The Blogger is leaving on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Far East (Japan), so there will be no posts on 12th, 19th or 26th April. Just in case any of my readers is connected to the criminal underworld, I should point out that we are not...
Unlike Christmas, which has a predictable and lengthy countdown, Lent always seems to take me by surprise. It is also a season that even in church is a bit “take it or leave it/do your own thing.” Many Christians don’t do anything, except maybe eat...
(Thank you for your kind comments and encouragement following last week's post. Hmm.) This week I’m again comparing the Church of England with the Church of Scotland – looking on the lighter side. (Please remember that my experience of the Kirk is now 22 years old,...
Before I start, in case anyone didn't read Malachi's comment last week, inspired equally by modern politics and by our church's sermon series on Daniel, here it is: "If you want a challenge you could perhaps try interpreting the dreams of Nebuchadnezzer’s political descendants. I...
Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again nearly 2000 years ago. Information about His life and teachings was produced according to literary, historical and missional practices of the time. He therefore never had the chance to be photographed, say, or interviewed on national radio. Neither...
Today I am going to cheat, and give you items written by other people. CS Lewis is famous for many kinds of writing, but poetry is not his most admired form. But when I'm feeling spiritually low, I like this one, though I can't remember where...
This is a very difficult post to write. One of the most common themes for Christians is the faithfulness of God. We are repeatedly encouraged, in the Bible and elsewhere, to rely on God’s faithfulness, and specifically faithfulness to His promises. God has certainly been pretty kind...
I don’t know if anyone else has had the experience of meeting people in the secular workplace who say something to the effect of, "You're very religious! Have you ever thought of being ordained?" Because that’s what holy people do. Except we know that they don’t (necessarily)....
"What is your favourite hymn, psalm or spiritual song?" is a frequently asked question. Less often asked is: "What about your least favourite?" I have the interesting privilege of attending a church with three very different worship styles. One is worship from the book Mission Praise: basically...
Recently, our vicar preached a sermon on the 3rd chapter of St Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In commenting on verse 5 (“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry”), he very...