Pastoral Articles
The Anomaly of Autonomy
An anomaly is that which deviates from what is normal or expected. Some examples might include: “Snow in Johannesburg in November is an anomaly,” “Bafana, Bafana in the World Cup is an anomaly,” or “Doug preaching short is an anomaly.” And so it goes. But last Sunday...
Don’t Just Kneel There, Pray Something
Once when one of my daughters was going through a difficult time I said, “I am praying for you. I am praying that the Lord will deliver you from this trial. And, if I could, I would take away in an instant the hardship you are experiencing.” I was speaking as a father...
When Good People Get Caught up in Judgement
Judgement is a heavy topic to consider at any time. God’s wrath is not something that anyone really enjoys meditating on, not even Christians who are spared God’s wrath in Christ. Recently, I spoke to Doug after a morning service, where he had preached on God’s...
Finishing Well, and Finishing Kind
Conservative evangelicalism over the past forty-plus years has not, sadly, been known for its kindness—at least not to its own “tribe.” Lots of infighting, name calling, and the casting of aspersions on those with whom we disagree has characterised much of our...
Prayerful Expectation
In the history of missions, William Carey’s bold faith was best articulated in his oft-quoted conviction: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” Carey was biblically persuaded that Christians individually and congregations corporately should...
When Talk Becomes Sin: Meditating on the Nature of Gossip
A most destructive sin to relationships, including those in the local church, is the sin of gossip. Speaking maliciously, untruthfully, or unhelpfully about another—in their absence—is sinful as defined by scripture. And yet certainly there are times when it is both...
Every Breath You Take
This week, I, along with many other pastors and Bible teachers, had the privilege to attend a Charles Simeon Trust Workshop, hosted by Imprint, on the book of Ecclesiastes. It was good to dig into this portion of Scripture, both uncovering its meaning and discovering...
Stolen Focus
The other day I was watching an instructional video regarding the Simeon Trust Workshops (taking next week here at Brackenhurst Baptist Church next week). It was a fifteen-minute video explaining how to lead the breakout small groups where students work through...
Precious in God’s Sight
Brackenhurst Baptist Church is no stranger to sorrow, including profound sorrow—the kind of sorrow experienced by our sister Kay Govender and her family this week. Last Sunday (22 June) Kay’s husband and our brother in Christ, Mannie, died while on a family holiday in...