Every preacher knows the feeling of getting up to deliver a sermon that you know isn't your best. Every preacher knows the feeling of finishing a sermon that you know was not well put together or helpfully delivered. Every preacher knows some sermons they preach just aren't all that good. They can't all be excellent, or at least, they won't all be.

The moral argument for the existence of God (in my opinion) remains the hardest to answer credibly for atheists. Here, William Lane Craig outlines why on naturalistic atheism there really are no objective moral values.

Parents, Do You Protect Your Children’s Dignity When You Discipline Them? 'Parents are rarely at their best when they are being challenged by their children. They are rarely at their best when they are in church or other public settings and their kids act in embarrassing ways. Yet this never gives parents an excuse to mistreat their children or to handle them in inappropriate or undignified ways.'

The final episodes of the In Context Podcast have been aired. I am sure there will be more series to come. You can check out older episodes and series by clicking the In Context Podcast link on the homepage of this blog. For now, the podcast is on hiatus.

There are all manner of things that are over-engineered and over-complicated. I am not one of life's luddites and I generally embrace new tech and quite like invention. But there are times when things are over-complicated to a degree that cannot be considered any sort of improvement. I don't think there is any clearer example of this than train toilets. I am writing this as I am on the train so it is in mind.

A recent review of my book Independent Eldership raised a question about a point I made. Specifically, it questioned how I could argue that churches existed before elders were appointed. It went on to insist that no churches were called churches before there were elders. I did actually address that in the book. But I have also addressed the question in the attached article below.

I am nothing if not an anxious soul. I come from a long line of anxious men. Well, a line of two at least, which is as far back as I am aware. But the anxiety seems to be genetic. It's possible I wasn't born with this anxiety and it has been imbued in me over years of picking up anxious vibes off the anxious men who passed their anxieties on to me by osmosis, but however you cut it, it seems inherited somehow.

Most Christians will find themselves needing to search for a new church at some point in their lives. Regardless of how we found ourselves in the situation, here are 11 thoughts (in no particular order) about finding a new church.

I am absolutely of the view that we want our beliefs to line up with fact. What we believe ought to align with what is true. We are crazy to believe what we know isn't true! Whilst I believe that God has given sufficient evidence of his existence and the truth of the gospel to us, it bears saying that knowledge of sufficient evidence is not necessary.

Tackiness is not a sin This one is excellent: 'when I say that tackiness is not a sin, I am not excusing bad art or approving of shallowness or breaking with the most sober and significant parts of our faith. I am saying, simply, that tackiness is not a sin—because it’s not.' No Holy Land: Does Israel Still Have a Biblical Claim on the Middle East?

The final episodes of the In Context Podcast have been aired. I am sure there will be more series to come. You can check out older episodes and series by clicking the In Context Podcast link on the homepage of this blog. For now, the podcast is on hiatus.

I mentioned yesterday that we went to Beamish Living Museum on our holiday. You can read about that here. One of the other things we did was to walk to the most northerly point in England. As it goes, the most northerly point in England is not very exciting. You have to cross (briefly) into Scotland by car and then briefly walk back on yourself to get to the specific point.

We just got back off holiday yesterday. We ventured up to a bit of the country I have never been to before and explored the wilds of Northumberland. We stayed in Alnwick and, from there, dotted around the county a bit, popped over to Lindisfarne on a boat, ventured to the most northerly point in England and even took a day trip up to Edinburgh.

It is often assumed that if God is sovereign, there really is not point in praying. But in this short video, RC Sproul explains that it is quite the opposite. We pray specifically because God is sovereign. Indeed, prayer is only really worthwhile if God is properly sovereign. Check it out.

All of us draw lines somewhere. We all have things that we think are right and proper. We may even be right about many of them. We have things we think are essential, things we think are proper but can tolerate not being done, and things we can't. Sometimes we may have lines that we can wear as those who are not in a position of authority upholding the line and those that we couldn't wear if we were in a position of authority.

We all have our things. There are things that we all think are important. There are things that we think are best. These things are all well and good. What is less good is when we turn the things we think are important and best into things that we have decided are vital for everyone. There are, of course, things that the bible tells us are necessary for everyone.

Speed bumps 'Sometime in a Bible reading there is an obvious speed bump that makes the reader, preacher and congregation slow down for a moment to put on their thinking caps and reflect. We had one of these in a reading at church recently.“ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” (Luke 7:35)' Fierce Wolves Will Come 'I am occasionally frustrated as a counsellor of other pastors at the paucity of teaching and training pastors receive to equip them to deal with wolves, false teachers, and other divisive people in the church.

