Chalmers' Blog

An Illusion Not To Be Celebrated…

There are countless things in the world that should be celebrated. There are plenty of things that happen within the church that should be celebrated. Sadly however, it can sometimes be the case that things are celebrated that I don’t think should be. I’d like to mention something that I see celebrated quite a bit, but I’m not convinced it should be to the extent it often is…

A Mixed Bag…

The last month has been insane. Ministry has been busy, I’ve had seminary essays and an exam, and I’ve been trying to be a good husband in there too. Life has been quite busy, so I haven’t gotten around to review some of the books that have been on my review shelf for a wee while now. I thought I would give you a mixed bag today. A number of shorter reviews that will hopefully peak your interest and give you an idea of whether a book is worth buying or not. I have really enjoyed diving into some of these and I hope that you’ll find at least one that you’ll go for 🙂

Saturday Snippets (December 12)

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…

A Hidden Problem of COVID19

There are so many things that have happened in 2020 that have been hard, as a result of COVID19. Thousands upon thousands of people have sadly lost their lives. Countries and citizens all over the world have been hit hard financially because of the virus. People have felt lonely, some even feel abandoned. The church has been trying to figure out this new way of doing ministry. It hasn’t been easy. But I think that there is a hidden problem too…

Saturday Snippets (December 5)

Do Not Be Defined By Your Past

Every person has a past, Christians are no different. Listen to testimonies from Christians and you’ll soon find out that some have a very sketchy and difficult past, whilst others have a more ‘normal’ past pre-Christ. Regardless of what you have done in life, regardless of what sins you have committed, every Christian must know this; you are not defined by your past!

Sure, the majority of people still hear their past ringing in their minds. Many people continue to live with regret of sins committed and everything you can think that the flesh desires enjoyed. But know this, as a Christian, your identity is not bound up in the actions that lay behind you. Your identity is bound up with the man who was nailed to a cross and who hangs there now more!

Intimacy With God

Intimacy with God, what does or what should that look like? If you spend any time at all around Christians you’ve probably heard the prayer request “pray that I would be/feel closer to God”. What exactly do we mean by that? How can Christians grow in their relationship with God? The temptation is to think that simply doing stuff will work, or that there is a secret formula somewhere that will sweep you into a new spiritual level. But our spiritual life isn’t like a computer game.

Saturday Snippets (November 28)

Listen To Various Voices

The last few weeks and months have been a very interesting time to be alive. It’s been a very strange time with people on two sides of an issue slinging mud at each other. We’ve had different approaches to the Coronavirus, to lockdown and church services, to BLM, social justice and to the President of the US. Some of the discussions I’ve seen have been good and helpful whilst others haven’t been. In all of this it’s tempting to simply listen to those we agree with. But I don’t think that’s wise.