Category: followers of Jesus

  • from sermons to sofas

    No, today’s bloggage is not recommending that we install sofas in our churches instead of pews or uncomfortable chairs. Although, come to think of it… Today is a day in which I plan to spend most of the day shut away in my study… preparing for Sunday services. The sun is shining outside, the birds…

  • how do you do it?

    As regular readers of this blog will know I love magic tricks. I love watching them, learning them, performing them, and seeing the audience reaction (if it’s good!). It seems to me that the question I get asked more than any other is: “How did you do that?” My response might be a cheeky ‘very well’,…

  • taxing questions

    Recently I received a letter from HM Revenue and Customs. It was dated 6 April 2012 and told me that it’s now time to complete my tax return for last year. It sets out to different deadlines. If I use paper then I have until 31 October 2012, whereas if I file online I have…

  • getting fruity

    This morning I have been looking at the subjects for the next part of our morning preaching series. We are working our way through Luke’s Gospel – we may be some time! This passage particularly struck me (it’s Jesus speaking…) “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each…

  • the pen is not mightier than the word

    Yesterday I had a letter arrived at the church that was personally addressed to me. At least it will be if I ever change my first name to begin with the letter ‘R’. Still, all the rest of the details were correct so I opened the envelope. Inside was a lovely pen with our church…

  • Christmas has officially started

    Even though I say so myself, last night’s Carols by Candlelight was brilliant! The church was pretty full, the choir sang beautifully, the readers read wonderfully, the technical side of things worked seamlessly, the refreshments afterwards (with Get in The Picture too) were excellent (hall packed) and we all left with a wonderfully warm, Christmassy…

  • the toughest challenge

    I am about to embark on one of the most challenging tasks of the whole year… putting all of the finishing touches to our Carols by Candlelight service (Colchester Baptist Church, 6.30 pm, 18th December). It is not technically that difficult. We have already chosen all the carols and the readings more or less choose…

  • double-talk

    I must be in touch with my feminine side. I am multitasking. Not only that, but I am multitasking by preparing two sermons simultaneously. Many alarm bells are sounding in my head about why this is not a good idea, but I can’t help it. Thoughts relating to both of Sunday’s sermons have been surfacing…

  • spamalot

    It’s everywhere. It used to be called ‘Junk mail’ and ‘cold calling’ and now it’s called ‘spam’. The unsolicited blurb that comes at us from every possible direction. I would like to declare now that I have never ever responded positively to spam or its equivalents. If any spammers are reading this, perhaps you could…

  • targeted adverts

    Advertisers pay money to put their adverts in the places where they thing the right people will see them. Daytime TV is full of ads from injury lawyers because they reckon that those who have had an accident at work will be lying on the sofa recuperating. The internet is getting smarter too. Ads on…