DEAR THEOPHILUS

Busy, busy month. One release. One revision. In the past week, I’ve managed to publish the fifth book in my School Series – School of Ministry. What I had assumed would be the School of Leadership soon morphed into something very different. Possibly even, unique – who knows? Whereas the Christian market is flooded with some great books on church leadership. I’ve never actually read a book on church ministry. So, here’s my rather weird and very autobiographical approach, bas

The title "Pneumatic Integrity" was given to me for a seminar back in 2006. Such a serious subject, yet it started as a joke – or a challenge. The initial use of the word pneumatic instead of the more reasonable term – spiritual – may well have been part of the tongue-in-cheek assignment. However, the scheduled teaching day was already in the diary, and now I had a fresh subject to prepare for. My original notes contained a fairly significant bell chart/diagram /graph, show

This month we come to the topic of prophecy. Or to be more accurate, the New Testament gift of prophecy. If we don’t use this longer title a host of red herrings surface as the “anti-gifts for today" mob panic that some of us are receiving new revelations. Worse still – special revelations. I would never choose to start in defensive mode. But as my algorithms navigate various social media sites for me – I can’t help but notice (particularly from the United States) that Christ

This month the finally download runs to five pages. What can I say? Worship Leading has been a bit of a hobbyhorse of mine since my earliest endeavours back in the early 1980s. My book (School of Praise) explains far more, as the final chapter, Appendix C, is deliberately autobiographical as I attempt to put into words my own praise odyssey. The three blogs on this site, intriguingly called Led Zeppelin & Worship Leading also offer a window into my own reflective journey from

As we approach the subject of holiness I’m reminded of the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). Different groups of workers are hired at different times throughout the day. Then, at the end of their labour they’re all paid the same. Clearly there is understandable shock for those who did a full day’s work under the burning the sun – they are aggrieved by the injustice. In our day the union would call a strike, and everyone would be out. As with other par

I think ‘leadership’ became something of a buzz word at some stage during my 35 years of church-based ministry. It seemed that on one side you had accomplished managers bringing their insights (from secular publications and university courses) to the table enhanced with Bible proof-texts to enhance the Christian context. Then in the other corner, seasoned church pastors, modelling their ministry on Christ’s servant-leadership role as expressed and depicted in the Gospel narra

Where to start? Though I'm planning 12 monthly sessions across the coming year, where should I start? Can you place aspects of personal spirituality and ministry gifts into a logical order? Do you need LEVEL 5 Discipleship before sharing your faith? And what is LEVEL 5 Discipleship? Because I just made that term up! So, over the coming months there'll be a mix of handouts, covering ministry skills and personal spirituality. Remember, His gifts can only be sustained where His

Introducing the Finally… Series for 2026 Perhaps this is what spiritual maturity is all about? Back to basics, but deliberately raising the bar! Church ministry is, wonderfully rich, beautifully complex, and—at times—overwhelming. Whether you are new to serving, stepping into leadership, or returning to areas of ministry after a season away, the landscape can feel vast. Even those who have walked with Christ for decades discover there is always more to learn, more to refine,

Mature – it’s how I like my English Cheddar. ‘Aged’ is not quite the same concept. Though wine can age well, people rarely do, and fresh...

Which old dilemma? Sovereignty, Freedom & the Incarnation As I continue to assemble the manuscript to my School of Ministry book, I’m...

school of ministry | the serialisation | part 1 As I embark on the fourth book in this series, I thought I might blog some short extracts...

Where’s the Fight? Not that I’m particularly looking for one. Nevertheless, there’s a verse (and opening paragraph) in Judges 3 that...

So last month and for most of this month I’ve reduced my screen time and become far more analytical of what I’ve been watching and what...

I once was wisely told by a fleeting mentor, early on in my now decades of discipleship, a helpful tip when in a boring prayer meeting....

"The writing of many books is endless, and much study wearies the body." Ecclesiastes 12:12. I haven’t written a blog in quite a...

A new book from Simon Rennie. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his...

Did I read somewhere that this month marked the first anniversary of the Asbury revival? For just over two weeks an almost endless meeting flowed out from a regularly scheduled chapel service at Asbury University, in Wilmore, Kentucky. Students stayed in the auditorium to pray, after the morning meeting on February 8th, 2023. They then continued to pray and praise into the evening, although some eventually headed home, the overnight low in attendance was still estimated to be

or, Why Does Our European Thinking Limit Our Ministry? Compartmentalisation is a very long word – can you spell, it? I’ve often used the...

The third of three blogs. I started to be given two-hour worship slots. Led Zeppelin regularly did two-hour concerts. They’d start with...

The second of three blogs. Welcome back, so, after last time, let's start with another question, When did we start grafting portions of...