How accurate are our memories?

England are in the Euros’ semi-finals.  Apologies to Scottish and Welsh readers but I cannot help but link today’s blog with that fact. Of course, England being England, they’ve not made their route this far easy.  Southgate and the team have come under heavy pressure particularly about their performances. Pundits who never made it to… Continue reading How accurate are our memories?

We are not after your money …. or are we?

It’s quite common when churches have announcements about giving, whether or not a collection bag is sent round, for someone to say, almost apologetically “We don’t want/are not after your money.”  The sentiment is sound, too often religious groups are seen as primarily looking to get hold of people’s wallets. It is important, that a… Continue reading We are not after your money …. or are we?

The cost

Jesus famously said that those considering following him should first count the cost. His point was that they were going to face persecution and have to be willing to give up their life. They would lose friends and influence for the sake of the Gospel but the Gospel is worth it. Jesus’ words were not… Continue reading The cost

How did we get here and where next – preliminary reflections on the General election result

As I write, there are 5 seats left to declare.  Labour have won 411 and are expected to win a few more, the Conservatives have been reduced to a rump of 119 meaning they’ve performed even worse than the Exit poll projected though slightly better than some of the polls were suggesting they might.   The… Continue reading How did we get here and where next – preliminary reflections on the General election result

How do we respond to the election result?

I’m actually writing this on Wednesday, so before the polls open.  This means that technically I don’t know what the result is yet.  Though unlike quite a few other recent elections, we probably have a strong idea of what the conclusion will be.  Over the past 15 years, votes have thrown up a few surprises… Continue reading How do we respond to the election result?

What is a church? Sacraments and the marks revisited.

The other day, I responded to an article giving three reasons for why a small; group is not a church. One of the reasons I identified as a red herring was to do with whether or not a small group has the sacraments.  Some people seem to have struggled a little with this argument and… Continue reading What is a church? Sacraments and the marks revisited.