Giving Up? How is the Lenten observance journey going? Finding out anything new about yourself or about your relationship with God in the world? Have you ‘given up’ something that you really like, as befits the church’s traditional endurance period of denial, something that a lot of people, (even non-Christians, I’ve found), always do atRead more

This month’s thought is an extract from an address given at Cooksmill Green Church 11th February 2024 Boundaries and Freedom When I heard the news last week about the conviction of the youngsters who murdered Brianna Ghey, the things that were said about them, their motives, I knew I had to think again about today’s service.Read more

I rather like the round robin letters you get at Christmas time, but pity the poor Corinthians when Paul’s Christmas card popped through the letter box, containing sixteen chapters to get through. Yet by New Year’s Day, they probably thought it worth the trouble: if you are wondering about New Year’s resolutions, then Paul isRead more

An Advent Thought for The Month 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, requires us to stop, reflect, and prepare ourselves for what is toRead more

Do we Remember? This weekend has seen Remembrance Day Services and commemorations throughout the country and beyond. People have come together to remember those who have lost their lives in the service of others, Men and Women who have sacrificed their lives in pursuit of a better world where justice and freedom prevail. Alongside thatRead more

Vote for Donald or sing the song of Malakai? Psalms, my favourite book of the Bible, is full of poetry, imagery and metaphor; it is also rooted in the world as it was three thousand years ago. Not an easy read then – no wonder that you have to do a running internal “translation”  toRead more

Can you remember your early childhood? Do you have memories of a time where you could be carefree and could be cherished for a naivety that brought smiles to adult faces, even though you didn’t really understand why?  Can you recall a childhood milestone that caused you to have to stop and view the worldRead more

The e-scooters of Life! Recently there was a news item on the TV regarding e-bicycles in London reporting on how, when they’ve finished, the people using them -sometimes thoughtlessly sometimes intentionally – leave them in an awkward place and sometimes in the most dangerous places imaginable. Most mornings I go for an early morning walk through theRead more

Pilgrims or refugees? I heard the great English composer John Rutter recently talking about the Brahms German Requiem. He quoted the first line of the sixth movement taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews: “For here we have no abiding city, but we seek the city which is to come”, and he said, “We areRead more

“A man’s ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death” – Albert Einstein Firstly, if the use of gender pronouns offends you thenRead more