James’s Blog: The Psalms – Greatest Hits.

James’s Blog: The Psalms – Greatest Hits.

The thing about reading the Psalms is that occasionally, at just the right time, there will be a sliver of poetry that speaks directly to your heart. Here are some crumbs from the table that have fed my soul in the past, and continue to do so, along with commentary on what they mean to me.

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James’s Blog: Tax Return.

James’s Blog: Tax Return.

Another post from the archives here (April 2011). This one resonated with me more than I expected, and not just because the tax year ended last month. Possibly it’s because the Coronavirus situation and recent health issues for Ruth have thrown up that recurring question for me again – how can one learn to be content in each and every situation?

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James’s Blog: The Waiting Psalms.

James’s Blog: The Waiting Psalms.

I’ve been reading a book called ‘Deeper Places: The Spirituality of the Psalms’ by Matthew Jacoby, and I was struck by something that I read today. He suggests that the most common experience conveyed by the Psalms is the experience of waiting for God to show up.

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James’s Blog: Now That’s What James Calls Worship #6.

James’s Blog: Now That’s What James Calls Worship #6.

There’s been a long pause between these posts, but I thought it might be time to resurrect this series. Lockdown makes me think strange things, you see.

Today I shall be highlighting the merits of the song ‘Invert’ by the Swedish band Blindside. Read more

James’s Blog: Fridge.

James’s Blog: Fridge.

I get frustrated with myself and my inability to ever create things that are as good as I want them to be. It’s embarrassing.

I think about God, the first content provider, and wonder what He must make of it all. Read more

James’s Blog: Forgiveness Plus.

James’s Blog: Forgiveness Plus.

With everything that’s going on it might be easy to forget that Easter is on the way. We lose sight of Easter at our peril, especially at a time like this, so that’s what I’m going to write about for the next couple of weeks. I’m sure you’ve had your fill of talking about the Coronavirus anyway…

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James’s Blog: Something From My Firebrand Phase…

James’s Blog: Something From My Firebrand Phase…

Here’s another old blog post – May 14th 2011. As you will see, I used to be quite opinionated. Actually, to be honest, this is still the way I think about church and mission. I thought it seemed quite relevant, considering that we’ve currently lost our ability to invite people to physical gatherings. If nothing else, the next few months is going to expose whether or not our churches really are missional or not…

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James’s Blog: Brave New World.

James’s Blog: Brave New World.

I didn’t go to church on Sunday. The elders asked me to stay away.

I wish it was because my preaching is just too radical, but it was because I have been coming off the tail-end of a probably-not-Covid-19 cold and had been left with a cough. Read more

James’s Blog: The Real Sickness.

James’s Blog: The Real Sickness.

It’s been curious to track the passage of Covid-19 by the newspaper headlines. We’ve gone from a story announcing that ‘Something is Happening Over There’, to a stream of stories announcing that ‘Something is Now Getting Closer’, to a barrage of headlines telling us that ‘Something is Now Here. HERE! IT’S HERE!’.

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