St Jude's Mapperley Archive Blog

One of the things I really like about Macclesfield is the surrounding countryside. Yes, the town itself may well be one of the least cultured towns in the country (a title which it "won" a couple of years ago), but it's right on the edge of one of the most spectacular bits of the Peak District. Here are some photos (all within 5 miles of here). Only the last two photos are of the same lake.

This week was my last Sunday at Holy Trinity, Hurdsfield. I'll really miss them - they even threw me into the pool! Thanks so much, Jonny, Simon, Darren, Dai and Mark. It meant a lot, and I mean that!

What do you do for fun? Cooking, swimming, reading books (historical fiction / sci fi / fantasy), watching films, walking in the countryside, quizzes, board games. How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? I don't care. What are the top 5 books that have shaped your theological thought aside from the Bible? Really tough to answer... In no particular order: John Stott – The Message of Romans . I read it as a teenager while on holiday and it really helped me get my head around God's plan for the world. John Piper – Desiring God . Piper's whole idea about God seeking his own joy and glory needs more Trinitarian focus, but this book really helped me to understand that emotions are an important part of the Christian life rather than a hindrance. Jack Deere – Surprised by the Power of the Spirit . Deere's basic question - “If you just had the New Testament, would you expect God to speak outside Scripture or not?” helped to open my eyes to the fact that he sometime...

Here are Tim Keller’s top ten tips for personal evangelism: Let people around you know you are a Christian (in a natural, unforced way) Ask friends about their faith – and just listen! Listen to your friends’ problems – maybe offer to pray for them Share your problems with others – testify to how your faith helps you Give them a book to read Share your story Answer objections and questions Invite them to a church event Offer to read the Bible with them Take them to an explore course He apparently goes on to say that we too often start with 8-10 because we think these are what count as true evangelism, but we need to start with 1-4 with most people. Indeed we may need to loop through them several times before we can move on to 5-10. (HT - Tim Chester ) I guess the tricky bit for me is #4. And yet it is so important - last week I was preaching on 2 Corinthians 4, which is all about God's power and glory shining through our weaknesses and cracks. Yet so often we feel as if we ha...

I read quite a lot of books. The best book I've read this year is probably The Good God by Michael Reeves. It's a book about the Trinity. The big point is that the Trinity is central to understanding who God is, to understanding the difference between Christianity and other religions, and to understanding how we can be saved. Reeves doesn't say anything new, but he explains the theology very accessibly and clearly, quoting and explaining "big name" theologians like Athanasius, Augustine, Luther and Richard of St Victor in a way that is accessible to all, and he does it very well. It would be my top recommendation for anyone wanting to understand the Trinity and why it matters, whether they were a new Christian or training for ordination. My one criticism of the book is it could be very good for ecumenism as well - building links between evangelical theology and the Roman Catholics and Orthodox, but the end lets it down in that sense. Trinitarianism is tru...