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Showing posts from April, 2022

When you pray...

Do you pray? Have you thought about the way you pray, and how you address God when you pray? Have you listened to the ways other people pray? One Bible passage that I’ve been reflecting on during my recent sabbatical prompts these questions: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. ( Galatians 4:4-7 ) This is one of Paul’s summaries of the gospel – the good news – of what Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection achieved. There is a lot packed into this short passage, but we can note Paul’s emphasis that (because of our adoption as children , and as siblings of Jesus) we relate to God as our Father . One way that we experience and demonstrate

Why Study the Bible?

A couple of weeks ago the Sunday morning theme at church was 'Why Study the Bible?'  As I'm currently on sabbatical from church to enable me to study the Bible, I was asked to record a video contribution to the discussion.  Here are the questions I was asked, and my answers, probably a little more polished than in the video... Why did you decide to study theology at an academic level? * I've always been interested in what the Bible says, right from Sunday School!  I've always enjoyed learning more about the story and stories of the Bible, and how they point to God. In 2011 there was space in my life for study, and it seemed a useful thing to do, so I very tentatively - very part-time - started a BA course at Spurgeon's College which I completed in 2017.  In 2018 I started a part-time MA in Contemporary Missiology at Redcliffe College, which I am due to complete this summer. What did you gain from the course? I remember the first course I did - it was called Read