“Othering” Othering is the act of treating or perceiving individuals or groups as fundamentally different, alien, and separate from oneself or the dominant social “norm.” It creates an “us versus them” mindset, which can lead to prejudice, discrimination, and the marginalization of those perceived as outsiders (Oxford Dictionary – First recorded use c1860) Open any newspaper, watchRead more

Classical music, like pop, has its one-hit wonders – spare a thought for Gustav Holst., the Chesney Hawkes of Classic FM. Only his Planets suite gets played much, and even that always seems a bit anti-climactic after the big tune half-way through. But he also wrote choral music, often setting unusual texts. I have been listening toRead more

Those who know me also know that, on the whole, I’m a glass half full sort of chap, however, right now the only certainty I see is that the uncertainty the world is currently experiencing will be here for a considerable length of time. I had planned for this Thought for the Month to come out sooner,Read more

Prayer        Today I want to speak about something so simple a child can do it, and yet so deep that none of us will ever finish learning how to do it: prayer. Prayer is not and should never be a pious performance or a way of trying to impress God. Prayer is a relationship. ItRead more

Have you ever sung a hymn in church and realised afterwards that nothing, words or music, has made any impression? Yes, me too. I usually remain resolutely miserable whilst chanting “I’m h-a-p-p-y”, whereas the jaunty tune of “Oft in danger, oft in woe” can bring a smile into the darkest day. This can happen onRead more

Let me start by wishing all our Thought for the Month readers a very happy and peaceful New Year, and that the blessings of the closing Christmas season be with you always. As I look back on 2025 the proliferation of misinformation, spin, fabrication, half-truths, or to use current vernacular ‘fake news’ seems even greaterRead more

Happy New Church Year! Yes, it’s that time again as we leave one church worship year for another, and as always, that must mean we have entered the season of Advent, which just like its Lenten cousin, demands of us that most precious of personal possessions, our time! The giving up of our time toRead more

I tend to think that the Epistle shouldn’t be read in church. It’s usually knotty in argument and not easy to take in fully at one go. It doesn’t work well when read in a “churchy” voice – it demands someone like Paul, truculent, opinionated, uncompromising. Jeremy Clarkson would be ideal. And then, when youRead more

(plus Harvest supplement) Leviticus 24: 19-20 (NIV) 19 Anyone who injures his neighbour is to be injured in the same manner: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. Below are questions which would take a far greater theological mind than mine to answer properly,Read more

God, where are you in all this? There doesn’t seem to be anything good going on in the world right now, don’t you think? When you watch the news, read the newspaper or overhear a polite conversation, the status quo is more often one of doom and gloom than anything remotely cheerful or heartening inRead more