The life of Jesus, the most pivotal figure in the history of Western culture, is virtually forgotten today, as is the meaning of Easter. One of the many consequences of this new ignorance is an uncoupling of morality from its traditional moorings ‘
Many Christians find it difficult to get into a conversation about their faith with a non-believer. One way that is almost certain to start a conversation at Easter time is to give them a packet of what I call 'Hot Fish Buns'. The general loss of the Christian story in society and the fact that … Continue reading Time to Give Away Hot Fish Buns Again!
Recently, as I was travelling in a foreign land it began to rain. Not ordinary rain, but the heavy, heavy drops of the Monsoon. As I watched the rain fall, I was reminded of this article I wrote many years ago, one that now seems even more relevant in our times- *** We had rain … Continue reading God is Weeping Still
‘In the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential’ *** The first colour movie I ever saw was put on as a special showing by my primary school in class time. It was of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second, and so her reign has pretty much … Continue reading Queen
Every now and again something happens that can jolt us out of our entrapment in the busy-ness of our lives; lives that are self-focussed on mostly small things and worries many of which generally don’t come to pass. This can happen when some event or incident drags us into the reality of what is actually … Continue reading Hope and the Paradox of the Cross
It has been said that ‘A pile of wood isn’t a fire if there are no flames’, and a theological expression of this was made by the famous Swiss theologian Emil Brunner who said that- “The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning.” So it is true, although many would like … Continue reading Piles of Wood or Fires
I recently came across an article in a local magazine. The article was titled ‘Save the Village Chapel’ and related to a building (referred to as our ‘Beloved Village Chapel’) occupied by a local congregation of a mid-sized denomination. The building is around a hundred years old and the congregation small, elderly and declining. The … Continue reading Sadness and Tragedy – A Metaphor
As the standard Sunday-Centric churches emerge from Covid 19 lockdown(s) and consider future directions, it may be a good time to engage in some health checks. Such exercises, to be really useful, must involve asking some tough, rigorous, and even ‘Inconvenient’ questions. One such ‘Inconvenient’ question I have written about previously (See here) is- ‘How … Continue reading Another Inconvenient Question – How Much to win a Soul
There has recently been a number of reports of parents objecting to various supermarkets putting ‘Scary’ Halloween displays in their stores. These displays take various forms ranging from gravestone and skull decorations to ghoulish figures hanging from store ceilings. One parent is quoted as saying that they avoid taking their kids to stores in October … Continue reading Halloween-The Unholy Trinity and the New Paganism
‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one will snatch them out of my hand’ John 10: 27, 28 ****** This reflection on Psalm 23 is largely the same one as I posted last year during … Continue reading Followed by Love Through the Darkest Valley
unbounded church 