Church Life

Death is not nothing

Fri, 15/08/2008 - 10:22 -- James Oakley
Death - nothing? At all?
Image Credit: Mark Faviell

I have huge respect for Christopher Idle. I love the hymns he writes. And he's a godly man with a wise, pastoral heart. I was searching for some of his hymns, when I found something rather different.

Doubtless, many readers of this will be familiar with Henry Scott Holland's poem Death is Nothing at all. For those who don't know it:

Death is nothing at all. It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.
Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you, and the old life
Death is Nothing at all

Blog Category: 
Pastoral Ministry

The Spirit-filled church

Wed, 13/08/2008 - 12:09 -- James Oakley

Lovely quotation from Leithart in Against Christianity on what a Spirit-filled church looks like:

Christian myth and ritual shape the people of God, by the power of the Spirit, into conformity to Christ, creating within the Church a palpable aroma of love, peace, purity, joy, ministry, mission and forgiveness. That aroma spreads from the Church to the city around it.

blockquote

Blog Category: 
Church Life

Personality Types

Thu, 24/04/2008 - 09:19 -- James Oakley

Neil’s 8 biblical personality types offers a very helpful analysis of the kinds of people we find in the church and in the world at large. I, for one, find his Venn diagram most helpful to see the map at a glance.

He concludes with one of the right questions: “As a minister, the question is, how should God’s word be ministered and applied to each personality type?”

See also my earlier post on William Perkins’ categories of hearer

Blog Category: 
Pastoral Ministry

Lord's Day

Mon, 21/04/2008 - 09:58 -- James Oakley

I most enjoyed Jam’s discussion with himself on the issues surrounding work on a Sunday.

Many of us, instinctively, think that refusing to work on a Sunday is a bad thing. Ideally we wouldn’t do it very often, but we mustn’t make a rule out of it. Surely, in this day and age when grace rules, Sabbath observance has had its day?

Not quite so simple. It’s all about how we use our freedom.

Anyway: Enjoy reading New Jam in dialogue with Old Jam

Blog Category: 
Theology
Church Life

Postmillenial Hymn of the Day

Thu, 14/02/2008 - 16:08 -- James Oakley

God is working his purpose out,
As year succeeds to year;
God is working His purpose out,
And the time is drawing near;
Nearer and nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled
With the glory of God,
As the waters cover the sea.

Blog Category: 
Theology
Hymns and Songs

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