We had a talk last Sunday giving us some good reasons to go to church: to encourage one another, to grow both individually and collectively, to worship, and to spread the good news.
Read moreBoundaryless God
I recently enjoyed a series of talks by James Riley on a 'Boundaryless God'. Jesus challenged the boundaries set by the religious system of his day (e.g. Who is my neighbour? How many times must I forgive?). But where does this leave us in living out our Christianity? Are boundaries useful at all in terms of our fellowship, worship, and services? There is certainly some guidance in the Bible to suggest that boundaries can be useful in some of these areas - but where we choose to set them may be more a product of our cultural context than absolute 'right' or 'wrong'.
Read moreFellowship day: lessons from Daniel
We recently enjoyed our Fellowship day, themed around lessons from Daniel. I led a few introductory thoughts on Daniel, and as I read through the early chapters, I was struck by how fundamentally Daniel influenced those around him: a succession of Kings, one notable Queen, senior government officials, and prison guards. All were moved to accept Daniel’s God as their God. The real challenge for me is how much those who come into contact with me but don’t share my beliefs and values are influenced by me (and the answer is not much)! We spent the rest of the day thinking about how we can focus on ‘glowing and sowing’ both individually and as a group in prayer, praise, and profession of our faith (in writing, drawing and eating…).
Read more