Tag: grace
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splashes of grace
On Easter Monday my wife, Sally, and I went for a walk at a local reservoir. It was a mild day and we decided to walk all the way around the reservoir. After a while we stopped and I took this photograph, and then we saw a bench so sat on it to have a…
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Lovingly Inclusive (part 2)
We recently put up these banners outside our front door, on a main thoroughfare through Plymouth. They are 12ft tall! If you zoom in you can see our newly adopted values. This bloggage explores the second of our values which Mutley Baptist Church has adopted. The full text is: Jesus calls us to love God…
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twenty-first century jubilee
Warning: this bloggage contains idealism, optimism and challenge. I grew up in an era when the threat of nuclear attack was real. The peace of the world existed in a tension that was known as MAD – mutually assured destruction. In other words, we would not blow up another country because we knew that they…
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100 metres
Like many millions in this country and probably across the world I watched the Athletics World Championships 100 metres men’s final on Saturday evening. I tuned in hoping to see the fairytale ending to Usain Bolt’s career with him winning the 100m. But the fairytale ending didn’t happen. He didn’t even come second. He came…
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who said that?
I was meeting with some church leaders recently and I said, “The past helps to shape our present but it need not define our future.” One of the people there asked, “Who said that?” My answer was not intended to be flippant: “Me.” They wanted to know who I was quoting, but it was one…
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kaboom?
An unresolvable conundrum is this paradox: “What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?” Is the answer ‘kaboom’? There is no answer that does not fundamentally change the nature of either or both of the entities. If the immovable object moves it is no longer immovable or if the unstoppable force stops it is no longer…
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a love story
This Sunday morning in my sermon I will be exploring Hosea (the whole book). Every time I come to Hosea I find myself thinking, “What would I do if I was in Hosea’s position?” How would I feel? How would I cope? Hosea’s story is a love story… of sorts. The narrative is fascinating: Hosea…
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view from my pew 9
Dear Internet At a recent Church Meeting I was forced to raise three points of order and it seems that I have upset Mr Davenport. It all began when Revd Philip Inneck-Tucker, our Minister, decided that in one of our all-age services he would pretend to be the Old Testament Prophet Jonah. He came into the…
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for the victims of violence
Violence appears strong: it intimidates; it wounds; it destroys; it instils fear; it undermines; it screams; it demands; it provokes negative reactions; it kills. And grace and love appear weak: they can be trampled underfoot; they can be ignored; they can be pushed around and taken advantage of; they can be shouted down; they can…
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a reflective response to the referendum result
I have been trying to work out in my mind how to respond to the EU Referendum result. I want to offer some disparate thoughts. To those who voted ‘Remain’: You did not lose. We made a decision. Right now you may feel as if you have lost, I understand that. (I voted ‘Remain’ too). From the…
nukelearfishing 