I have spent a lot of time procrastinating this week in the hope that, if I just managed to find enough other things to do, I wouldn’t have to write a blog post on this parable. I prefer passages where Jesus is more fluffy.
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RevoLectionary: 4th Sunday After Trinity
I don’t have OCD … but I (like many) struggle with some compulsive behaviour issues …
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RevoLectionary: Trinity Sunday
If I’m completely honest, I might have shelved this project if I had realised that Trinity Sunday was coming up. It’s one thing writing every week about the stories of Jesus and the disciples or reflecting on the Epistles through the seasons of the liturgical year … It is quite another to write a post on a point of Christian doctrine that, however crucial, rarely inspires.
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RevoLectionary: Pentecost Sunday
At the end of my time in Montreal a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of running an event called Roots, a symposium on young adult ministry. We raided IKEA to transform the diocesan conference room from a place for meetings into a place where people could truly meet and we invited leaders and interested parties from across the denominational spectrum.
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RevoLectionary: Seventh Sunday of Easter
This week’s Gospel reading is from John 17:1-11, a passage right in the middle of what we call ‘The Last Supper’. Matthew, Mark and Luke recount this event in one or two chapters before moving on to Jesus’ betrayal arrest and crucifixion. John, however, lingers here ...
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New Series: RevoLectionary
When I traveled to the US to speak for a few weeks in 2013, I had to carve out a few rules for myself. Some were rules about the obvious temptations that anyone faces while traveling but there were a couple more subtle rules that I gave myself about the kind of minister that I would be.
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God Has Not Spoken.
I’m trying to be the kind of person that applies the same standards to myself that I do to others. I’m sure there are many ways that I fail at this that I am oblivious to but it seems like a worthy pursuit.
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#SarahPalin: Waterboarding Is How We Will Baptise Our Enemies.
‘If I were in charge, they would know that waterboarding is how we baptise terrorists.’
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On Women In Ministry
I made a new friend recently. Within five minutes of meeting, it was very clear that we come from very different theological perspectives ...
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10 Things I Learned At #QNashville.
Started seven years ago by Gabe Lyons, the Q Conference is an interesting beast. The easiest way to describe it is ...
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Angels At The Tomb (Starring Gary Busey and Jay Baruchel)
There has been an idea rattling around my brainbox for a couple of years that I can’t seem to get away from. Like so many ideas, it’s vividly clear in my mind but I always thought it was too hard to explain …
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Dark Saturday
For people trying to figure out what it means to follow Jesus, Easter is an emotional rollercoaster.
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How Duck Dynasty and Buzzfeed Helped Me Backslide ...
Back in December, I got involved in a conversation that I probably shouldn’t have ...
Read MoreChurch: Street Fighter Edition
Is it really any wonder that people are freaked out by Christians?
Street Fighter II The Church Edition Street Fighter II (The Church Edition) Street Fighter II (The Church Edition) Street Fighter II (The Church Edition) Street Fighter II (The Church Edition) Street Fighter II (The Church Edition) Street Fight II (The Church Edition) Street Fight II (The Church Edition) Street Fight II (The Church Edition) Street Fight II (The Church Edition)
The Cheapest Gift.
No-one’s adolescence is perfect. During that most formative time of our lives, the words and actions of those around us shape how we see ourselves, whether for good or for ill.
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Cut This Crap.
This thing keeps popping up on my Facebook and Twitter feeds and every time it does, my blood pressure shoots up with it:
Read MoreFor I Know The Plans ...
As any of you who have read Closer Still will know ... I am not a big fan of Jeremiah 29:11. Thanks to several people who all went out of there way to send this to me today!
Against Revival.
A couple of years ago, I had a conversation that really messed with my head. I was visiting someone and they introduced me to one of their friends who began asking me about the condition of Christianity in Ireland today.
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Why I Don't And Won't #StandWithPhil.
From what the internet tells me (and I’ve heard it’s a reliable source), 1.4 million people have now liked the “Stand With Phil” Facebook page after the controversy surrounding the GQ interview with Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson in which he said the following:
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Dear Jesus ...
Dear Jesus,
Everyone around me seems to be talking about what they’ll be asking Santa to bring them for Christmas so I decided to write you a letter (even though, as you know, I talk to you every day.) Changing one letter in his name won’t make me fall for Satan’s dirty tricks. I know that your birthday is the real reason for Christmas.
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