderline contradictory as a statement. In essence, Jesus is going to say that the dissatisfied will be the most satisfied.
“It Wears Me Out” – The Painful Pursuit of People Pleasing
Turning 39, getting a traffic ticket, listening to Radiohead, reading Esther, and how it all reminds me that I forget the gospel.
Reconsidering John 4: A Christian Posture Towards Vulnerable Women
In the context of #metoo and #churchtoo, and the horrific things we are learning through that, I am seriously before the Lord asking how we might create churches that are safe spaces for broken and abused women. Churches where we go out of our way - like our Lord - to dignify women's stories, to offer the living and restorative water of the gospel, and to give meaningful purpose in mission to women who previously felt like they had no place.
Sermon Notes – 14 January 2018 – Surprising Suffering (1 Peter 4:12-14)
In essence, the text contains a warning from Peter to the church that they shouldn't be surprised when they are rejected and persecuted for the sake of Christ, and in fact they should rejoice in that form of suffering.
2017 Reading List: 25 Books I Enjoyed This Year, Part 2
Part 2 of the list features everything from Japanese fiction to American pragmatism, making a stop past English Catholicism on the way. There is also a pastor with gay parents and a conservative view of marriage.
Different Church: The Crowded House (Sheffield, England)
The English have a bit of a reputation for being a slightly chilly bunch when it comes to relational warmth, and churches like this one can fight that cultural norm and point to the gospel while doing it.
Sermon Notes – Solus Christus – 22 October 2017
In this sermon, I covered the concept of Solus Christus (Christ Alone). I felt like I was holding a candle up to the sun.
Sermon Notes – 27 August 2017 – 1 Corinthians 13 – “Love That Lasts”
This text is as well known and overused as Footprints. But it is powerful when understood in the context of God's love for his church.
