Articles

Articles

Various written pieces of varying lengths on different subjects and passages

Book Review – Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy

When we’re at our lowest, God has our attention. He wants us to bring our pain, sorrow and confusion to him. This book explains how we bring our sorrow to God through lament. Lament is the minor key language for our suffering. Using his personal experience, the author shares his own journey from despair to hope. “To cry is human, but to lament is Christian.” The book…

So how do you change?

“What might I do to actually help me change?”  I was asked this question as a follow up to the recent sermon on 2 Samuel 12. Whilst some sins are obvious in the story of David, the contempt and disregard of the Lord was not.  We often don’t see what’s driving our behaviour in our hearts.  And yet that’s what we need to aim…

“Church” In A Time Of Isolation

Naturally questions are arising about what “church” looks like at this unusual time. Let me take a stab at answering some queries. 1. Have all Greenview’s gatherings and face to face activities ceased? Yes they have. We’re seeking comply with the government’s strong guidelines. At this time (as at any time) we want to be good citizens of our country and good…

Old Testament Narrative – A Few Tips

We’re currently delving into the book of 2nd Samuel. It’s a fascinating story, with lots of twists and turns. But maybe like me you often wonder how best to read it. This ties in with an even broader question: how do we interpret Old Testament narrative in general? Here are 10 quick suggestions, accompanied by examples from 2nd Samuel. 1) Try and grasp the…

Where Is Christ In The Old Testament?

In at least 7 places: God, sin, offices, events, prophecies, themes and symbols/memorials. God – We often fail to read the Old Testament in a Trinitarian way. Every reference to Yahweh (“LORD”) – unless we are told otherwise – speaks of the triune God. This means the divine attributes that emerge from the passage can be understood to apply to…

FIEC Leaders Conference 2019 Review

It was great to be at the FIEC Leaders Conference this past November. We count it a privilege to attend and appreciate the church support that enables this! The 2019 conference was on Leadership. Here are a few reflections from Laura Porteous, Zach Watt and myself. Laura My biggest encouragement was a seminar on youth work and training children/youth volunteers. It was…

2019 series

2019 is hurtling towards us like a freight train. One of the things this means is that we’re leaving some parts of the Bible behind (Exodus, Philippians) and moving on to some fresh ground. So here is an overview of the year, all subject to God’s will of course. I encourage you to read ahead, pray for the preachers, and pray for yourself. May God change us all…

Cross-words

During our summer Sunday evening communions we’re going to be remembering the death of Jesus. While we rightly use our eyes on these occasions (as we see the ‘visual sermon’ of bread and wine) it is just as important that we open our ears. We want to hear God’s word as it helps us grapple with the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice.  So on…
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