Where does our faith stand with armour
Last week, we looked at what is purportedly Paul's letter from a Roman prison to the church in Ephesus. We considered that this may well have been written twenty or...
The Treasure within
Having just moved recently, we can often, now be looking for a particular item. Yes, I know we packed it in one of the boxes, but since we have unpacked,...
Response about Paradise
I’d like to pushback on that particular verse Luke 23:43 in which it has been translated as "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”. 1....
When does this journey end
Working through addiction is a long journey. The adage says "no one said it would be easy", and no one gave timeframe to be recovered. In our spiritual life, no...
Evacuation Plan
In recent weeks we have seen plans for evacuating Greek islands and Maui in Hawaii. It makes obvious sense to have a plan, albeit some might question the implementation of...
Slave : good or bad?
In Luke's description of how to prepare for the future he pointedly states that the disciples are slaves. (Luke 12:36) Is that how we think of ourselves? is being a...
Saying it as it is
Possibly it is a better description of Testimony than the church prefers. It's telling of a journey - not all, as there's more to come - and explaining what it...
Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020
This has been a strange year, of the pandemic, of restrictions but also of a backlash towards those who identify as transgender or non-binary. Across the world, on this day,...
God, of all faiths?
Over the last month, we have looked at what, where, who is God - if God exists at all. Moreover, is there a God, of all faiths? The focus of...
Where is God to us, today?
So where is God?”
anecdotal
The people quietly averted their gaze and you could see their finger pointing upwards – as it was obvious.
“Really?”
Their finger retracted, their view remained averted.
Why can we struggle with the question “Where is God?”. We can theologise, use grand theological explanations which are beautiful, poetic, but may not really get that meaning across to others.
Heaven?
Yes, originally, God was perceived in reside in Heaven, above the dome. God was attended to … Read the remainder
What Christmas are you looking for this year?
It's Christmas time when the churches are bedecked with tinsel on Christmas Trees, oranges with cloves poking from every side and candles adorning, and a myriad of different Carol services...
Administration…Liquidation…what’s next for the church?
If administration is the process for a company to escape insolvency, and if that were to fail, liquidation is the ending of a company, the selling off of any assets...
At the margins
A young man was admitted to 'Accident and Emergency', the family soon arrived to be at his bedside in Intensive Care. The man had fallen from a motorbike and was...
CND – 4 August 2019
Today we mark yet another anniversary, the 74th, of the Little Boy nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945; one that brings great sadness, that still today we...
Do we need a building anymore?
I have been struck recently by the tension facing the church today: does it focus upon buildings or the people? Financially, our buildings have become a significant issue for us...
What retail outlets could offer to church
How do you think we could reimagine church? In the past I have looked at the Apple flagship stores, wondered at their retail strategies and reflected how they could be...
Where to go? Walk on by?
I'm on holiday. The weather is fair, the people wonderful and the language very confusing. I have learnt the word pansement this year, as it has been useful to help...
Where next?
I'm often perplexed by the question "After we die, what's next, or where's next?" What's your answer to that question? Some answers relate to living in a mansion, or a...
Analysing John’s Gospel
Further to the analysis undertaken using the R function stylo() previously, I was interested in examining whether there was any information to be gained by looking at specifically the Gospel...
Going on Holiday?
As we possibly consider a ‘staycation’ or ‘vacation’ this Summer, I wonder how we see ourselves. The English are often known for grasping the finest intricacies of the foreign language,...
Easter 2019 : In or Out of the Church?
As we approach Palm Sunday, I start to feel that the journey through Lent is nearing its completion. We can see the end: I wonder if the disciples did? When...
Ashing to Go?
The day after Shrove Tuesday (a la Pancake day) is Ash Wednesday. It seems that this is either noted in ecclesial circles with an Ash Wednesday Service including the Ashes...
Where do we fit?
For some people they have lived in the valley all their life, for others they have moved every few years. When I left education it was expected that we should...
Todmorden Faith : Same Sex Marriage
Welcome to the first meeting of the monthly 'Faith' group where we look to establish a way to become an even stronger community in Todmorden, willing to engage constructively with...
Death Café
What a liberating time! To talk openly about death, those issues which are generally taboo. How times have changed. Why are we so reticent to talk about death? Here are...
Can we analyse the Bible?
I was taken by one data scientist who wanted to textually analyse the New Testament using software. What could they reveal from merely using some statistics to count the frequency of the words used in each book? Surely they would need to know more about the authorship as we, or rather scholars, have discerned?
We are informed that a number of the New Testament books may have been written pseudographically, written in the name of one by another. This was … Read the remainder
TDOR2018
It has been a week or so since the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). It was a surreal moment – not really because it was bizarre but due to the beauty and serenity of the service.
