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The diversity of the worldwide church is extraordinary.  Every culture and every society is included.  In fact, in every country in the world there is at least one follower of Jesus – and for many, following this path to life comes at great personal cost. The same is true of our buildings – look around … Read more

It’s easy to over-complicate faith.  As we’ve journeyed through the wonderful presence and work of the Holy Spirit over the last few weeks, we’ve uncovered some glorious truths.  We’ve seen how the Spirit has been around for eternity, co-existing with the Father and the Son in a beautiful relationship of mutual love.  How the Spirit … Read more

When St Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians it was still possible to walk around the glorious Second Temple in Jerusalem.  Begun by Zerubbabel in 538BC, it was finally completed by Herod the Great (king at the time of Jesus’ birth) more than 500 years later, and its dimensions were vast for a complex … Read more

For many hundreds of years, a wax seal has been used to mark letters of importance.  A seal indicates both the sender and the authority attached to the contents of the letter.  You may be surprised to learn that the practice is still in use today.  For example, when Harry and Meghan got married in … Read more

On Albert Bridge which crosses the River Thames in Battersea, near where we used to live, you’ll find a plaque: ‘All troops must break step when marching over this bridge.’ The story behind this is that in 1831 the Broughton Suspension Bridge (now in Salford, Manchester) collapsed as a troop of 74 men marched across.  Investigations … Read more

How do you test the value of anything?  It’s a good question to ask, and nowadays we have lots of clever analytical tools to do just that for almost any type of situation.  But Jesus’ answer to this question was disarmingly simple: look at the fruit it produces.  Is it good or bad?  Is there lots … Read more

When I was a student, I used to earn my money in the long summers working for a builder.  Sometimes the work would be nice and easy – glossing outdoor window frames in the sunshine, with factor 15 and the radio on.  Other times the work would be much harder.  My least favourite job of … Read more

How do you imagine heaven?  For many of us, it’s hard to shake that idea of sitting on a cloud, maybe wearing a halo, quite possibly getting a bit bored. This is not the bible’s view of heaven!  The great story of Scripture is that, at the end of time, heaven and earth come together … Read more

When our kids were little, we didn’t own a car, so all our journeys were by public transport.  With a toddler and a baby, our double buggy was effectively our ‘car’ – the kids sat or slept side by side, and the buggy also functioned as our ‘boot’, holding everything on its handles or in … Read more

What do you think of when you hear the word prophet?  Perhaps a wizened old seer living hermit-like in a remote place.  Perhaps a gold-toothed charlatan with a white suit and flash car.  Perhaps a harmless eccentric stockpiling food and waiting for the end of days. Or perhaps someone just like us.  The remarkable truth … Read more