One of the things we have come to deeply appreciate since moving to the UK is the way liturgy is incorporated into services and prayer meetings. It is not dry, dusty, or merely done for tradition or ritual’s sake. It is thoughtfully presented and entered into. It is an opportunity to engage on both a [...]
Many years ago I visited a growing church in a prominent Wisconsin city and heard words I’ve carried ever since. The senior pastor - a man I have continued to admire greatly - shared the following: “I recently received an email from a former attender of [church name] that began with words of thanks for our [...]
A question that has arisen over the years is this: How "creative" should we seek to be in our gathered Sunday worship? As one who has looked more into the regulative vs normative principles, I’d say I fall somewhere in the middle - I think we’re given freedom in the ways we follow the prescribed [...]
“And so this is Christmas what have we done?Another year over,A new one just begun.”True confession: though I live in England, I’m not much of a John Lennon fan. But every year from Dec 26 to Jan 2 this song echoes in my mind - “So this is Christmas… what have we done?” Let me [...]
Some years ago, I attended a worship music conference and was struck by a statement one of the seminar presenters made about song choice and song repertoire. He said, Much like a preacher who sees his job as bringing out the diamond (the Scriptures) each week and then turning it so that his audience can [...]
In a return to this blog, today’s post is very simple. If you lead a church in any capacity… If you attend church… Read.This.Book
Debates and dialogue have persisted for many years about the focus of the Sunday gathering – with the spectrum from “only the true believers should gather” to “this is primarily for the unbelieving.” Rather than delve more deeply into those thoughts and answers from the Biblical model, I’d like to ask all of us in [...]
Something we utterly treasure, living in Europe, are mealtimes with other families and guests in our home. When sharing a meal with another family, there’s no often no rushing off to games or telly. There’s a heightened sense of lingering in each other’s presence. Dinner can begin at 6pm and last until 10pm. After the [...]
A good friend from my small group and I were recently chatting about how the current pandemic has affected the Church and pondering its lasting effects on the Church. What will church look like when we can finally fling wide the doors? Will life be the same? What pre-pandemic things are worth leaving behind? What [...]
Ever since lockdown began, I’ve longed to back together in-person for church, and last Sunday we were finally able to attend service at a local Anglican church where the vicar is a dear friend. We knew to expect it to be different. It was, but, it was so good to be back worshipping as the [...]
DREaM in London 