What a week it has been!First, I performed my one man show, "Rev'd Up" last Saturday. It seemed to go pretty well - around 250 came, clapped in all the right places, and between them have given over £2,000 to support the Ugandan charities that Clare, Emily and I will be visiting in October.
I've also launched my new album, "Songs of Life". If you are interested in hearing a selection of songs from the album, please click twice on the music player (at the top of this page on the right...looks a bit like an i-pod. If you are interested in buying a copy (please!) go to my music page for details of how to do so. I hope you enjoy it!
In the meantime, I've preached a couple of sermons which you might want to catch up with. The first is titled "Living By Faith" - which I hope is a self-explanatory title! (It starts with a most informative and useful section of quotes from "101 Things To Do During A Dull Sermon" by Tim Sims and Dan Pegoda.) You can read it by clicking here.
The second, from yesterday, is a sermon called "The Fruit of the Spirit". What's the difference between living by human nature, or by the Spirit of God? To get thinking about that, try yesterday's sermon, which you can read by clicking here.
That's all for now folks! Have a great week!
Tom
Hi Tom,
ReplyDeleteWow, it sounds like you've had a busy week! Umm, I was just hoping for some guidance really. I've been a 'Christian' all my life but mostly only because my parents are and it was what I was brought up with. I am now beginning to have doubts about what I believe and was wondering where I should start to really explore my faith. Other than reading my Bible do you have any other suggestions? Thanks.
Hi there Anonymous!
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to give specific advice without knowing more about your circumstances. Feel free to email me (there's an email link on the left of this website) if you want to respond to what follows - or tell me more about your circumstances.
I can suggest a few ideas. First, to think about your faith on an intellectual level, I recommend two books in particular:
1)"Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis (a very readable, short book which will get you thinking) and
2)"Simply Christian" by Tom Wright (the current Bishop of Durham).
The second suggestion is to use my email to ask me about any specific issue which may be bothering you. I would be glad to try to answer.
More fundamentally, however - let me ask you, are you currently in a church? There is no better way to explore your faith than living and learning with other pilgrims.
If if helps, here's an analogy which might help: you can kick a football around the garden on your own all your like...even learning to do 'keepy-uppy' for hours...but until you actually play with a team, you can't really consider yourself a footballer - or get the chance to hone your skills. I would encourage you therefore to find a local church in which you feel initially comfortable, and open yourself to the possibility of God talking to you through others in the church.
You might also want to look out for an Alpha Course, or "Christianity Explored" course in your locality. (We are running the latter in Emsworth this autumn). They are a great way of exploring your faith.
Another idea: you might like to find someone who you trust, who you know to be an experienced Christian, and ask them to spend some time with you exploring the issue of faith. (Most experienced Christians have been through times of doubt - and are often the stronger for it.)
I hope those are some helpful ideas to get you started. As I say, please don't hesitate to come back to me in a less public forum if you want to talk about specific issues.
Best wishes
Tom
I seem to have got no further on thinking through things. I am only 18 and find it hard to discuss with my parents as we have never really spoken about our faith - it has just somewhat been assumed.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, Long time no contact! Good to hear from you again... I was wondering whether you had made any progress.
ReplyDeleteIf you live anywhere near Emsworth, I would be delighted to meet up with you to tease out some of these issues. But if you live further away, that will be more difficult. Why not email me directly. so we can chat via email, rather than in this more public arena of a blog? My email address is tom.kennar@ntlworld.com. Feel free to ask any question you like... you won't shock me, I promise!
I hope to hear from you soon, and will be praying for you in the meantime. I might not know your name, but be assurred that God knows you!
Best wishes
Tom