Last Sunday we watched with bated breath as the England players stood up to take their penalties. I must admit that as soon as I saw Marcus Rashford do that fancy wiggle and pause that I thought we were in trouble. My reaction was “what were you thinking?” And I’m sure I’m not alone. His… Continue reading Misunderstood? When symbols are taken the wrong way
Posts
Do we need evangelism training?
Steve Kneale writes here: “Evangelism is often over-complicated. It pays to ask, what do we actually need to go about the business of the gospel?” He argues that all we need to do is to know the Gospel ourselves, to have received the Holy Spirit and to be ready to speak the good news. On… Continue reading Do we need evangelism training?
Risk Management decisions and in person worship post July 19th re-opening
Sunday 25th July will be a crunch date in the calendar. This is the first Sunday after the formal relaxation of all COVID restrictions in England. It means that there will no longer be regulations and fines relating to failure to wear masks or socially distance at a church gathering. Singing will also be allowed… Continue reading Risk Management decisions and in person worship post July 19th re-opening
The risks for churches post 19th July
After the 19th July, the Government will remove all remaining COVID-19 measures. This means that there will not be legal restrictions such as social distancing or wearing face masks. But the Government and the national health/science advisors have been clear that COVID hasn’t gone away. It’s not that those measures don’t matter anymore, it’s that… Continue reading The risks for churches post 19th July
Murderers at heart (Genesis 4)
In Genesis 1-2, the origins of humanity are described. Mankind is made in God’s image and so man and woman have the breath of God within them. God blesses them and provides for them. They have meaning and purpose as they are told to fill and subdue the earth. And yet in Geneis 3 we… Continue reading Murderers at heart (Genesis 4)
The better prize
Football doesn’t matter. It’s just a game. Try telling that to those young lads who gave their all last night and finished the game, exhausted, drained, on the floor with disappointment. Try telling it to Sanchez and Saka who must carry the emotional scars of having missed penalties in a major tournament final and perhaps… Continue reading The better prize
Are we playing the same game?
Imagine watching the Euros as a Rugby Union fan. You would cheer every time a player took the ball beyond the by-line or booted it over the goal posts and you’d be surprised every time there was jubilation whenever the ball went under the bar. You’d be assessing the team’s performance by a different set… Continue reading Are we playing the same game?
The long haul pastoral job of bringing your church out of COVID
Church returns to normal on the 25th July. What this means is that all the legal restrictions we have faced will have been removed. For various reasons, I think we can still expect it to actually take longer for things to return fully to normal. I will keep repeating this but don’t expect everyone to… Continue reading The long haul pastoral job of bringing your church out of COVID
West Smethwick Replant
It’s about three years ago that I had a call from a chap called Steve Horton from Sheffield. He wanted to meet up with me to talk about the local church situation in the West Midlands. He’d just been asked to start looking after evangelical Congregational Churches in the area (Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches)… Continue reading West Smethwick Replant
Pantomime and penalties
So did the referee get it right or was it day light robbery? You watched the replays from different angles and in slow motion several times. What is your conclusion? If you are English you wil be 100% convinced that the referee got it wrong, there was obvious handball. If you are Argentinian, you’ll be… Continue reading Pantomime and penalties
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