News (Page 11)

NOT JESUS

A novel I read some time ago contained a story of a town in the USA where a well-known character, called Ike, lived. He had always been known by that name, and no one had bothered to find out his birth name. One day, his brother moved to the town and was so much like…

Lectionary Reflections – Sunday 2nd August 2026

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time                                Year A                                     2nd August 2026         Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 55 v1-5;       Psalm 145 v8-9, 14-21;       Romans 9 v1-5;       Matthew 14 v13-21.                       God’s Love and Loyalty. Isaiah relays God’s invitation to the people of Israel, to ‘come to me and live’ (Isaiah 55 v3). God promises them his eternal love and…

Are you lost?

There has been a vogue for repurposing phone boxes. Since the advent of mobile phones, the iconic red phone box has often been left unused and even vandalised. However over recent years they have received a lick of paint and a new lease of life. Many village streets have a lending library of books or…

Tales from the farm yard

Goodness!  I was so stuck!  I mean, really stuck! Honestly sometimes the best thing to do is to shout for help.   I was only a child at the time, maybe seven or eight when I made the decision to walk through thick mud.  I cannot remember why.  Maybe I was trying to find my dad. …

Small acts of kindness

It’s amazing how quickly we forget. One of the churches I worked with in 2020 decided to distribute daffodils to church folk as a small gesture to show that the church family remembered them. I thought that this was a lovely idea, so each time we went to the supermarket, we bought some small pot…

Neighbours

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…

Summer’s Gift of Spaciousness

Read: “O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Psalm 104:24) Last week I began a short series of thoughts to take us through the summer holidays. We reflected on the quiet significance of endings, as many children, families, teachers and school…