Author Archives: admin

Preaching with clarity – top ten tips

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Peter Mead suggests some hints and reminders.  I summarise them here:-

1. Preach one big idea.

2. Structure your thoughts.  Let there be clear, simple, logical progression of ideas.  If you know where you are going, it is more likely your listeners will travel with you.

3. Get rid of unnecessary content.  Every message needs some time in the cutting room.  Remove anything – however interesting or useful – that is superfluous to your goal of communicating your main idea effectively and clearly. …

The Last Adam

Walking With Giants Posted on by

O Loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came

(J.H. Newman).

But according to 1 Cor 15:45, Jesus is the last Adam, showing that he is not one in a possible series, but the only and final alternative to the first Adam.

Jesus is indeed called ‘the second man’ in 1 Cor 15:47, because he was the only man since Adam to stand as fully human in the world, and because he is the first of a new series, a new humanity, Rom 8:29).…

Stuart Townend in Norwich

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Holy Trinity, Norwich, was the venue last night for a concert from Stuart Townend and band.  Our church was packed, with tickets having sold out well in advance.

Stuart is, of course, one of the most celebrated contemporary Christian song-writers and worship leaders.

Special guest Mark Edwards on keyboard was supported by Mike Haughton on saxes and other wind instruments, Julian Ferraretto on violin, a superb bassist (and trumpeter!) whose name escapes me for the moment, and 18-year-old Joseph Townend doing sterling work on drums.…

‘Darwin’s Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species’ – BBC Four

Walking With Giants Posted on by

I’ve just got round to viewing a recording of this BBC documentary, which  was broadcast on 28th September.

It covers much of the same ground as the recent film ‘Creation’, although giving less attention to biographical details and more (in true BBC style) to the presentation of gorgeous images that supplement Darwin’s account of the ‘struggle for survival’ in the world of nature.

We are not surprised to be told, at some length, of a parallel struggle – the struggle between science and religion. …

Psa 104 – Did Darwin kill God? (sermon notes)

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Here is a Powerpoint presentation used as the basis for a sermon preached in the light of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, the 150 anniversary of the publication of his Origin of Species, and the recent release of the film ‘Creation’ which documents some of the events in Darwin’s life leading up to the publication of that book.

Psalm 104 was read during the service.

…

Heb 4:1-13 – Don’t miss out (sermon notes)

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Text: Hebrews 4:1-13

[These are the notes of a short sermon prepared for an all-age service]

God’s people are on a journey. We have a goal, a destination, in view. But we need to make sure we don’t miss out.  How can we do that?

1. Get started

When you travel by plane, you start with take-off. But I wonder if you have ever thought, as you boarded a plane, ‘This will never get off the ground’.…

Genesis or evolution: do we have to choose?

Walking With Giants Posted on by

‘What About Genesis?’, ask Denis Alexander, in his book Creation or Evolution: Do We Have To Choose?  What follows is based on Alexander’s discussion.

Two preliminary points.  The final authority of Scripture in all matters of faith and conduct is fundamental.  Although modern science can shed light on the interpretation of the Bible, the relationship between the Bible and science is not such that we should relying on science to determine the meaning of the biblical text, or vice-versa.…

Heb 2:5-13 – What’s in a name? – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

[Here are the notes of a short talk given at an informal breakfast ‘event’ hosted by Holy Trinity Church, Norwich.]

Consider the following sets of names:-

Ram – Nahshon – Akim
Abraham – Isaac – David
Tamar – Rahab – Ruth
Rehoboam – Manasseh – Amon

They are all found in the list of 46 names, spanning 2,000 years, that we find in Matthew chapter 1. They include non-descripts, heroes, women (each with an interesting story to tell!)…

Explanation, Explanation, Explanation

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Levels of Explanation

There are varous kinds of explanations, corresponding roughly to the questions ‘What?’, ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’

  • We might ask, ‘What is a kettle?’  This requires an interpretive explanation, clarifiying what the word ‘kettle’ means.
  • We might ask, ‘How is a kettle made up?‘  This requires a descriptive interpretation, identifying the various components of a kettle.
  • We might ask, ‘Why is the kettle boiling?‘  This requires a reason-giving explanation, but a number of these could be given. 
…

Once again: the legendary Wilberforce-Huxley encounter

Walking With Giants Posted on by

For a good story to be passed on from father to son, from teacher to pupil, from book to reader, it isn’t always necessary for it to be true, it’s sometimes enough simply for it to be a good story that some people would like to be true.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) presents scant regard for historical accuracy in its account of Samuel Wilberforce and his famous debate with T.H. Huxley in Oxford on June 30th 1860.…