thinking honestly about life and faith
The idea of ‘peace’ has so many different possible meanings. Popularly, it has two broad meanings: the absence of war, and a more personal and everyday sense of tranquility, or just the absence of hassle. Biblically, ‘peace’ is the translation … Read More »
Joy has been delayed again! I have a collection of thoughts, ideas and comments to share on this topic. It has been great to recognize and own some of these things. Others are more things I agree with, in my … Read More »
It has really been rewarding, reflecting on the fruits of the Spirit, in a concentrated way. I’ve found it valuable to consider not just my intellectual understanding of these things, but to appreciate personal growth, insights gained over the years, … Read More »
Thinking about love is a good spiritual discipline! There is so much that could be said.But maybe in another sense really engaging with this theme brings me to hold back. Really I should not say much at all, as I … Read More »
Love: What does it mean to say that the Spirit produces love? That’s what I am thinking about. What is the nature of this love, and to whom is it directed? One of the most challenging thoughts is that the … Read More »
I’m doing some deliberate reflection on the classic idea of the ‘fruits of the Spirit’: love joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.I want to engage with each of them in turn, but just now I am thinking about … Read More »
I’ve just finished reading A J Jacob’s The Year of Living Biblically, (Heinemann, 2008). It’s a great read: Jacobs is a secular, agnostic Jew from New York, a writer, who decides that he would personally like to engage with the … Read More »
The newspapers are today reporting that the Roman Catholic Church has revised the classic list of ‘Seven Deadly Sins’, to include a few more. It’s worth thinking about: what are these deadly sins, and what makes them deadly? And what … Read More »
I wrote this reflection on St Valentine’s Day, thinking about the difficulty many Evangelical Christians have with the basic idea that we can enjoy life—even romantic love! I have a resistance to the kind of commercialization we see on St … Read More »
This week I have been at several retreats, one with the staff and another with students. A good time.I’ve also been working hard, especially internally, on a strong sense of new directions which has come to me, and which now … Read More »