a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice (Isaiah 42:3) I arrived at primary school aged 4, one of the youngest and therefore smallest in my class, to add to that I came with ginger hair and asthma, by aged 10 I had… Continue reading Bullies – a personal story
Posts
Learning the wrong lessons (2) The Sweden factor and panic time
“It’s all too complicated, it’s going to go massively wrong, we’ll lose money, jobs will go, national security could be put at risk. Others are handling this differently. We need to change course.” That was the gist of the conversation I had a few time with my bosses. It was back in 1999 and we… Continue reading Learning the wrong lessons (2) The Sweden factor and panic time
Loneliness
There’s a good chance someone in your congregation, indeed in your home group is struggling with loneliness right now. Indeed it is highly likely that you have struggled with it yourself. However, it’s a topic we don’t really talk about. My comments here are prompted by a helpful twitter conversation with Rebecca McLaughlin which you… Continue reading Loneliness
Preaching to yourself
During the Coronavirus Pandemic, we’ve used a mix of Facebook, Youtube and Zoom to help people gather for prayer, praise and Bible teaching. Preaching for a Facebook or Youtube audience is a fascinating experience. You cannot see the congregation, your best indication of whether or not people are present and engaging is if they add… Continue reading Preaching to yourself
Law and Legalism, Grace and Wisdom
On Sunday mornings recently we were tackling the middle section of Deuteronomy. It’s a challenging section with at first sight a lot of rules and regulations where it is not always easy to see how they relate to each other and where at times the culture they represent seems alien and even offensive to our… Continue reading Law and Legalism, Grace and Wisdom
A good time to bury bad news?
A New Labour advisor infamously described 911 as “a good day to bury bad news.” It highlighted the impression that Tony Blair’s government were more interested in PR and image than the truth. I thought again about that incident the other day when I read this tweet from Duncan Forbes “Would love to see the… Continue reading A good time to bury bad news?
He was raised for our justification
An odd kind of Easter Easter is not as we expected to be is it? It’s not what we were looking forward to. Normally today we would have invited as many from the community to come and join us for a big service together at the chapel. We would have decorated the building with balloons… Continue reading He was raised for our justification
Easter Means Hope
A nation trying to work out how to celebrate an important festival with law enforcement officers on the street, a leader coming face to face with death, terrified friends under lockdown as death stalks the streets. As we have seen over the last few days, words that at first sight could describe our experience under… Continue reading Easter Means Hope
Church in the new normal
I wanted to share a few reflections on our experience so far during the Coronavirus lockdown. It has been tough and challenging but in other ways, refreshing and encouraging. These are not structured thoughts – just some jotted reflections and interaction with concerns of others. Body ministry kicks in … if it is already in… Continue reading Church in the new normal
A strange Easter?
Easter Sunday is going to be weird this year. We are used to celebrating in style. For Bearwood Chapel, Easter means a week long festival including gatherings, a breakfast and communion on Good Friday, children’s clubs and usually some special events such as Arts Days and café nights. Then on Easter Sunday we all gather… Continue reading A strange Easter?
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