Sex; a taboo or a hobby horse?

If you take a look into many Christian bookshops today you’ll probably find multiple books (if not shelves) on the topic of sex and sexuality. Books about sex for people of all ages to read and learn; teenagers, students, parents, pastors, married couples, youth groups, books about how to teach your kids about sex and books about what the Bible teaches concerning sex. There is currently a torrent of material out there on the topic of sex. Look in a church pulpit though and you’ll probably see that sex is either a taboo or a hobby horse, some people never speak about it and others use every excuse to speak about it.Continue reading “Sex; a taboo or a hobby horse?”

Books about the bedroom…

Over the last few years there have been tons and tons of books written on the topic of sexuality from a Christian perspective. It’s a topic that I’ve read a lot about, but not one that I necessarily post about a lot. One of the reasons that I don’t post often about is that sexuality is a point of controversy and contention, and my goal for this blog is not to stir up controversy. Another reason that I don’t post about it a lot is because I am no expert and, in my opinion, there are maybe too many books on the topic right now. The problem that many Christians are in danger of is elevating sexual sin above every other sin and treating it as unforgivable. However, more to come on that soon. Continue reading “Books about the bedroom…”

Some of the books I’ve read recently…

One of the joys of reading the amount of material that I do is that I get to devour tons and tons of knowledge. One of the downsides is that I can’t always write full reviews on every book. If I reviewed every book I read, I’d need to make this my full-time job! But at the beginning of the year I posted a blog with a list of books I read whilst on holiday.  It was a slightly different kind of post, more of a list with short recommendations rather than full reviews. However, many people got in touch and said how they found it to be quite helpful. Therefore, I thought I’d give you another similar post highlighting some of the books that I’ve read recently (in no particular order).Continue reading “Some of the books I’ve read recently…”

Story Bearer

Evangelism… it seems to be the word that scares many Christians away and makes them run for the hills. People say that it’s difficult. People say that they don’t feel equipped. People say that they don’t have all the answers to every perceivable question that they may be asked. I’ve voiced many of these myself over the years and I’ll be honest, I think that often we end up just making excuses when it comes to evangelism. Let me introduce you to a great book that will help you see that you don’t need a degree in theology, or to know everything about apologetics to tell people about Jesus. Continue reading “Story Bearer”

When Narcissism Comes to Church

In recent weeks, months and years we have seen strong leaders fall, we’ve seen sin come to the surface and people have been hurt. It is not my place to speak about those topics, to speak about the circumstances or to pretend that I have the answer. However, one thing is certain in all of this; all of these ‘fallings from grace’ are a result of the sin that indwells the hearts of mankind.

Narcissism is a big problem, but what exactly is it? Continue reading “When Narcissism Comes to Church”

Sermon notes, why and how?

Two things encourage me most as a preacher; one is seeing people get their heads stuck into Scripture and following along in the text as I preach and the second is seeing people take notes. If a Christian goes to church every Sunday of the year then they hear 52 sermons a year, if they go to a morning and evening service that jumps to 104 sermons. Times that by how many years you’ve been a Christian and the number will be quite significant. Now, imagine if we actively tried to remember, reflect on and implement each sermon, what would that look like? I think that we’d all grow in our love for the Lord, His Word, His people and the lost. I haven’t always taken notes during sermons, but for the last few years I’ve made sure that I’ve had the means with me to take notes during sermons because I’ve personally found it to be a helpful spiritual discipline. But why and how should we take sermon notes?Continue reading “Sermon notes, why and how?”

The most important weapon in your possession…

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, or have ever spoken to me at all you’ll know that I read tons and tons of books. I enjoy devouring information and learning from the insights of many people who are much smarter than myself. But the most important weapon that any Christian can have in their possession isContinue reading “The most important weapon in your possession…”

The identity of every human being…

We live in a world where many people are searching for their identity. People are asking the question ‘who am I?’ People are searching for purpose and meaning in life. But many people don’t know where to look.

People are find a sense of identity in their jobs, social status, relationship status, likes on FaceBook, sexuality, country of origin and much more. But these are not the things that make us who we are. Continue reading “The identity of every human being…”

Who am I, what is my identity?

Who am I? What is my identity? These are two massive questions that our world seems to be wrestling with. As one would expect, the world tries to answer this question by looking within the individual, it’s the “I am who and what I want to be” kind of attitude. But the Bible presents a completely different idea,Continue reading “Who am I, what is my identity?”