Dear Friends, In the last couple of weeks the North and the Midlands have witnessed torrential downpours described as “almost biblical” – presumably a reference to the flood in Noah’s day. It has certainly been awful, with thousands forced to leave their homes, at least one person tragically drowning, and some discovering that their...
Read moreDear Friends, Last week I came across an article with that title, and thought I’d better read it. What do you think it says is the hardest job of all? A parent? A teacher? A doctor? An MP? Those would all be good candidates. However, given that the article appeared in the latest edition of
Read moreDear Friends, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’. John 15:13 (Authorised Version) Many will naturally associate these words with Remembrance Sunday, and rightly so. It has been said that while some will willingly give their lives for their country, far more will be willing
Read moreDear Friends, Christians are believers, people who have faith. And we are equally – or should be – ‘repenters’. Jesus said, “Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15), while the apostle Peter told his hearers to “Repent … for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 1:38). My guess is that we spend a lot
Read moreDear Friends, Yes, that is the title of an article I read on the BBC News website this week! To whet your appetite, let me give you the first three facts: 1. Without sloths there would be no avocados. 2. Sloths are three times stronger than us. 3. They poo a third of their body
Read moreDear Friends, I recently came across a satirical cartoon entitled ‘The Problem with Greta’, mocking those who dislike the way Greta Thunberg has persuaded so many to take climate change more seriously. Typical of much satire, it is both very funny in places and also very sharp in its observation. One scene in the cartoon
Read moreDear Friends, Thank you to everyone who came to the Vision Evening this week. For those who weren’t able to make it, and as a reminder for those who did, we considered how we might both ‘learn Christ’ ourselves and also help others to ‘learn Christ’: Learning Christ yourself What fresh commitment will you make
Read moreDear Friends, Do you ever find yourself getting confused between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23), while the gifts of the Spirit are things like “a message of wisdom … a message...
Read moreDear Friends, “No Planet B” has rapidly become a phrase that captures the urgent need for us to take better care of our planet. “There is No Planet B” is the title of a book by Mike Berners-Lee. NoPlanetB is the name of a project to inform EU citizens about global development issues, with the
Read moreDear Friends, When did you last think about Jesus’ return? I can still remember one of our children exclaiming in surprise, “What? Jesus is coming back?” I was embarrassed to realise that It clearly hadn’t been central to what I had been teaching them up until then. No doubt I had emphasised Jesus’ life, and
Read more