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‘Whoever has ears, let them hear….’ Jesus uses this famous phrase repeatedly in the gospels whenever he tells stories to his listeners.  The stories Jesus tells are called parables – which means there’s a point to them, maybe even a sting in the tail.  Jesus’ parables tease us, touch us, sometimes torment us.  They speak … Read more

I originally wrote this reflection in the week before the 2020 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.  As was usual in that season, the two Mercedes cars dominated qualifying for the race.  Many would agree that in Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes had the best driver at that time – and one of the greatest drivers of all-time. … Read more

Inspiration is a curious thing.  Any of us who try to communicate creatively in any medium, whether through words or the visual arts, know what that means – and what it costs.  Sometimes it just ‘flows’ – at other times, it’s like pulling teeth.  We scratch around in the dust, so to speak, looking for … Read more

I love meat.  As it happens, I love fruit, nuts and vegetables too, and will happily live as a vegetarian for half the week. But I can’t go the whole hog – pardon the pun.  Walk me down the meat aisle of the supermarket, past the speciality sausages and the cuts of beef, and I … Read more

God has a role for everyone in His kingdom.  It sometimes appears that the people God mostly uses are the ‘alpha’ characters – the big, out-there extroverts, those with the gift of the gab, the confident, funny ones, the people who naturally take charge.  And don’t get me wrong, we do need those. But God needs … Read more

I have a confession – I do love a good steam train.  There’s something about the ‘golden age of railways’ which captures the hearts of those of us who live in a more functional age.  It’s the theatre of it – the noise, the smoke, the beautiful designs of the locomotives.  I fully accept that … Read more

Good trips are always over too soon, aren’t they?  A lovely day out, a restful holiday – and suddenly we find it’s over… if only it could last just a bit longer!  St Paul had a similar experience in Thessalonica.  (You can read about it in Acts 17:1-9.)  Having just been released from prison in … Read more

Sometimes, life is a battle.  And there’s no harm in admitting that.  Generally, we feel less comfortable with the martial metaphors in the bible than we used to be.  We prefer the images of building, or growing, or running – and, perhaps, rightly so.  These are all positive, life-affirming ways of describing the journey of … Read more

Among the many changes to our lifestyles during the pandemic a few years ago, one which probably very few of us missed is the frequency of trips to the petrol station.  The lockdowns dramatically reduced our mileage, and suddenly what for many of us was a weekly chore became perhaps every month or even two … Read more

In 2015 a stretch of the newly resurfaced A303 in Wiltshire had to be replaced.  The problem was invisible to the naked eye, but fundamental: the resurfacing had used poor quality stone which couldn’t withstand the weight of traffic.  And so, the roadworks began all over again! In today’s passage St Paul continues the building … Read more