Which role will we choose for ourselves in this epic play of life? Choose quickly, because someone else may already be selecting a part for us.
Acting Christians
Author: derrickjohnphillips
An ordinary bloke. More than that - an ordinary Christian bloke.
That counts. It means that I live in hope. Not the wishful-thinking kind of hope, but an active hope built on faith and fueled by experience. Becoming old just takes time but, my years have been full of challenges overcome, joys experienced, trials that became valuable lessons, and constant contact with God. When I was young I had a future; now I'm older, I have a past; but I still have a future to look forward to, and there's no end to it.
My career is now in the past. I was once a member of a nationally known Christian rock group and my music hasn't quite gone away (I still play acoustic guitar) but it's no longer at the core of my life. Writing and prayer are now my main occupations - and being a grandfather. The primary passions that are reflected in my writing are Church, Bible, and Prayer.
Without Doubt
Don't be afraid of doubt - it is an important means of protection and a route to strengthening faith.
Resurrection
The ultimate Christian hope is bodily resurrection in a renewed Earth, but ideas originating in Platonism and Gnosticism have led many believers into a watered-down hope – the prospect of an eternity as disembodied souls in a non- material “heaven”.
Reasonable Holiness
Holiness has become a rarely used word, even in Christian circles. It’s gone out of fashion. Does that matter? Is holiness reasonable and relevant for today? Do we want it? Is it achievable?
A boring documentary
Alone in a hotel room I didn't expect the TV to offer much to interest me, but I came across a documentary that bored into my hidden feelings - grief for my long-dead mother.
Jesus in the Wilderness
Jesus began his ministry following his encounter with John the Baptist. The four Gospels are unanimous about that, and it’s an easy story to understand. But the next story, whilst familiar, is much harder to comprehend. We are presented with a picture of God incarnate in a head-to-head debate with the Devil. What’s happening here?
Jesus exhausted
Jesus stilled the storm. It’s a well-known story that's usually told to show how powerful Jesus was. But the story starts from a quite different perspective. As he boards the boat, there’s a little phrase in the story that we can easily miss. It says that the disciples took Jesus “as he was”.
Aberfan Day
The Aberfan tragedy was a result of corporate negligence. But it’s not enough to blame that corporation and ignore our own failings. We each have freedom of choice – freedom to drop a bottle on the ground and leave it there to cause a deadly wildfire – freedom to discard a plastic bag that will end up as a sea-borne hazard to wildlife – freedom to live just for ourselves and overlook the needs of others.
The preacher who couldn’t dissimulate
I knew a man called Maurice Smith. Thousands of people knew Maurice, because he was a prominent leader in the charismatic/House Church movement in the second half of the twentieth-century. He travelled widely in the UK and the USA, addressed meetings in locations as varied as London's Albert Hall, and private house front rooms, and … Continue reading The preacher who couldn’t dissimulate
Philemon Love
I don't recall ever hearing a sermon based on Philemon, and I probably wouldn’t have started this study but for a question from a friend.
Derrick John Phillips 