The MiT Diaries – It’s all Greek…
Welcome to the MiT Diaries! MiT in UK Baptist terminology means ‘Minister in Training’ after this I become a NAM …
Category Archives: freedom
Be Ever Graceful
As I continue down the path that will eventually lead to ordination, or so God tells me, I learn and …
Feeling Real
Parenthood has so far been a fascinating journey for us. I don’t know how I expected to feel, but it …
Dad’ll Fix it
Since becoming a father I have changed in many ways. One of these ways is fixing things. Or at least …
Parenting, Judgement & the Nativity
Dear Parents of toddlers, I formally apologise to you. There have been times before Little Welford joined us when I …
Facedown
I can be a little deluded about myself and my giftings. I like to think it’s charming but I’m probably …
Feeling Good
One of the things that strikes me in my new found fatherhood is what drives little Welford’s decisions and reactions. …
(Some) Things Change
It is so easy to become overly engrossed in your own small and largely insignificant life. To my shame I …
If it makes you happy…
Once in youth group I asked the young people what they thought God wanted for their lives. There was a …
Commitment
Two weeks ago I wrote about contagious generosity. This was followed by a post on infectious passion last week. To …
Hamsters & Freedom
My 8 year old niece has a hamster called Cheese. Cheese has stayed at our house a few times now …
The Real Question
There is a question we all fear, and don’t really know how to answer. No doubt it is an important …
Barabbas
Jesus is nervous. He is awaiting trial. The people hate him and with good reason. The whispers about him are …
Filled to be emptied
I hardly ever sign off my emails ‘God Bless you’ but a lot of people do. I always felt it …
My Evening as a Stripper
It’s been a busy couple of months, on top of work, our ongoing adoption process, Christmas, New Year and the …
Worship What?
This morning I finished my Bible in a year book. Just like the regular Bible it ends in Revelation. What …
Autocorrect Theology
Autocorrect. A modern invention that operates in the background of most devices we type on. Correcting our mistakes and faux …
Conflict Zone: Cogito EGO sum
In his sermon and book ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfullness’ Timothy Keller talks about getting to the place where the ego …
Conflict Zone: Humility
The first major lesson I have learnt when it comes to conflict is that it all starts with me. One …
Prophets of Doom
Prophecy. That old chestnut. Some find the very idea of it controversial. Others hear from God left, right and centre. …
Disillusioned
“Seems you created your own illusion, fuelled by an image of me” The above are lyrics to a song by …
Mercy not Sacrifice: Gratitude
I love my wife. I am not always very good at expressing this. Sometimes the love of self wins out. …
Sleep and Stress
I often struggle to remember my dreams for very long after waking up unless the dream was particularly eventful or …
The Great Unchangeable Me: Speed Freak
Patience is apparently a virtue, but it is one that seems to becoming extinct, at least in my life. We …
The Great Unchangeable Me: Success
The film School of Rock ends with a battle of the bands. Jack Black’s fraudulently taught class of young teenagers …
What Matters
Yet again the debate of a literal Adam and Eve vs evolution has reared its ugly head. Tomorrow I will …
Accidentally on Purpose
Do you ever have one of those moments when time seems to freeze and all the possible choices are laid …
Counter Balance
We were holidaying in Crete with another couple when we decided to hire a couple of mopeds. At the rental shop they asked us all if we had ridden a moped before. I said yes. I lied. How hard can it be I thought? I don’t want to appear like an english idiot I reasoned. So with Anna on the back I turned the key and gunned the engine. Tearing onto the road, taking the corner way too wide and careening on to the wrong side of the road into on coming traffic.
Comforting Accusations
You are rubbish. Honestly you are a totally idiot. No one else would waste so much as effectively as you do. No one else would use their time for such idiotic escapades. Who else do you know that abuses grace so profoundly as you? To be honest mate why don’t you just jack it all in? You lack discipline and you are probably never going to have enough to be good enough! Yes theres always grace, but don’t you think you have pushed it a bit too far? How many times can someone (specifically YOU) be forgiven? Does God really forgive everything?! You are taking the mick. And you know it. Why don’t you go out and spoil yourself – there’s a whole world out there to make you feel better – go for it kid. After all if you are going to ruin everything you touch you may as well have fun doing it.
Letter from Jesus
I want you to know that I see your daily struggle to follow me and the guilt that cripples you when you fail, I know that you are often your harshest and most unforgiving critic. I need to tell you to stop assuming how I will feel about your so called failings and instead just come and spend time with me. On occasion you will need telling straight but my anger is slow and top trumped by my grace.
Free to be Free
But you are also free to sin, free to choose your own way, free to hate. Free to value yourself over others, to be selfish free to oppress, abuse and kill.
