When I first started my life as a circuit minister in the Methodist Church, Christian Aid week was a big event in the life of the Church.  It was a common practice to have loads of red carrier bags at the back of the church around this time of year as along with our Anglican…

Almost fifty four years ago, I sat with the rest of Mr Slater’s class at Calverley Parkside school and we watched the live broadcast of the investiture of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in North Wales, it was one of the most memorable occasions in my childhood, we didn’t have a…

I love this time of year, with all the signs of new life around us and I can’t think of anything more delightful than seeing young lambs springing in the fields, it does my heart good.  I could stand and watch young lambs for hours and find their antics both entertaining and relaxing, yet cute…

I survived for the first sixty years of my life without giving much thought to how many steps I was doing each day.  I can remember a colleague way back in the seventies saying that we should be provided with pedometers at work to record how many steps we took in any given day, and…

Until recently, I had never heard of the village of Llanymynech, which, as you might guess from the name, is located in Wales, well, almost.  What makes Llanymynech an interesting place, is that thee border between England and Wales runs along the A483, North Road, the main street in the village, meaning that residents on…

Luke 24: 36-53 My hope is that as you read this I will be in the Yorkshire Dales with my extended family, sharing a holiday.  It will be good to all be together again, it is five years now since Karen and I have been part of this holiday, mainly because of the pandemic and…

Coming home from a meeting a few weeks ago, I inadvertently timed my journey through the heart of the town to coincide with the end of a football match at Portman Road, not my best idea ever.  The match had only just finished and I was thankful that the crowds of fans now filling the…

Based on Luke 19: 1-10 I love reading biographies and auto biographies and have quite an extensive collection of books, audio books and digital books. Perhaps I’m just nosy, but I want to know what drives people, how they become successful, how they overcome hurdles and even survive against all the odds.  I particularly like…

Based on Luke 9: 12-17 Many years ago, before I became a minister, I was asked to preach in an Anglican Church, I processed down the aisle with the vicar and the dignitaries of the Church and went very confidently to the seat I had been allocated, facing the congregation.  Without thinking, I sat, in…