LAST WEEKEND, director of Changing Attitude Colin Coward came to our church to give a series of reflections inspired by twenty years working towards a more inclusive church around the world. Colin is an Anglican priest who originally trained as an architect and subsequently as a psychotherapist. He ministered for 19 years in inner-city parishes. …
Listening to the music of the soul: True Colors
‘LISTENING to the Music of the Soul’ by Guli Francis-Dehqani is divided into 8 chaptersinspired by 8 pieces of music. The author invites us to ‘have a go at creating your own Desert Island Discs… to help you better understand yourself and the things that are important to you’. Here’s my fourth.
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 20th December 2025
- Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, Homophobia, identity, LGBT rights, Liverpool, marriage, Marriage Equality, Michael Causer, Open Table, relationships, sexuality, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Listening to the music of the soul: Canon in D
INSPIRED by 8 pieces of music, Listening to the Music of the Soul by Guli Francis-Dehqani is divided into 8 chapters. The author invites us to ‘have a go at creating your own Desert Island Discs… to help you better understand yourself and the things that are important to you’. Here’s my third.
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 19th December 2025
- Christianity, Civil Partnership, Liverpool, marriage, relationships, sexuality, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Listening to the music of the soul: Don’t give up
AS THIS ADVENT SEASON invites us to ponder the mystery of Jesus’s coming at Christmas, I’m sharing a series of reflections inspired by Listening to the Music of the Soul, the Archbishop of York’s Advent …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 18th December 2025
- Coming Out, identity, Mental Health, relationships, sexuality, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Listening to the music of the soul: Walk among them, I’ll go with you
Inspired by eight pieces of music, Listening to the Music of the Soul by Guli Francis-Dehqani is divided into eight chapters. The author also invites us to ‘have a go at creating your own Desert Island Discs… to help you better understand yourself and the things that are important to you’. Here’s my first.
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 17th December 2025
- Christianity, Christmas, identity, Open Table, sexuality, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Gifts that change us: An Advent reflection
6th December is the feast of St Nicholas, patron saint of children. In the Middle Ages, there was a tradition of electing a Boy Bishop – a reminder to hear the wisdom of the young.
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 9th December 2025
- Appreciation, Christianity, Christmas, Gratitude, Kindness, Methodist, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Called by name – A reflection for Trans Day of Remembrance
EACH YEAR, on 20th November, Transgender Day of Remembrance [TDOR] is observed in memory of trans people who have lost their lives through prejudice and violence during the past year. Last Saturday, as part of his training for ordination in the Methodist Church, I shared this reflection for TDOR in the college chapel.
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 19th November 2025
- Bullying, Christianity, Hate Crime, Human Rights, identity, LGBT rights, Methodist, Open Table, Spirituality, Transphobia
- abravefaith
Faithful and humble: Living the Gospel when no-one’s watching
Every church has them – the quiet heroes. The ones who turn up early, serve faithfully, and never seek attention. In a world that prizes recognition, Paul’s letter to Timothy and Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector remind us of something different: that God values faithfulness and humility, even – and especially – when no one’s watching.
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 1st November 2025
- Appreciation, Chaplaincy, Christianity, Gratitude, Kindness, Methodist, Spirituality, YMCA
- abravefaith
Make time for peace: A call to action
SEPTEMBER 21st is the United Nations International Day of Peace, created in 1981 as an opportunity for ‘commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.’ Two decades later, …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 21st September 2025
- Christianity, Coming Out, Hate Crime, Human Rights, identity, Kindness, Liverpool, Methodist, Open Table, relationships, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Garden of Peace: A reflection for the Season of Creation 2025
LAST SUNDAY, as part of my training as a Methodist minister, I shared this brief reflection on the Season of Creation, which runs from 1st September to 4th October, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment.
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 2nd September 2025
- Christianity, Methodist, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Transfiguration and Hiroshima: A reflection on peace
LAST SUNDAY, as part of my training as a Methodist minister, I shared this reflection on the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, which falls on the Feast of the Transfiguration (6th August).
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 6th August 2025
- Christianity, Methodist, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Encouraging words build community spirit
LAST MONTH, as part of my training as a Methodist minister, I shared this reflection about the inmportance of sharing encouragement when we can, not waiting until someone leaves or has died to say how we really feel.
