nukelearfishing

Month: Nov 2014

  • running away or towards?

    Something dawned on me. A lightbulb lit. The mental microwave went ‘ping’. In the gospels there are two accounts of failed fishing trips on Galilee. The first is at the start of Jesus’ ministry (Luke 5:1-11) and the second is right at the end (John 21:1-13). In the first one Jesus had been using a…

  • arise, shine, your light has dawned

    Yesterday my travels took me into London – to Spurgeon’s College to be precise. Spurgeon’s is the Bible College that was responsible for my formative training and still holds a very affectionate place in my heart, so it was a real joy that one of my responsibilities is to represent my Association on the College…

  • are we there yet?

    One of the things we do in our Team within the Eastern Baptist Association is share a ‘thought for the week’ with Ministers in the Association. It is sent by email each week. This week it was my turn and, in the spirit of recycling, I am posting it here too. If you are an…

  • Dignity

    Dignity is something that people have – I think it is part of being made in God’s image. But it can be taken away, sometimes in brutal ways, so I am supporting BMS World Mission’s Dignity programme which is seeking to highlight the issues, and show ways in which Dignity is being restored. The following text…

  • annoyed by automobile ablutionists

    When I visit a local supermarket I am always approached (at least during daylight hours) by men asking me if I want my car washed. Now I know that my car always looks like it needs a wash, especially with all of the extra miles that I am doing now, but I feel a little resentful…

  • The parable of the good refund

    One of the things I have quickly realised in my new role as a Regional Minister is that I am going to be spending a lot of time in my car. And I have recognised that if I am going to be spending a lot of time in the car it makes sense to ensure…

  • humbled and blessed

    Yesterday I was given a large plastic bag. It contained lots and lots of cards and pictures and letters that children from a local school had made to say ‘thank you’ to Stew the Rabbit (and me) for supporting the school during my time at the church, especially the Assemblies. I was blessed and encouraged…

  • not just there for the nasty things in life

    I hope you will forgive what might be self-indulgence, but I am going to inflict a little more of my sermon to myself which I preached at my induction last week, looking at 1 Corinthians 3:1-9: Paul wrote some harsh words to the church in Corinth. The comedian Eddie Izzard has a very funny routine…

  • preaching to the preacher

    The Eastern Baptist Association has an interesting tradition: the incoming Regional Minister (aka me) preaches at their own induction. I pondered this for a while and in the end felt led to preach to myself. You may have heard of ‘preaching to the choir’ but I was ‘preaching to the preacher’. This is an extract…

  • brief

    Today I have been at Baptist House, experiencing the process through which God helps churches that are looking for Ministers and Ministers that are looking for churches to find each other. The process is thorough and requires in depth knowledge of both the churches and the Ministers to work well. I reflected to myself that…