Why do we think God wants to be understood? I guess it's because in most of our relationships we ourselves expect to be understood and we strive, if possible, to understand the other. Mutual understanding is par for the course for a good relationship and who doesn't want to have a good relationship with God?... Continue Reading →
The City – Book Review
Here is my friend Cathy's sequel to The Gifts . Well done Cathy! Her amazing imagination and incredible capacity to create names and geography for a whole new world have once again been applied to this follow up story which (no plot spoilers) ends with a sense of completeness. It starts with a very violent... Continue Reading →
The Courier – Film Review
This is a brilliant film. It is the true story of an apparently ordinary English businessman Greville Wynne who is recruited by MI6 to act as the courier for the information passed on by a high ranking Russian official, Penkovsky. The story is the story of their friendship and the drama centres around the Cuban... Continue Reading →
Where is God in all this?
Whether it's the appalling human atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine or the fear that families here are chosing between staying warm or being fed or the existential climate crisis (will we still have a planet fit for habitation in even 5 years time?) - the question above is the obvious one being asked... Continue Reading →
Deer Strike at 70mph and thoughts about Providence
We have just repatriated our car from Devon. It was delivered to us yesterday. A week after after our evening rescue from a lay by on the A30 twenty five miles south of Exeter. (A big shout out to Highfield Garage Exeter, they were superb). We had been on our way to Cornwall and making... Continue Reading →
‘Where the light fell’ by Philip Yancey – a review
Philip Yancey is possibly one of the most well know Christian writers in my life time. With a huge back catalogue of best-selling books such as 'Disappointment with God', 'The Jesus I never knew' and 'What's so amazing about Grace?' he has done more than many to drag the hardest questions of life and faith... Continue Reading →
Scarred, Sacred and Scared
This is a reflection on three words that describe the whole world as we are currently experiencing it, with particular reference to the conflict in Ukraine, suggesting how a story from Genesis points towards the hope for all humankind. SCARRED This is the first word that describes the world as we experience it. Scarred means... Continue Reading →
Church: why we are meant to be ‘all at sea’ and not ‘five miles above contradiction’.
Two images of travel have been much in my mind lately. The first is of a sea voyage in a sturdy but smallish vessel. The waves and the wind and currents are very powerful. The crew and the boat's captain are simply (and sometimes literally) immersed into the mess and mayhem of life's experience. Yet... Continue Reading →
Keeping oneself in perspective
Yesterday I sat in the church where I am now serving, St Matthew's Salford Priors. I contemplated the East Window. After a while, stepping closer, I saw it was put in place and/or dedicated to the memory of Samuel Garrard who was priest here for 41 years. I wanted to know some more about him... Continue Reading →
Christmas Greeting Letter
To make up for our lack in the Christmas card department, we offer you this little video of out-takes from an attempt to create a video of us reading a Christmas story for children linked to our church's Facebook group. We did actually succeed in making the video in the end (but the dog, not... Continue Reading →