How do you deal with your pain? We could ignore it and pretend it’s not there. We could medicate ourselves so that we feel less pain or suffering. If the pain is caused by someone who wants to hurt us then we want to hurt them back. We could blame others for our pain, sometimesContinue reading “Psalm 13 – A Model for Suffering and Lament”
Author Archives: Robbie
Struggles with Faith
When someone says they struggle with the faith, what comes next could be a myriad of different issues. People may struggle with an intellectual aspect to the faith – perhaps it’s the reliability of the gospel, or philosophical questions regarding suffering and God’s sovereignty. Others may struggle to simply ‘feel it’ (coming from a PentecostalContinue reading “Struggles with Faith”
“The Experiment of Faith”
When John Stott became a Christian, he spoke of his initial experience as taking, “the experiment of faith” – or to paraphrase, “I just gave it a go”. It got me thinking about how I became a Christian. I remember the time when I had exhausted many of the initial questions I had and atContinue reading ““The Experiment of Faith””
Modern law(lessness)
The modern human of western values is in the process of trying to re-write moral laws. What was once right is now wrong, what was once bad is acceptable, what was once a grey area is a display of the self – an expression of authenticity. Where do these modern moral laws come from? MuchContinue reading “Modern law(lessness)”
Moralism – Faith alone in Christ alone by Grace Alone…. Again
At the heart of Moralism is our innate tendency to secure for ourselves some sort of favour based on our performance. There is an intrinsic mixture of fear (due to failure, doing wrong) and pride (an arrogance in our ability to do good, which is itself ironically not good, and wrong). The human compass alwaysContinue reading “Moralism – Faith alone in Christ alone by Grace Alone…. Again”
Efficacy of God’s Word
The efficacy of God’s word (the Bible) is predicated on its origin. The speaker is God and his speech is his work. As God speaks he has in mind his own purposes for his speech. He may make a promise to us in his word, desiring us to trust him. He may warn us inContinue reading “Efficacy of God’s Word”
One Greater than Solomon
To think, Solomon was one of the greatest leaders in the Bible. Certainly in his time he experienced a prosperity unmatched in the biblical record. Not only was he blessed but under his wisdom and leadership all of Israel were blessed. He had fleets of trade ships bringing in all sorts of gold and silverContinue reading “One Greater than Solomon”
A Framework for Testing Beliefs
In her book on the brain and consciousness, Sharon Dirckx presents an alternative to the materialistic view regarding the mind. In order to do this she starts by asking three simple questions about testing beliefs that we (or others) hold. Is it internally coherent? Does the matrix of the belief make sense according to itsContinue reading “A Framework for Testing Beliefs”
The Science of Personhood
Today, for good reason, science stands on a tall podium. The views of scientists are often the most sought after and influential ideas in Western society. Having labels such as “scientifically proven/tested”, are sure to gain keen ears. Again, let me state, this guy is all for science (I have a bachelor in nursing scienceContinue reading “The Science of Personhood”
Wisdom in God’s Ways
Good living looks good. When you see successful living, you want to know how they do it don’t you? There is a passage in the Bible recording Moses’ words to his people just before they enter into the Promised Land, very near the inception of their nationhood. It reads, “See, I have taught you decreesContinue reading “Wisdom in God’s Ways”
Bigvai and Shiphrah 