Clik here to view.
How to be ‘Missional’ without setting up a program.
Lessons from an expert (…who is sorely missed)
View ArticleClik here to view.
The red herring of relevance
It’s not very often that I find myself in hearty agreement with the Rev. Dr. Giles Fraser; when it happens, it’s surely worth a mention! And so I am going to quote in full Giles’ Sept. 26th ‘Thought...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The real Jesus and the real Christian life
This morning at our men’s Bible Study group we looked at 2 Corinthians 11. Two things jumped out at me in particular: First, in verse 4 Paul says, ‘For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Loyalty to Jesus on election day
Mennonite pastor Mark Schloneger will be observing U.S. election day tomorrow by going to the Lord’s Table. It’s a profoundly political act – remembering the ultimate Lordship of Jesus Christ, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Strong Faith for Tough Times (a sermon on Revelation 1:5)
I suspect that if we were to draw up a list of our favourite promises of Jesus, one that would not be at the top of the list is “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Nonetheless, it is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Do Lifelong Churchgoers Need a Crisis Conversion?
If a person is raised in a Christian home, do they need to have a personal conversion? Or will they just grow gradually into faith through watching and listening to their parents and other people in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Faith and Depression
Incredibly moving blog post from Katharine Welby. The bible is my key. Reading the psalms (that oh so regularly quoted ‘you can yell at God, look’ book) I find that I don’t need to have hope every...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chaim Potok on biblical criticism
I’m a big fan of the late Chaim Potok, one of the great Jewish writers of the 20th century, who died in 2002. His novels, including ‘The Chosen‘, ‘The Promise‘, ‘My Name is Asher Lev‘, and ‘The Book of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The most important thing the church does
Vic Van Den Berg has a fine post on this subject over at his blog ‘Vic the Vicar‘. Here’s an excerpt: Being a disciple means that I want to learn how to look like, act like, think like, live like, love...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Discuss amongst yourselves
If asked the question, ‘Are you religious, or are you spiritual?’ I think I would respond ‘Neither, although I do try to live as a follower of Jesus’.
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Love Bade Me Welcome’
Tonight I read Christian Wiman’s account of a part of his faith journey. Here’s an extract: Then one morning we found ourselves going to church. Found ourselves. That’s exactly what it felt like, in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Cheers for Radicals
The older I get as a Christian, the more convinced I become that real New Testament Christianity is way more radical than my denomination is comfortable with! Hey, it’s way more radical than I’m...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The ‘Faith or Works’ debate bores me
It’s hard to believe that it is so, but there are in fact still Christians who get steamed up about the question of whether we are saved by faith or works. This, for those who may be unaware of it, was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What we’re supposed to be up to…
“Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reed Fleming’s blog
I hope that all my readers make regular trips over to Reed Fleming’s blog. Reed is an old friend of mine – we first met in 1978 – and we served together in the ‘Church Army in Canada’, which is now...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart
I came across this hymn this week on The Music Box. All I can say is, those old writers knew how to pen a hymn. Lord, thee I love with all my heart; I pray thee, ne’er from me depart, With tender...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Robert Eric Chesterton, December 5th 1931 – August 12th 2013
My Dad died of complications from Parkinson’s Disease on Monday evening at his home in Oakham, Rutland. I was about to leave Edmonton for Oakham in the hopes of spending a few last days with him, but I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More about my Dad
I want to go into a little more detail about my Dad. As I said in a previous post, my Dad, Robert Eric Chesterton (‘Bob’), was born in Leicester, UK on December 5th 1931. He was the third of five...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Joy and Suffering: A Sermon for my Dad’s Funeral
September 3rd 2013 Text: 1 Peter 1:3-9 I’d like to begin by thanking you all, every single one of you, for coming today for this very special service, as we give thanks to God for my Dad’s life and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reflections inspired by mortality
So the day of my Dad’s funeral has come and gone. It seems strange, somehow; I’ve lived with the impending reality of this day for two or three years, since the day Dad asked me to preach at it, and...
View Article