Mark Vroegop in his book on lament “Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy” writes this, “Finding an explanation or a quick solution for grief, while an admirable goal, can circumvent the opportunity afforded in lament – to give a person permission to wrestle with sorrow instead of rushing to end it.” (p.19) This quote got me thinkingContinue reading “Grief in a ‘pleasure v pain’ world”
Category Archives: Theology and Life
Virtue Signaling and Psalm 26
We probably all feel that natural and ironic cringe when we encounter virtue signalling and moral grandstanding. When you meet that person and within three minutes you know they are a Minimalist and all the ethical reasoning behind their choice. How righteous! And now the right hand knows what the left hand is doing, whichContinue reading “Virtue Signaling and Psalm 26”
To Ponder Suffering
As I ponder upon the magnitude and intensity of human suffering – specifics, generalisations, through history, at this very moment – I shake my head. Sometimes there are no words. Who can truly fathom it? Who can really give an exhaustive answer? Only God. In our limited experience we can do not much more thanContinue reading “To Ponder Suffering”
On Bread in the Bible
Recently the women of my small church had a weekend away. One of the organisers had suggested we look at the theme of ‘bread’ in the bible, as we were going to stay at the home of a sourdough baker. I was organising the talks and content side of things, and so I looked throughContinue reading “On Bread in the Bible”
On Work, and Not Working.
At the beginning of the year I was not a happy man. I wouldn’t say I was depressed, instead it might be labelled, “situational-down-and-out-ness.” In other words, I didn’t have a job. To be clear, I had put myself in this situation. When I finished my theological degree my plan was to look for part-timeContinue reading “On Work, and Not Working.”
Coming to Faith in a Pentecostal Church. Part 1.
I became a Christian through a Pentecostal church. It was a decent size church in a country town (around 50 – 100 people would attend on a Sunday). I attended the youth group and sometimes attended the Sunday church gatherings. So what was that all like? How did I become a Christian there and whatContinue reading “Coming to Faith in a Pentecostal Church. Part 1.”
The Alternative of My Doubt
In his book ‘keep the faith’, Martin Ayers says this, “when you are battling nagging doubt about a particular issue it’s important to think carefully about the alternative. In order for your doubt to be valid, something else must be true.” There is a lot to appreciate in the point that Martin makes. It’s veryContinue reading “The Alternative of My Doubt”
God, Death and ‘War of the Worlds’
In Howard Overman’s 2019 rendition of ‘War of the Worlds’ there is a very interesting scene that made me take note. A couple arrive at a military base looking for their son. They first of all find a woman who has lost her two kids. This woman asks the other mother, “Do you believe thereContinue reading “God, Death and ‘War of the Worlds’”
On God as Refuge
What does it mean for God to be a ‘rock of refuge’? If I trust God to be this, does that mean that he will prevent bad things from happening in my life? This is a question that myself and a friend were recently discussing. Perhaps you might have wondered the same thing. The ideaContinue reading “On God as Refuge”
On Minimalism. Part 2 – Defying and Deepening.
Minimalism is like a Swiss army knife diet in the hand of a materialistic glutton. It’ll help you get the job done in the way you need to get the job done, if of course you’re a materialistic glutton like me. But like every tool, we need to know what it’s made for. The followingContinue reading “On Minimalism. Part 2 – Defying and Deepening.”
Bigvai and Shiphrah 