We drew the words used for the service from Susan Gilchrist’s wonderful post on the Corrymeela website . We used the 2017 version but we adapted it to help with the expected congregation. We had spoken with some people from the LGBTQIA community: some … Read the remainder
Spies
If you were a spy, what information might you be looking to gain, to bring back? Who would you be delivering that information to? How might you gain that information?...
Remembrance 2018
On 4th May 1999 an aircraft took off from the capital and started to climb. It slowly circled the limits of the city, eventually reaching the upper twenty thousands of...
Redefining Church for today?
I read this Tweet yesterday : "When did we see you at the border and turn you away?" And Jesus said, "Whatever you did to the thousands of Guatemalan men,...
Bums on seats?
On 28th October 312 Christendom was born. That battle between Constantine 1 and Maxentius saw the former seeing a vision of a cross of light and the words “in this...
How do we all ‘fit’ in a Church Without Walls?
It's been a month now. A month into active ministry, whatever exactly that means, where as a Minister I look to support and facilitate faith in a beautiful town in...
Bread & Debit Cards
It has been a strange week. We have been waiting upon a rotary washing line to be delivered so we can make good on this Yorkshire breeze which frequents this...
For my friends setting out in ministry
This blog has really engaged me, positively, as I prepare for ministry myself. It contains wise words, from the other side, from within ministry and it speaks back to those...
On a journey
I recall one trek from my youth, where it was a constant slog of 'up and down dale' albeit we were no where near Derbyshire or Yorkshire, we ended up...
Feeding the 5000
Come with me to a quiet place and get some rest I saw so many people coming towards us. Thousands descended the hill, like ants, apparently changing the texture of...
What is Yorkshire saying to us?
We have arrived in a market town in West Yorkshire: Lancashire bounds its western boundary and the River Calder and Rochdale Canal sweep through the town centre. The hills, mainly...
Pride afterthoughts
It was an incredible day, one we will remember for a long, long time. We go to Pride each year to celebrate the diversity in people’s lives, to show that...
What can change in 2 years?
I have come to the end of my time at The Queen's Foundation in Birmingham. To explain, this is the college where Methodists receive pre-ordination training prior to being sent...
Prayers for Others
I invite you to focus upon the Communion Table. It's construction appears strong. The grain of the wood flows in similar lines, although some lines waiver, even going around in...
Mustard Seed or the Coconut – Making Disciples
In this Chapter within the Gospel of Mark we will have already been aware of the Parable of the Sower and whether we should keep a light under a basket...
What time is it?
Kneeling down, I reached down to put my hand on his, to comfort him, to link my fingers in his, like we did years ago. I felt a response, a...
What is ‘end of life’ like?
"Does it hurt?" is a question I have recently heard. My generation might have considered our lives to last 3 score years and ten. Today, with an increasing proportion of...
Foot Washing?
We don't often wash feet these days, it's just not the done thing. It is too personal, in people's personal space. I invite you to accompany me to a busy...
Promises in the 21st Century
Every year the Methodist Church invites its congregations to reflect upon the Covenant Prayer. It is central to Methodists' devotion and discipleship, and their driver in working for social justice. In...
Reflection on Hope and Turtle Doves
Luke 2:22-40 This is a copy of my reflection given at Cambridge Road Methodist Church, Birmingham, on New Year's Eve 2017 Did you enjoy Christmas? Was it a time for...
The day is over… How has Remembrance impacted you this year?
The two minute silence this morning brought the nation once again to reflect upon the Great War, the 2nd World War, Korea, Vietnam, Falklands, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan...did I...
End times & our End of Life
In the Hebrew Scriptures we talk occasionally, some more than others, about the end times (Book of Daniel 12:4). Those times when all will be well. Today I heard someone...
Are we really radically welcoming?
I want to paint a scenario: the church service is about a quarter of an hour in, you've had a hymn or two and some guests arrive to see the...
Pride 2017
With the superbly positive movements within the Church of England in the air* it was wonderful to be at Pride celebrating the opportunity for those in the LGBT community to...
Three letters…
The TLA was common in the military : the three letter abbreviation (TLA) overly populated the literature and vernacular. NFF, DNF and TBD are some I can instantly recall. We even...
The Walk of Witness
Today, on Good Friday, across the country many churches have left their buildings and made a Walk of Witness through their town or city. This procession, this solemn walking service,...
Pray as you Can
Are there days when we seem unable to pray? During this time of formation, as the Church calls it, I am trying to get into the habit (no, not that...
Gay Pride 2016
We marched with many other Christians last year during the London Pride, aka Gay Pride. The Christians at Pride (CaP) group bring together Christians from so many different denominations and...