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
How easily we forget! Wow! What a weekend we’ve just had. Whether you’re a fan of the royalty or not, there was something for everyone if they had a mind to join in and appreciate it. From pomp and ceremony, spectacle, music, poetry, art… In amongst it all there were so many things that remindedRead more
‘Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress. The contented soul is the stagnant soul’ – Pastor A.W.Tozer. Just take a moment to reflect on what those words may mean to you and then I will begin…. Today, (Palm Sunday), is the start of the end to another Lenten journey as we enter another Holy Week, marking all the keyRead more
Those of you who have got to know me will also know by now that, whilst I see benefits in the lectionary, our Christian festivals and seasonal periods, such as Advent and Lent (I adore Christmas and Easter), I also have concerns that we’re sometimes in danger of putting elements of our faith into neatRead more