Posts

A day made for you

When challenged about what his disciples are doing by picking and eating corn on the Sabbath, Jesus says: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 At the time Jesus was speaking, the Jewish Sabbath was in force. Jews observed Saturday as a day of rest from work remembering that God… Continue reading A day made for you

Food from around the worldwide web

From baby boom to missions boon – this one caught by eye as my own parents found themselves involved in cross-cultural mission, spending their 50s in China before continuing to visit regularly right up until 2019. You can build but it will crumble – Alistair Chalmers reflect on a visit to Ephesus Essentially significant –… Continue reading Food from around the worldwide web

Sturgeon, Sinn Fein and why an end to sectarianism is urgently needed

The image at the top of this article is one that will trouble many people.  It’s the image of Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister meeting with Michelle Collins, the leader of Sinn Fein.  Now in the years since the 1997 Good Friday Agreement, Sinn Fein have certainly had an image make over. However, it… Continue reading Sturgeon, Sinn Fein and why an end to sectarianism is urgently needed

Do we need an emergency budget?

A lot of politicians – mainly opposition ones – have been calling urgently for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to deliver an emergency budget.  It’s barely a few months since Rishi Sunak delivered his budget so why do we need another one so soon after? Ostensibly, the reason is the dramatic change we are seeing… Continue reading Do we need an emergency budget?

Further reflections on men, women, training and the church

The other day I mentioned a little bit of controversy around the question of whether women should go to seminary.  John Steven’s, the National Director of the FIEC and a staunch complementarian has added his voice in support of women training at seminary sharing an article from Michael Bird who happens to be an egalitarian.… Continue reading Further reflections on men, women, training and the church

Buildings, buildings, buildings  -short term and long term thinking

There’s been a bit of a discussion over the past few days about church planting and the importance of owning your own building.  There have been two big prompts for this. First of all, the FIEC posted this article from Adrian Reynolds discussing the pros and cons of not owning your own building: Secondly, David… Continue reading Buildings, buildings, buildings  -short term and long term thinking

Picnic (Mark 2:23-28)

Do you remember when the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, was asked what the naughtiest thing was that she’d ever done?  Struggling to think of anything particularly heinous, she gave the since much mocked answer that she had once skipped through a field of wheat.  Well, here we find Jesus and his disciples in trouble… Continue reading Picnic (Mark 2:23-28)

How do we deal with the Cost of Living Crisis? Wrong answers only please.

There’s a trend on social media where someone asks a question and then invites people to give only wrong answers. The aim is to get the silliest response possible. It looked this week as though Conservative Government Minister Rachel Maclean thought she had been invited to participate in such a challenge. Maclean has managed to… Continue reading How do we deal with the Cost of Living Crisis? Wrong answers only please.

A wedding or a funeral? (Mark 2:18-22)

Back in October, we had the great joy of seeing my niece get married.  We are now looking forward to my nephew’s wedding in about two weeks’ time.  We’re looking forward to smiles, applause, laughter, music and dancing. There’ll also be plenty to eat. A Wedding is a celebration, a feast. Jesus draws on the… Continue reading A wedding or a funeral? (Mark 2:18-22)