We had a wonderful Circuit service on the evening of Sunday 28th April 2024 during which we welcome two of our colleagues from the United Reformed Church to work with us as Associate Ministers in the Ipswich Methodist Circuit. I invited Father John a colleague minister from The Church of England to preach during the…
I’ve never particularly been a great football fan and I guess that the last match I ever voluntarily watched on TV was the FA cup final in 1972 when Leeds United beat Arsenal 1-0, and I even had to look that up on Google when writing this thought for the day today. Living in West…
I can still remember the day way back in March 1976 when I passed my driving test, the day was the fulfilment of my dream to be able to drive a car, I’d had my first lesson in my Dad’s three wheeler Reliant Regal Supervan iii which looking back was a bit of a grand…
The picture above is of Gaza in 2024, but it could so easily be of a whole host of different places around the world, I confess to getting increasingly depressed, and overwhelmed by the sheer destruction of so many cities around the world. Apart from the destruction of property, what upsets me is the humanitarian…
I am not, never have been, or I guess ever will be a gardener of any nature. Historically my wife would lovingly buy plants and spend time digging them into our borders, then a few weeks later, I would go and do some weeding and uproot all the fledgling plants. The extent of my horticultural…
I remember watching a very rare interview with the comedy actor Sir David Jason when he commented that the television companies seemed to have forgotten the basic premise that they exist to entertain people. It shocks me how many television programmes begin with a disclaimer warning viewers that they would be subjected to scenes they…
I was inspired by a friend who wrote recently on a community social media page that when he and his wife go out for the day or when they are on holiday, rather than going to the expensive, trendy, branded coffee bars, that they would support small independent coffee shops, or better still, spy out…
One of my favourite television crime dramas is Death in Paradise, it is gentle, often funny, and whilst it deals with the horrific issue of a suspicious, almost unfathomable death. There have now been four different reluctant British detectives who find themselves on the idyllic Caribbean Island of Saint Marie, the characters are brilliant and…
I recently became aware of the hymn “I watch the sunrise” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm-A5NlkI8U I confess that I had never picked the hymn and was totally unaware of its existence, it a beautiful hymn and that is why I have taken the liberty of including the link to a YouTube file, it’s worth listening to, in my…
Many years ago, Prince Charles (as he was back then) was coming to Saltaire on the outskirts of Bradford, I think to formally open the David Hockney gallery at Salts Mill. I was on holiday from work that day and so we decided to take the children along, thinking this would be an amazing experience…