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)
A well-known yeast extract spread, and useful cooking ingredient is notorious as a polariser of tastes and views. You love it or you loathe it; ambivalence is not generally associated with opinions about it. Today the Church remembers the Ascension of Jesus, forty days after the resurrection and with ten days to go before the…
In a recent daily Bible reading, I was intrigued by the opening words of the comment. “In church, we like to talk about what we were saved from. We were saved from sin and God’s judgement. But we don’t often ask, “What were we saved for?”. One of my favourite Bible books is Ephesians and…
I wonder how many of you know the meaning of Ember Cards. I had not heard of them until a few weeks ago. Our niece, Rachel, is being ordained as a Deacon in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, by Steven, Lord Bishop of Oxford on 1st July 2023. We are very proud of her and she…
Some of you may know that I enjoy cycling in my spare time. However, I might be known as a “fair weather” cyclist. The night before and again on the morning of a planned ride I study the weather forecast for the precipitation risk and wind speeds. Having satisfied myself that all looked set fair…
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…
I had a wonderful time last weekend watching the coronation and then the concert on Sunday evening. There were so many memorable times during the service but one thing which really stuck with me was during the concert in Westminster Abbey prior to the service. The young gentleman who was playing the French Horn in…
Do you remember Ananias in the early church? When Saul, later to be Paul, had his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and was blinded, Ananias had a vision. The Lord told him to go to the house of Judas and lay his hands on Saul of Tarsus and he would receive his…
In a development in the life of the early Church, Peter’s sermon at Caesarea led to people being filled with the Holy Spirit. Things were not happening in a controlled and predictable way, which must have been difficult for rule following (circumcised) believers. [Acts 10:44-48]. Baptism with water should have come before that with the…
You’ll realise by now I’ve become interested in older hymns recently. The messages of hope and comfort, challenge and quiet revolution they include can be inspirational. Methodist tradition has it that our hymn books should also be our prayer books. I can go along with that. One of my favourite prayer/hymns is “For the Healing…
I came across this reworking of psalm 23 by a Japanese Christian, Toki Miyashiro and thought it would be good to share here: The Lord is my pace-setter; I shall not rush; He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals. He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity, He leads me…