Blogroll

If you have been a follower of Jesus, hung around a church community and managed to also keep hold of your brain, then you will have noticed that some odd phrases and beliefs creep into “christian life” for some reason.  They don’t make sense, but people say them – even when they require a God […]

Finally we arrive at the outta edge of our diagram. The 4th of the ingredients which go into a disciple.  The wording for this was inspired by a quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt who said:  “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where […]

So why do we call it a Village? We have called ourselves various things over the years, knowing that the word “church” carries some baggage, but also that we mean something more by it.  For a while we called our Sunday gatherings a “Watering Hole”… I had found a picture and read a description of […]

When my girls visit my mum the thing they love to do most is to “make a cake with Gran”. This is great, as they love it, and it usually means that pudding is sorted for that evening. All is not necessarily straight-forward however. Our first question after each visit as they present the cake […]

So first let’s deal with what a “car-share” isn’t. It isn’t a small/home/life group put together by your church. It isn’t your mates WhatsApp group full of memes and emojis. It probably isn’t formal and you were probably never invited to join it.  It is “you guys” the people who know you best, love you […]

A quick glance at the pages of the New Testament will soon reveal a truth about the Christian life, which despite being obvious, is often missed.  It is a team sport. It is best enjoyed in community.  Although the joys of a relationship with God can be known fully by each one of us individually, […]

There is a story told by John at the end of his gospel.  The story takes place overnight and as the sun rises over the hills surrounding a lake.  In the previous couple of days, Jesus has been dramatically arrested and brutally killed. His mates have understandably scattered, each fearing for their own lives and […]

In this, the third and final blog for this week we are building on the two previous points which are: Our discipleship to Jesus thrives in the same way as any other relationship: time.  There is a natural tendency to focus on the activity which fills the time. This is sometimes helpful, but sometimes distracts […]

In the previous blog post I outlined the effect of time on a relationship. The equation is simple.  Dedicated time devoted to a relationship will lead to an increased familiarity and fondness. The inverse is equally true.  Throughout church history there has been a high level of awareness of this truth. No matter how much […]

I once went on a first aid course. I learnt how to bring someone back to life, all about the recovery position and what to do if someone has swallowed a peanut. At the end of the course I was awarded a certificate and congratulated on my new status as a First Aider.  This next […]