nukelearfishing

Tag: god

  • by their fruit…

    [Trigger warning: this bloggage is about how high profile men get away with abuse and exploitation]. The news this week has been dominated by the conviction and sentencing of Russell Brand for rape and sexual assault, and by allegations of sexual misconduct (an inadequate euphemism) against David Walliams that he failed to suppress. I want…

  • remember

    This Sunday was Remembrance Sunday in the UK. It’s always the nearest Sunday to 11th November, which is the date when the First World War ended. It’s a service that is full of mixed emotions – we don’t glorify or celebrate war but we honour the sacrifice of people who have died in the armed…

  • mystifying

    In our morning services at the church I serve we are following a series exploring different aspects of prayer. Soon we will be looking at why we find it difficult to pray, and what is going on when our prayers don’t seem to be answered. That’s not what this bloggage is about, so don’t be…

  • Listing?

    The current church I serve is Listed. Thankfully it’s not listing like the aptly-named leaning tower of Pisa. It means that it is on a list of historically and architecturally significant buildings and has to be preserved in historically accurate condition. As you can imagine that carries a significant financial cost because major repairs have…

  • giving it a try

    We’re about to start a new Sunday evening gathering at our church. The idea is that it will be a bit more service-like than another evening gathering that we already participate in, yet also be a bit unconventional. The idea we have is that each month will have a theme that runs through the month,…

  • when it doesn’t make sense

    I reckon we’re hardwired to want to understand what’s going on around us. I guess evolutionary biologists might talk about it being a survival instinct that allowed our forebears to anticipate threats, to respond appropriately to what’s happening and consciously to interact with their environment and those around them in a way that is logical,…

  • doing justice to the darkness

    When I was training to be a Baptist Minister all of us had to endure being the victim in ‘Sermon Class’ once in our training. The idea was that a student (usually a 3rd year) would lead a service and preach a sermon in front of the college faculty and students. As if that wasn’t…

  • change?

    Most Mondays will find me sat in my study at home, working on the sermon and service for the coming Sunday. This is something I have started doing since I came to serve Mutley Baptist Church, here in Plymouth (the original Plymouth in the UK). In previous churches and roles I used to prepare on…

  • nostalgia and obsolescence

    I was chatting with someone today about Tipp-Ex correction fluid. The arrival of word processing on computers and the improved quality of personal printers must surely have had an impact on the sales of correction fluid. If I make a mistake typing I just delete and replace it with the correct word, and with automated…

  • watch it

    Recently my mother gave me a watch that had belonged to my Great Grandad, Percy. It’s not currently working and I would like to get it repaired (but that’s not what this bloggage is about). It’s not particularly valuable (I’m pretty sure it’s brass, not gold), but it means a lot because it was his.…