Every day we post a Thought for the day written by someone within the circuit. Some are very light hearted and some are very deep theologically with all bases between covered.
We hope these will encourage, uplift and make you reflect but most of all we hope you enjoy reading these small daily snippets and take some inspiration on your daily journey
“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:15)
Now the nativity scene is set up on the mantlepiece, I can’t help but see it when I settle down on the sofa in the evenings. It struck me last night that the characters are either standing or kneeling. Apart from baby Jesus of course, who is always depicted lying on his back – seemingly…
As I write this, we have just had an Advent Prayer Day for the churches in the Northern Mission Area of the Ipswich Circuit. There were some beautifully thought through and obviously helpful prayer stations devised and set up by various friends. The atmosphere was special and spiritual. I have just searched the internet for images of ‘prayer aids;’ the search returned…
Christmas is not an easy time for people with disabilities or age related health problems. The Alzheimers Society warn people annually that Christmas festivities may adversely affect those living with dementia. Family parties, where people gather who have not met for some time, can create confusion and even distress for the person who has cognitive…
Not long ago, I was contacted by a lovely Christian who broke down as he tried to speak with me on the phone. Patiently waiting as he tried to control his emotions, I learned that he was facing a life-changing challenge and even had occasional suicidal thoughts. In the circumstances, only a very few Christians…
Would you prefer to be happy or joyful, (or both)? It seems easier to describe happiness as we see happiness around us. People out celebrating look happy. When Ipswich Town score the fans look happy – unless of course you are a fan of the opposition! We might meet a friend who has received some…
My sister found this photograph recently and sent me a copy. I’m related to most of the people in the photo. My grandfather and my dad are in the middle of the picture, holding the mugs. Goodness, it’s like a different world! My grandfather and my dad are in the middle of the picture, holding…
Do you have a nativity scene in your home? Sometimes they come as advent calendars now with a different figure to add each day in the run up to Christmas. When I had my children small, we had a nativity and I remember often glancing at it as the preparations got more intense and the…
I recently had an interesting conversation with two colleagues who, like me, are beginning their retirement. The point for discussion was legacy folders and documents, both the physical sort and the electronic ones. For me, pressing delete on many hundreds of documents and even more emails was easy, but I am stuck with the bottom…
In the Northern hemisphere the seasons fit well into the churches calendar. As we descend into a time of limited daylight hours, dark mornings and evenings and cold conditions we remember in our churches the time of darkness that the Jews went through in the two centuries before Jesus’ birth. They came through a period…
I find it amazing that events spring to mind randomly. Such an occasion occurred recently as I listened to Graham Kendrick’s The Servant King. I was taken back to the time when I was working in an office when a new manager was appointed. He was the person whom many staff dreaded, and it didn’t take me…