Surviving the pandemic with depression and anxiety

It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay so I thought I’d share some quick thoughts on surviving through the Coronavirus pandemic with depression and anxiety. So, in no particular order, here are some suggestions. If you are taking medication, continue to take it and review with your GP. Don’t suddenly stop. Make sure that you have a sufficient supply in… Continue reading Surviving the pandemic with depression and anxiety

Can you cope with the mess?

The other day, I shared an article about the need for generous Gospel partnership if we are to reach the unreached parts of our urban areas, our towns and the cities.  I noticed today that someone had added a comment after a friend shared the article on Facebook. The point was that as well as… Continue reading Can you cope with the mess?

Why we should embrace failure

In a previous article I started to look at the question of failure.  Here I want to offer x good reasons for why we as believers and particularly church leaders should embrace failure. What happens if we refuse to encounter failure? First, if I don’t embrace the reality of failure then I am unlikely to… Continue reading Why we should embrace failure

It’s time we got over our tribalism

I grew up with my family attending an independent Methodist mission hall, elsewhere my Grandma was a fully accredited Methodist preacher.  Her husband had grown up in the Brethren movement in Belfast. Apparently Great Grandma had herself been a Methodist but had joined the Gospel Hall her husband belonged to when they got married.  Dad… Continue reading It’s time we got over our tribalism

Refugees – Blessing or burden?

Thinking back to a conversation I had with two other Christians about the Home Office’s approach to processing asylum claims, I was struck again by how much our perception of the asylum system is shaped by our view of asylum seekers themselves. If I think that asylum seekers are very likely to be fake, just… Continue reading Refugees – Blessing or burden?