At the recent Folk Cafe in Trinity Methodist Church I read this poem which I found in the book “Tidings of Comfort and Joy,” by Pam Rhodes. The poem was written by Tafadawa Mhondiwa Mugari. There once was a shining Christmas tree, Standing out where all could see. Its brilliance captured every eye And seemed…

Paul doesn’t give a narrative account of the birth of Jesus but he does refer to it in his letters. In Galatians 4:4-5 he writes,” When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we…

I have reflected before on our strange attitude to taxation. For what seems like an age, politics appears to have been obsessed by tax rates. The potential for tax cuts offset by the need to increase taxation is the balance. Why are we surprised and indignant, if we are surprised and indignant, that after the…

I have been going through some old Methodist Recorders to refresh in my mind some of the things I had read and then to throw them out. I came across an article written by our President (and ex-Chair of our District), Rev Graham Thompson headed “Expect to be Surprised”.  He says “as we stand on…