Thinking about neighbours ……. The residents on the road on which our church is built have recently started up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme which we have been invited to join. As well as traffic issues such as speeding and parking, the organisers seem keen to make it more like a community hub where we can…
At the end of last month, I attended the Religion and media Conference at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster. The keynote speech was given by the Archbishop of York on how religion is central to life and vital for rebuilding trust in the media. He said, ’We prize honesty, truth-telling, kindness, the importance of penitence…
No worries – it was news to me too: It’s ‘Don’t stand on a bee day.’ Be (!) pollinator aware. I would like to think that a church community is like a bee colony. Bees are critical for pollinating flowers allowing the production of fruit and seeds. Christians too, spread the Good News to others…
Have you got your new bins? What do you say when your stationary bin starts moving? BINGO! Probably like you I’ve bin looking into what needs to go into each one. I’ve watched videos of bottles being deep washed so they can be reused and plastic shredded and bundled up so that can be remoulded…
So, this week I’m thinking ‘feet’ – following and sharing. Walking in His way alongside others and bringing others with us. We need to be true disciples, confident in the good news before we can share with others – this is the very thing Jesus commanded us to do before He ascended and possibly the…
If the other weeks have emphasised using our voices and ears/heart, this week is about touch. So many of our people today never feel the touch of another. I appreciate that safeguarding is an important consideration, but it is sad that we are reticent to hold a hand or stroke a back or give a…
Last week we thought about praise and thanksgiving – noisy activities – using our mouth and vocal cords. Worship is quieter – it’s about our hearts – our attitude. Using our ears to listen to who God is and having that change our attitude. Working on us from the inside out. Proper worship proceeds service.…
It is good manners to start our praying with praise and thanksgiving. Praise to God for who He is and what He does in general and thanksgiving for what He does for us in particular. We praise Him for His greatness and thank Him for His goodness to us in particular. Both involve vocalising our…
Psalm 10:12 ‘Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Thine hand, forget not the helpless.’ It always amazes me how relevant God’s Word is today, even though it was compiled centuries ago. In this psalm, David shows himself to be a man who isn’t getting his ‘Why?’ questions answered. He trusts God completely but doesn’t…
I recently sent a congratulation card to a young friend who had just secured her first teaching job. Usually teaching vacancies come up after half term, but this school had got ahead of the game and interviewed early. I remembered when I had successfully got a teaching job on 24th April, for a September start and…