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 4th August 2025
- Appreciation, Christianity, Gratitude, Kindness, Meaning of Life, Methodist, relationships, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Joy, freedom, kindness: A spiritual exercise
LAST SUNDAY, as part of my training as a Methodist minister, I shared this reflection during an all-age service. The service included children and adults with learning difficulties. The readings for the day were Psalm …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- 5th July 2025
- Christianity, Kindness, Methodist, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Apr 25
A Coward with courage – challenging the Church, changing our image of God
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
-
25th April 2015
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/04/25/a-coward-with-courage-challenging-the-church-changing-our-image-of-god/
Apr 14
A conversation that matters: #OpenChurch2015 conference
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
-
14th April 2015
Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters. This was the aim of last week’s two-day conference Open Church: The church, sexuality, mission and the future hosted by Steve Chalke, Baptist minister and founder of international charity the Oasis Trust. Steve hit the headlines two years ago when he called for an ‘open conversation’ around same-sex relationships and …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- Christian, church, Church of England, coming out, current-events, England, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, gender identity, God, homophobia, Jesus, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Marriage, Mental health, pastoral care, Place of worship, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality, theology, Youth
- Leave comment
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/04/14/a-conversation-that-matters-openchurch2015-conference/
Mar 23
Reflecting on our identity as LGBT people of faith and as an LGBT faith community
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Meaning of Life, Spirituality
-
23rd March 2015
BY POPULAR REQUEST, members of the community that meets monthly at St Bride’s Church, Liverpool for the Open Table LGBT service spent a day away again this month, six months after our first away-day last October. Following the theme of identity and individuality we explored in last month’s service, we developed and deepened this at …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- Christian, church, Church of England, coming out, creativity, England, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, gender identity, God, homophobia, Jesus, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Liverpool Pride, Marriage, Mental health, Merseyside, pastoral care, Personal development, Place of worship, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality, theology, transphobia
- 3 comments
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/03/23/reflecting-identity-lgbt-faith-community/
Feb 21
LGBT History Month: What’s your story? #LGBTHM15
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
-
21st February 2015
FEBRUARY is LGBT History Month in the UK – marked every year in the UK since 2004 to remember and celebrate the lives and achievements of LGBT people past and present. It was set up by Sue Sanders, founder of Schools Out, a group for LGBT teachers since 1974. LGBT History Month is a wonderful opportunity to …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- Catholic, Catholic Church, Christian, church, civil partnership, Civil union, coming out, current-events, England, family, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, God, homophobia, LGBT, LGBT History Month, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Marriage, Mental health, Merseyside, Place of worship, Roman Catholic Church, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality
- 1 comment
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/02/21/lgbt-history-month-whats-your-story/
Jan 27
WATCH: Project Triangle – LGBT youth visit Auschwitz
- By abravefaith in Hate Crime, LGBT rights
-
27th January 2015
TODAY is the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp in Poland where around 1.5 million people died because they were different. In September 2009, I accompanied ten young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from Merseyside on a five-day cultural exchange trip to Auschwitz and Warsaw working with a group of young …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/01/27/watch-project-triangle-lgbt-youth-visit-auschwitz/
Jan 01
2014: A big year for UK marriage equality
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Civil Partnership, LGBT rights, Marriage Equality
-
1st January 2015
2014 was a big year for marriage equality in the UK. Same-sex marriage is now possible in the United Kingdom, with the exception of Northern Ireland. As marriage law is devolved to the governments of each country in the Union, the status of same-sex marriage is different in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The UK …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/01/01/2014-uk-marriage-equality/
Dec 25
WATCH: The REAL Christmas story
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Christmas
-
25th December 2014
If you need some Christmas cheer, watch this amazing a capella retelling of the first Christmas story in only four minutes…
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/12/25/watch-the-real-christmas-story/
Dec 24
Loving from the bottom of the heap – A gay Christian reading for Christmas
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Christmas, LGBT rights, Meaning of Life, Spirituality
-
24th December 2014
At a carol service last Sunday, hosted by Open Table, an LGBT Christian community in Liverpool, I read one of the readings, which I found moving, inspiring and too good not to share: The most powerful place from which to renew the face of the earth is the bottom of the heap. I often think of …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/12/24/loving-from-the-bottom-of-the-heap-a-gay-christian-reading-for-christmas/
Dec 22
Diversity Role Models – Challenging prejudice one story at a time
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
-
22nd December 2014
A YEAR AGO I trained as a volunteer with Diversity Role Models, a charity which offers workshops in schools featuring positive LGBT or straight ally role models who speak directly to young people about their experiences, to challenge bullying by promoting empathy. They began in London in 2011 and are now expanding across the UK, including …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
- Catholic, Catholic Church, Christian, church, civil partnership, Civil union, coming out, England, family, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, God, homophobia, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Mental health, Merseyside, Personal development, Place of worship, Roman Catholic Church, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality, Youth
- 1 comment
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/12/22/diversity-role-models/
Dec 10
Speak OUT: Fight back against homophobia and transphobia
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights
-
10th December 2014
Wednesday 10th December is Human Rights Day. In celebration, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission is launching Speak OUT: 5 ways to fight back against homophobia and transphobia. Watch and share the video with your friends and family. Unchecked prejudice often leads directly to discrimination, violence and the denial of basic human rights to lesbian, gay, …
Share this:
- Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
- Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
- More
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/12/10/speak-out-fight-back-against-homophobia-and-transphobia/
Recent comments