How true, how telling

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“He that hath slight thoughts of sin, never had great thoughts of God.”

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The Trellis and the Vine

This book dropped through my letterbox this morning:



Rarely have I come across a book which has received such lavish praise from people I greatly respect. Looking forward to reading it..

Oh and if you'd like to read some reviews or order it yourself- you can do so here.

Pleading the Promises in Prayer

I heard recently of a project within the Church of England recently whereby people were invited to text their prayers to the C of E assured that a bishop would pray for each one. (More here.)

I don’t have any strong objection to such a scheme, but it made me wonder how often our prayers are little more that short texts hastily fired heavenward. We’re used now to sending little abridged texts, twittering or facebooking brief status updates.

Real relationships however are only grounded in real communication.

There is certainly a time for short, direct, to-the-point prayers. Jesus often prayed this way. But he also carved out time to spend alone with his Heavenly Father, and we must too. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds us of the importance of reading and reflecting on the promises of God, and then wrestling with our Heavenly Father in real, pleading, prayer:

"The Fathers used to use this great term- 'pleading the promises.' You never hear it now. Why? Because people do not really pray any longer, they send little telegrams to God. They think that that is the height of spirituality. They know nothing about 'wrestling' with God and 'pleading the promises'."


Who knows what the Lord might do in our individual lives, and the life of our fellowship, were we to read and to wrestle like that!

Say it like you mean it!

Here's a wee video for those of us who are tired with humility being confused with uncertaninty, and conviction with narrow-mindedness.

I found it both funny and inspiring.

Preach the Word

This article by Steven Lawson is well worth reading from start to finish, but here's a sample:

A heaven-sent revival will only come when Scripture is enthroned once again in the pulpit. There must be the clarion declaration of the Bible, the kind of preaching that gives a clear explanation of a biblical text with compelling application, exhortation, and appeal.

Every preacher must confine himself to the truths of Scripture. When the Bible speaks, God speaks. The man of God has nothing to say apart from the Bible. He must not parade his personal opinions in the pulpit. Nor may he expound worldly philosophies. The preacher is limited to one task — preach the Word...

...May a new generation of strong men step forward and speak up, and may they do so loud and clear. As the pulpit goes, so goes the church.

Had the privilege of attending the 9 Marks Conference at Charlotte Chapel last week. Found it challenging, stimulating and encouraging in equal measure. The talks and Q&A sessions are now available for download at Charlotte Chapel's website here. Details below.

• Session 1 - A Theological Vision - Churches that Display God's Glory + Slides + Q&A
• Session 2 - Preaching and Biblical Theology + Q&A
• Session 3 - Gospel, Conversion and Evangelism + Q&A
• Session 4 - Membership, Discipline and Discipleship + Q&A
• Session 5 - Leadership + Q&A
• Session 6 - Covenanting Together + Q&A

What I learned at Holiday Club

Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Luke 18:16-17

Holiday Club 2009 finished up on Sunday. Here’s what I learned this year.

Children listen.

I mean really listen.

We quizzed them twice every day on the talks and stories, and found it almost impossible to find a question they could not answer.

What would church be like, if people listened like that? If people had that level of desire to learn about the Lord, and to listen for His voice? One of the great discouragements that preachers face is pouring out their lives for a 30 minute message, and finding many people don’t really listen- often because they just can’t be bothered.

Lord, grant us the listening ears of little children when it comes to your Word,

Amen.