The final episodes of the In Context Podcast have been aired. I am sure there will be more series to come. You can check out older episodes and series by clicking the In Context Podcast link on the homepage of this blog. For now, the podcast is on hiatus.

One of the biggest issues people have with the gospel is not the concept of judgement per se, but more commonly the issue of grace. How is it fair that certain people can be saved while other, seemingly better people remain unsaved and facing eternal damnation? The problem is longstanding and widely argued. I also understand it. But the following video does a good job of explaining both the gospel and why scandalous grace can nevertheless be just.

There are a few examples often cited as evidence that external structures and authorities were established in the scriptures and this is how the church ought to organise itself today. In the following extract from my book, Independent Eldership (Amazon; Grace Publications) I look specifically at how we should read and understand these apparent forms of external authority.

As the new Premier League season bears down on us, news (as ever) has focused on transfers and youth. The pre-season games feature many of the under-18s and eyes are always on the new signings. Who will make the step up? How will new players slot in? Where are the gaps that need filling and how well will we manage? Time will inevitably tell.

I mentioned yesterday that I have now turned 40. We celebrated a little later than my actual birthday, so I got all my presents and whatnot yesterday. As ever, it was a good and welcome haul. The night before, my wife launched into an explanation of the presents. There weren't loads but that is because one of them was more expensive.

Yesterday, I turned 40. Whether I was already in this stage of life (probably, is the answer) there is no denying I am middle-aged now. I didn't especially consider myself young before, but again, those days are officially over. This year has been a bit of a wild one. My pastorate of the last 12 years officially terminates at the end of this month (though my last Sunday has been and gone) and my mother of the last 40 years found herself no longer in the land of the living.

What Does It Mean to Be Free in Christ? 'To be in Christ is to be free. Just as a former inmate should no longer think of themselves as in prison, likewise, Christians should no longer consider themselves as in their sins. Certainly, we will fight against sin in this age, but we have been delivered from the dominion that it once held over us as we await the final day when we shall receive our full liberation as God’s children.'

The final episodes of the In Context Podcast have been aired. I am sure there will be more series to come. You can check out older episodes and series by clicking the In Context Podcast link on the homepage of this blog. For now, the podcast is on hiatus.

The Times carried a story yesterday asserting that four in ten men think they could train their way to the 2028 Olympics if they started training today. They report: The survey of 2,000 adults found that 38 per cent of men thought they could qualify for the Games if they received professional coaching and a strict training regime. Just over a quarter of respondents believe they could beat a professional in their chosen sport, if given the chance.

Yesterday, we were able to go up to our local country park, stand atop a hill and watch the partial solar eclipse unfold. Like most the country, we cottoned on to it happening a little too late and, as we went to get some suitable glasses to watch it, realised everywhere had sold out. Amazon would not deliver in time. Could we just watch it with sunglasses on?

In my book - Independent Eldership - I make an argument for a model of polity that is elder-led but member-ruled. It inevitably carried the question, why does the the Congregation rule? Aren't elders the highest authority (under Christ) in the church? Whilst you will have to buy yourself a copy to hear the full explanation, here is a short section from the book briefly explaining the theology behind the position:

Whenever one writes a book, you enter into an agreement with the publishers to make at least some effort to publicise the work in the hope that someone, anyone, preferably several someones or anyones, will buy themselves a copy. When you are somebody with a blog and this kind of means of publicising your wares, well, you get this kind of thing from time to time.

I recently saw yet another article doing the rounds concerning the importance of meeting twice on a Sunday. Sometimes this is couched in terms of absolute necessity and mandate, other times more an important thing that we should all aspire to. I have written about this issue before and thought I would repost two pieces addressing some specific arguments to this effect.

What happens with Noah & Ham? This one takes a look at the little vignette about Noah drinking and Ham, his son, 'saw his father naked'. The big question is: what exactly happened? Pastoral Time Guilt I feel this one: 'Every pastor knows the feeling. You leave the hospital wondering whether you should have stayed in your study. You leave your study wondering whether you should have visited another family.

The latest episodes of the In Context Podcast will now be available. You can listen to them by visiting the podcast page using the link below.

My wife and I are celebrated our anniversary yesterday. It's not actually quite our anniversary yet - that's a few days away - but we brought the celebration forward for a few reasons. Suffice to say, unless I do something catastrophically bad in the next few days, I think we'll safely make eighteen years. I still feel its another two years until we can properly call it a long time.

Let me get all my caveats out the way upfront. I have never had a penchant for gambling. I've no interest in horse or dog racing and I don't play poker or any card games. What is more, I never knew my Great Grandfather because, as I understand it, he was an avid gambler who abandoned his family and ended up in and out of prison due to gambling debts.

