Daily Inspiration

The Church is a very big thing.  Very big.  It’s hard for us to get a true handle on just how many people claim to follow Jesus.  Think of a big crowd that you’ve been part of.  One of the biggest for me was the crowd of 80,000 in the Olympic Stadium in London in … Read more

Yesterday we looked at the foundations of our good news: the two pillars, if you will, of grace and peace.  God’s gift of undeserved mercy, which in turn brings shalom to our relationships in every dimension.  God’s grace, our peace.  These are the twin foundations on which our walk with Jesus rests – and as … Read more

Not many of us write letters anymore – at least not by choice.  Emails, texts, posts, tweets, blogs – but a letter?  Only for formal replies to institutions: and even then, usually typed on a computer and printed out.  To receive a handwritten letter nowadays is a rare and beautiful thing.  However, whilst it is … Read more

We’re blessed to be able to worship in a beautiful, inspiring building.  Despite being made with wooden scaffolds, rudimentary tools and makeshift mortar, it has stood for hundreds of years, and is likely to for hundreds more.  Most of us sucked in our breath and felt a sense of thrill when we first stepped inside … Read more

‘Red and green should never be seen with nothing in-between.’  I don’t know if you’ve ever received that fashion advice – I don’t set much store by it myself, as my weekly emails attest: the more red and green, the better!  It comes from the idea that a strong contrast is off-putting: we like things … Read more

In sports journalism nowadays the word GOAT has become one of the most likely you’ll see, especially online. Which might seem odd to you if you’re not a sports fan: what do goats have to do with professional sport?  The clue is in the capitals: GOAT is an acronym, which stands for Greatest Of All … Read more

It may surprise you to know, but even as late as Jesus’ lifetime the Jewish people were divided as to whether there was eternal life after death.  The early books of the Old Testament say little about it, and even some of our most cherished texts are ambiguous: the last verse of Psalm 23 actually … Read more

I didn’t plan it like this, but it’s somehow fitting that we are looking at today’s passage on the first day of the new tax year – and indeed on a day when a particular high profile tax rise in our country comes into effect.  It is, perhaps, cold comfort to know that controversy over … Read more

Deafness is a condition which runs in my family.  I am very thankful that thus far it has missed my generation: but I know firsthand how isolating it can be.  I do remember my nan, though, often giving my grandad a gentle telling off when he had ignored something his wife had clearly told him … Read more

Questions, questions…. Some of you will know that before I was a vicar I worked for 12 years as a market researcher.  Many might consider that a good way to describe my old job would be as a ‘professional nuisance’!  However, if I was asked to describe my work, I would often answer that I … Read more