Lee Abbey Camp 2024 banner - created by Sabryanne I am just back from another brilliant week at the Lee Abbey Youth Camp. The camp is all about building a community with 150 others bonded by God's love. We sleep in tents in a field by the sea, eat food cooked over open fires and… Continue reading “Though this world is broken, we know His justice shall win”
The priest, the pay-off & an institution paralysed by fear
Blackburn Cathedral Revolutionary France, 1790s: a mob is rampaging through the streets of Paris, smashing up shops, looting and assaulting people. Trailing fifty yards behind the chaos is an older man struggling to keep up. As he stops and leans on a wall to take a breath, a man asks him ‘My friend, why do… Continue reading The priest, the pay-off & an institution paralysed by fear
What I have learnt from my ‘Soul Survivor’ Bible
We have a Bible my daughter was kindly given by her former youth group designed and marketed for young people: The Soul Survivor Youth Bible. I bet thousands of other young people have a copy too. But since the closure of the Soul Survivor festival and the scandals caused by Mike Pilavachi’s abusive and manipulative… Continue reading What I have learnt from my ‘Soul Survivor’ Bible
Sowing the seeds of strife
"A troublemaker plants seeds of strife" Proverbs 16:28 "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are… Continue reading Sowing the seeds of strife
The contemporary nature of poverty. And why it matters.
In his autobiography, the legendary footballer Bobby Charlton wrote about the material poverty he grew up in a North East of England mining community in 1940s. He records how everyone in his neighbourhood would be hungry the two days before pay-day because everyone was surviving on just bread and margarine. Charlton describes the insecurity and… Continue reading The contemporary nature of poverty. And why it matters.
Navigating narratives: from the ‘Brat Pack’ to today’s misinformation
The 'Brat Pack’ were a group of young American actors who defined the cinema of my early teenage years. It was a play on the 1950s/60s group of Hollywood actors and entertainers known as ‘the Rat Pack’. Films like The Outsiders, St Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club portrayed the struggles of young people in… Continue reading Navigating narratives: from the ‘Brat Pack’ to today’s misinformation
The messy reality of grace & truth: seeking justice in my community – by Nick Graves
I clearly remember that Friday. It was a typical Food Stop day at our church, a time when we open our doors to offer local people struggling financially the opportunity to choose £20-30 worth of food and interact with experts and support services. But that day, amid the familiar sea of faces, a new group… Continue reading The messy reality of grace & truth: seeking justice in my community – by Nick Graves
Fully Alive: tending to the soul in turbulent times [review]
Fully Alive: tending to the soul in turbulent times by Elizabeth Oldfield (Hodder & Stoughton, 2024) Fully Alive is a fresh, thoughtful and extremely honest attempt to build a bridge between the Christian faith and those outside the church bubble. It had me hooked from the first page. Like all the best books, this book… Continue reading Fully Alive: tending to the soul in turbulent times [review]
‘Christian social action may have grown but it needs to mature’: Grace, Truth & the Common Good
Last Monday I gave a lecture titled Grace, Truth and the Common Good: the future of Christian Social Action, in memory of Frank Field at the London Jesuit Centre. You can watch the lecture below. I am introduced by Jenny Sinclair who leads Together for the Common Good and the lecture starts at 5 mins… Continue reading ‘Christian social action may have grown but it needs to mature’: Grace, Truth & the Common Good
Rough sleeping: what Starmer can learn from Blair – by David Christie
When Labour came to power in 1997, huge and unprecedented numbers of people were sleeping rough in every town and city across Britain. The appalling sight of people bedding down in shop doorways across the nation was widely considered a ‘national disgrace’. Labour gave a high priority to homelessness and set itself the aim of… Continue reading Rough sleeping: what Starmer can learn from Blair – by David Christie
Grace + Truth 