BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
Ordinary ministry
The ordinary means of grace is what Christians have been practicing for two millenia worldwide, and through them God has transformed the world. There is a tendency as pastors and church leaders to want to find the latest and greatest fad, to keep up with some megachurch trend. For me, it has been immensely refreshing getting back to the ordinary.
The trap of hidden sin
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” -Proverbs 28:13
In the 4th grade, I failed a geology test in Science which meant I had to get it signed by a parent. I knew getting a score of 40 on my test wouldn't go over well with my parents, so I resolved on the way home that day that I would never tell my mom or dad about it.
Are the Rolling Stones the key to sanctification?
God isn’t interested in full people, but hungry people. That’s a theme in Scripture. Remember when Gabriel announced Mary’s pregnancy? She responded by singing how God “has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:53). Her baby then grew up to proclaim, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt 5:6). God is interested in the spiritually hungry, the poor in spirit, not those who are self-satisfied.
The life-changing beauty of waiting
After twenty-two years, Tom Brady hung up his cleats. In New England, we enjoyed twenty spectacular years of Super Bowl trophies piling up in Foxboro and disdainful eyerolls from the rest of the country. Brady’s ability to play professional football at an MVP level into his mid-40’s boggles the mind. If you’ve followed Brady much, you’ve heard about pliability, avocado ice cream, and the TB12 method.
God is a God of new beginnings
God is a God of new beginnings, second chances, restoration, new chapters. Nowhere in the biblical narrative do we see God saying to his people, after a losing battle: "That's it, there's no way around it, there's no point in trying again, defeat is certain, there is no possibility of restoration." On the contrary, when God's people were enslaved by great nations, He promised deliverance; when the people fell into sin, He promised forgiveness; when Jesus' disciples forsook Him, He stretched out His hand.