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Deliverance – a Puritan prayer
” O God of unsearchable greatness,Before thee I am nothing but vanity, iniquity, perishing;Sin has forfeited thy favour,stripped me of thy image,banished me from they presence,exposed me to the curse of thy law; I cannot deliver myself, and am in despair.But a resource is found in thee,for without my desert or desirethou didst devise an Continue reading
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Christians make the news in Tasmania
A Christian group in Tasmania (that big island at the bottom of Australia) have made the news for ‘throwing their weight’ behind renewable energy. You can find the news story here. Basically, this Christian group has bought a large chunk of land (including an old virtually uninhabited town), and there’s a chance that someone might give Continue reading
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O Come, All You UNFAITHFUL?
I recently attended a community carols night hosted by a local church. It was, in many ways, a wonderful night. It had everything – free food, activities for the kids, sparkly lights, well-rehearsed skits, children dressed as angels, Christ-focused carols, and a gospel message. It was very well done. There were many carols sung (all Continue reading
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In Praise of Solid Folk – a poem by C. S. Lewis
Thank God that there are solid folk Who water flowers and roll the lawn, And sit and sew and talk and smoke, And snore all through the summer dawn. Who pass untroubled nights and days Full-fed and sleepily content, Rejoicing in each other’s praise, Respectable and innocent. Who feel the things that all men feel, Continue reading
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De-creation language: it’s not the end of the world
There are a few parts of the New Testament which contain dramatic language about divine judgement resulting in what appears to be a cataclysmic end to the world, or even the solar system. Some of these passages include Matthew 24-25, 2 Peter 3, and lots of passages in the book of Revelation. If you’re not Continue reading
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A Hymn – a poem by G. K. Chesterton
O God of earth and altar,Bow down and hear our cry,Our earthly rulers falter,Our people drift and die;The walls of gold entomb us,The swords of scorn divide,Take not thy thunder from us,But take away our pride. From all that terror teaches,From lies of tongue and pen,From all the easy speechesThat comfort cruel men,From sale and Continue reading
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The four governments
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2; NIV) Like it or not, the powerful, personal, triune Creator God of the Bible is in charge of his universe. This world and everything in it are his. Continue reading
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The role of the children of believing families in Paul’s letters: the presumption of inclusion (pt. 3)
I’m finishing my little mini-series thinking about Paul’s view of the inclusion of children (of believers) in the New Covenant church. To wrap up these few, scattered thoughts, here’s a lengthy quote from Robert L. Reymond’s wonderful A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith. He talks about the vital importance of including children in Continue reading
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The covenantal structure of redemptive history
Here’s an image I created which shows what I believe to be a ‘big picture’ account of redemptive history in the Bible. Make of it what you will. If you’d like to take a closer look, you might have to save it to your device and zoom in. I think you’ll find it interesting. Or Continue reading
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The role of the children of believing families in Paul’s letters: the presumption of inclusion (pt. 2)
This is the second of three posts exploring the inclusion of children within the New Covenant people of God. You can find the first post here. Here are two more points that suggest Paul presumes the inclusion of children in the covenant community. 3. Children are to live in way that pleases the Lord When Continue reading
spes clara 