Photo by Szymon Shields on Pexels.com Every day, on the way to work, I get a bus up Oxford Street. I get off just outside the famous department store, Selfridges, and walk round the corner to West London Mission offices. The Christmas decorations, sponsored this year by Marmite, have been up since October. Walking in the… Continue reading Reversing the mad consumerism of Christmas
Category: Ethics & Christian living
Congo violence is closer to home than we think
Fighting in the Congo between the ‘M23’ rebels and FARDC government troops reached Goma on the border with Rwanda today. The city of almost 400,000 people, almost the size of Bristol, has so far escaped direct fighting. Hundreds of thousands have already fled their homes in the East of the country this year trying to… Continue reading Congo violence is closer to home than we think
Conviction and tolerance…in an age of bigotry
What theme could more appropriate on November 5th than religious tolerance? After all it is the night when we remember the failure of Catholic activists to blow up Parliament and kill the King. An event we have celebrated for over 400 years by gleefully burning effigies of the most celebrated conspirator, Guy Fawkes, who was… Continue reading Conviction and tolerance…in an age of bigotry
The best thing I did last summer – Lee Abbey Camp 2012
It was a great summer: the Jubilee, the London Olympics and my 40th birthday. The weather was not great but our family holiday in Costa Del Kent coincided with the hottest week of the year and my birthday picnic was only slightly dampened by a torrential downpour… But for me, the best week of the year… Continue reading The best thing I did last summer – Lee Abbey Camp 2012
Why churches manage their staff badly
The other day I was talking with four friends, all of whom are committed to their local churches and also work for Christian organisations. As we chatted, someone shared a situation in their work where a blatantly unjust situation was not being tackled. She outlined the grief it was causing and her frustration about how… Continue reading Why churches manage their staff badly
Learning from those who never got there: what Bonhoeffer and King teach me about reaching 40
Last month, I was 40. It's a time to stand back, to reflect and take stock...and invest in moisturiser. Especially when one of my son's friends thought I was 60! In recent years, two of the biggest influences on me have been the writings and example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King. In some ways,… Continue reading Learning from those who never got there: what Bonhoeffer and King teach me about reaching 40
‘Everyone can be great, because anyone can serve’
Photo by Hugo Magalhaes on Pexels.com ‘Long before and after Jesus, prophets and philosophers have been trying to reconcile the fullest individuality with the most just community. Greatness of servanthood may have been as good an answer as any ever found. The best woman or man was the one who did the most for the… Continue reading ‘Everyone can be great, because anyone can serve’
Which is more important: what is done on the pavement or what is said on the platform?
Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com When I worked for Shaftesbury - now Livability - helping churches engage in social action, I had a boss who would often challenge our team with this question: was our work making a difference on the pavement or was it more about the platforms of church meetings and conferences? In other words,… Continue reading Which is more important: what is done on the pavement or what is said on the platform?
Sex and the Spa Town
Photo by Marina Zvada on Pexels.com In the last three months two nightclubs in my home town of Leamington Spa have applied for ‘sexual entertainment licences’ that allow them to run strip clubs and other ‘adult entertainment’. With the Green Party and others from across the political spectrum I've been campaigning to stop the licences being granted. Similar… Continue reading Sex and the Spa Town
Should Christians send their children to private schools?
Photo by Patrick Case on Pexels.com The Education Secretary Michael Gove, today gave a speech where he said that the segregation between rich and poor children was ‘morally indefensible’. The Evening Standard tonight quotes his comments at length: "It is remarkable how many of the positions of wealth, influence, celebrity and power in our society… Continue reading Should Christians send their children to private schools?
Grace + Truth 