Chalmers' Blog

Surprised by Jesus

The Gospels are full of surprises. Jesus didn’t blend in like the rest of the world, He stood out because of the things He did, said and fundamentally because of who He is; God in the flesh. In ‘Surprised by Jesus‘ Dane Ortlund walks you through the four Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus to help you see the wonder of the gospel and the immense grace of Jesus.

Saturday Snippets (April 9)

As well as reading a lot of books, I also read a ton of articles every week. Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found interesting, helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you, my dear readers…

Leadership or Servanthood?

Over the years I’ve read a lot of books on leadership, in the context of local church ministry. It’s to be expected as that’s the area I work in and the area that I want to grow in. But a lot of books try to walk the tightrope between being a leader and being a servant. This is a constant tension in Christian ministry. So, which one is it, are you a leader or a servant? How do we faithfully follow the example of Christ?

Saturday Snippets (April 2)

The Glory of God and Paul

The topic of God’s glory has fascinated me for years. How do you define such a wonderful truth about God, such a defining feature that is almost beyond all comprehension! I normally don’t read theology books whilst on holiday, but this time I did! my wife looked at me with a puzzled gaze, thinking that no-one could relax with such a book, but I certainly could. This book lifted my eyes to see the immensity of God’s glory, His goodness and how His Word brings different (complimenting) ideas to build a grand picture of our glorious God.

Saturday Snippets (March 26)

5 Things To Pray For Your Spouse

Prayer is a wonderful and necessary act of devotion in the life of Christians. Prayer can encourage and build up others whilst at the same time help you grow and think about how you can be used by God to work out His will. Praying for, and with, your spouse is very important, here is a very short resource that will help.

Saturday Snippets (March 19)

The religious to-do list that cripples real growth

There are countless books on preaching and sermon prep. Many of those books focus on getting the exegesis (the text work), which is right and necessary. But there aren’t many books, or at least there aren’t many good books that I’ve read, on sermon application.

Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids

I must begin this review by saying that I am not a parent. I do not have children. I’m at that stage of life where many of my friends have young children and I hear their stories of the ups and downs of life with a small family. There are plenty of parenting books out there, and I’ve read a lot of Christian books on parenting, but I really enjoyed this one.