Chalmers' Blog

7 reasons to (re)consider Christianity

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for books to give away to folks. I like being able to have something handy for people to take away and be challenged and encouraged by it. One of the hard kinds of books to find, is those written for the non-Christian that make them think about what and why they believe what they do. Here’s one I’d like to bring to your attention.

Saturday Snippets (August 14)

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…

There are fewer than normal as I’ve been on holiday this past week 🙂

Sharing a story…

Over the years there have been many books written on the topic of evangelism. Books ranging from ‘how-to’s’ to books discussion the ‘why’ of evangelism. There really are some great books out there. And I’d like to flag two for you today.

The God of the Mundane

Living in a world that tells people to be their ‘best self’, to achieve greatness and do something special with their lives is tiring. The focus is on the extraordinary, rather than the day to day grind of normal life. Well, it’s just wrong and it’s wreaking havoc in so many people’s lives.

Saturday Snippets (August 7)

Vulnerability is good

The world speaks about being self-made. Kids are told that they can be whatever they want to be. We’re taught to ‘suck it up’. There is a bit of a culture that suggests that vulnerability is a bad thing. It’s in the church too. People can seem shocked if you answer anything other than ‘fine’ when they ask how your doing. Some Christians seem afraid of emotions. Many Christians are afraid or sceptical of counselling too. But why?

Preaching; Experience and Emotions

I love receiving books to review about preaching, because 1) I preach regularly and 2) because I love preaching. Over the last few days I have read two very different books, one reflects on 50 years of Word ministry and the other focuses on the use of emotions in preaching (kind of). Let me say from the outset that I would highly recommend both of these books for any preacher. Maybe you preach weekly, monthly or annually, regardless, these books will help you grow as a preacher. I don’t like the cover on either of these books, but the contents are great! With both of these books I could fill the post with great quotes and insights, but here’s an insight into the contents of each book…

Saturday Snippets (July 31)

Do lay-elders have it worse than paid-elders?

Last week I posted a blog titled “Does the Pastor Have it Worse?” I was pondering this question after being asked about it in a conversation I was having with someone on the radio. In the interview Chloe asked if people generally think that the pastor has it worse than the assistant pastor. Generally speaking, I think people do think the pastor has it worse, but as I said, depending on the context that isn’t always the case. But I’ve been thinking about this for another week, and I’ve had a few more conversations kicking around…

Understanding Esther, 1 Corinthians and James

One of my great privileges as a pastor is to preach from God’s Word. I spend a lot of time in God’s Word as I prepare sermons, write Bible studies, disciple people and go on pastoral visits, etc. Spending time in the Bible is a precious gift that every Christian should enjoy. And as we do that, there will inevitably be bits that we struggle with or don’t quite understand. That’s where we can learn from others. The Lord has gifted the church men and women who have written helpful commentaries, both technical and devotional, for us to benefit from. Here are just a few commentaries that I’ve read recently…