I went to the cinema with my wife this week (The Odyssey, if you're bothered). We went, we watched the film, we broadly liked it (though she did ancient history at university so cared more about the accuracy and faithfulness to the original story than I did) and then we went home. We enjoyed, in no particular order, going to the cinema together, the story and cinematography of the film, the fact that our children are away and so had the ability to go out.

It is a common question from earnest and sincere people: how can I know I am a Christian? There are all sorts of answers we might give, some probably more helpful than others. But it would make most sense to look at the scriptures and see some of the signs it would highlight. So, to that end, here are three biblical signs that you are a genuine Christian.

I was speaking with some friends the other day about the local church markers of "success" (yuck!) It is particularly poignant for me as I am now within a week of the final Sunday pastoring the church I have served for the last 12 years. How does one look back and measure success? Has my ministry been at all successful?

How a Google Voice Number Transformed My Youth Ministry This one takes a look at how a Google Voice Number made a big impact in a youth ministry and suggests how it can be incorporated into church life more broadly. Very interesting (we used to do this in various ministries I've been involved in, but with a box and anonymous slips of paper).

The latest episode of the In Context Podcast is live. You can listen to the episode using the embedded player below or by following this link and going to the episode page. In this episode of the In Context podcast, Mez McConnell—Pastor of Grace Church Orkney and Director of 20schemes—opens up Ephesians 3 and explores what it means for the church to know and experience the fullness of God.

I was pointed to an interesting post on Instagram. It is worth reading both for the post itself and the comments that attend it. You can find it here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Archbishop of Banterbury🇬🇧 (@thearchbishopofbanterbury) The story, in a nutshell, is this. A man committed manslaughter and ended up in prison. After his release he went into a restorative justice programme.

Most tools have uses. Some tools have only one, others have many. Mobile phones and swiss army knives are good for many things, corkscrews and car tyres tend to be good for one particular job. But they are all good for some jobs nonetheless. I know it is currently in vogue to dunk on AI, mobile phones and various other bits of tech.

Everyone needs it. It is built into how we are wired as human beings. There is a reason why sleep deprivation is a legit torture tactic. Having had experience in the past of months and months on end of insomnia, I can assure you chronic lack of sleep is horrendous. Whilst I haven't suffered from that for many years, I am never on best form when I haven't slept well.

In Mark 3:11-12, crowds are pressing around Jesus to be healed and one particular group of people are singled out. The focus falls on unclean spirits. Unclean spirits are differentiated from other ill people seemingly because of their affirmation of Jesus. In v11, ‘whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “you are the Son of God!”’ Mark is showing us that the unclean spirits approach Jesus far more reverently and with much greater understanding than the physically sick people.

In Mark 3:8, we are told about a ‘large crowd came to because they heard about everything he was doing.’ By the time we get to 3:8, people have heard his teaching, seen his miracles, and should be ready to believe that Jesus is the Messiah whose teaching should be believed and obeyed. But in v8, did the crowds come for Jesus’ teaching?

Conforming to Non-Conformity This one is excellent on the phenomena of conformist non-conformity: ' was initially a countercultural movement, an angsty expression of non-conformity to the status quo. But, of course, as it grew in popularity, it morphed into the norm. The object of non-conformity turned into its very opposite to the degree that people young enough to be Kurt Cobain’s grandkids wear the shirts as fashion.

The latest episode of the In Context Podcast can be found here. The newest episodes will appear at the top of the embedded player. Listen by following this link –

At the time of writing, Andy Burnham is into his third day as Prime Minister, beginning his fourth at the point you are most likely reading this. He has already made a few sigificant policy announcement aiming to help with the cost of living, the biggest of which are a national £2 cap on bus tickets, removing VAT from energy bills by scrapping the previous government's ID card scheme, and cutting business rates for pubs and clubs.

Ruby Payne, an American educationalist, analysed generational poverty in America and her work has been highly influential. Though she is writing into the North American context, many of her observations crossover and resonate with the UK. Her findings are summarised in the following table:

"I have a really boring, ordinary testimony". Have you ever heard that? Have you ever thought that? It is an all too common refrain in churches. But underlying it is a set of of faulty assumptions. Here are some of them. There is such a thing as an ordinary resurrection The Bible is quite clear that every person is born dead in sin.

At the beginning of Mark's gospel, John the Baptist was calling people to prepare for the Messiah by confessing and repenting of their sin. Mourning and repenting was right to prepare for Jesus. But what did John say when Jesus came? ‘Behold! The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. Preparing for Jesus by mourning over sin is right.