This is a question that Joseph, hero of our faith, might have asked himself. Joseph, a son of Jacob, the last of Israel’s ancient patriarchs, is at the centre of a 4,000-year-old family drama. It’s a story of favouritism, jealousy, hatred, temptation, suffering and reconciliation.
Perhaps this is a situation with which you can identify! But the Joseph story is bigger than that.
‘Here I am, for you called me’.
– 1 Samuel 3
THESE are the words of the child Samuel, apprentice to the priest Eli at the temple of God.
I wonder:
– how could these words speak to each of us today?
– what does it mean for us to be open to God, whatever our age, status, or circumstances?
– how does God speak with us now?
What wonders might give us glimpses of God’s Spirit today?
In what ways can you and I be signs of God’s comfort and support to those in distress?
What role might we have in offering meaning?
What space is there in your life and mine for signs of wonder?
How is the Spirit moving in your life and mine today?
A reflection on Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian Church, and Wesley Day, the brthday of the Methodist Church.
The story of Thomas the apostle is an invitation and challenge to us to be generous in listening to questions and scepticism. How do we cope with challenges to faith – our own and other people’s?
A REFLECTION on the story of the magi travelling to find Jesus in Bethlehem [Matthew 2:1-12] and the poem The Work Of Christmas by Howard Thurman.
THE CHRISTMAS STORY is a jigsaw, which we have pieced together from the four gospels. The pieces include: a star, a manger, shepherds, and wise people from the east. But the story of a man in the desert baptizing people doesn’t seem to fit the puzzle. Does it even belong in our picture of Christmas?
IN MAY 2023 I began the process of applying to begin training as a Methodist minister in 2024. This is the testimonial I wrote for a portfolio as part of my application.
THE REVELATION of God’s name and the call of Moses [3:1-15, 4:1-5], is an example of how, just when we think we have God figured out, God can overturn our expectations once again.
In Moses, God takes an inarticulate, excuse-riddled murderer and turns him into one of the greatest leaders of the Hebrew people, who becomes a prophet in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other faith traditions.
SEPTEMBER is the Season of Creation. It’s a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation, through celebration, prayer and action, together with the whole human family, for the good of our common home.
IN 2021, a Black woman became the President of the Methodist Church In Britain for the first time. In her presidential address at Conference, Revd Sonia Hicks told the story of her Aunt Lize, a life-long Methodist who came from Jamaica to the UK. On her first Sunday in this country, Lize attended the local Methodist church but, although she brought her membership ticket, the minister turned her away.
TEN YEARS AGO today the Houses of Parliament passed legislation to allow same-sex marriage in England and Wales. To mark the anniversary, BBC Radio Merseyside host Paul Salt interview me and my husband Warren, as we were the first couple to register a civil partnership in a place of worship in the UK.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) is growing fast – ChatGPT, the popular chatbot from OpenAI, is estimated to have reached 100 million monthly active users just two months after its launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer internet application ever.
So I decided to ask it a few questions, to see how intelligent it may be. Here’s a selection of its responses.
Oct 23
LAST WEEK the BBC screened Stephen Fry: Out There, a ground-breaking two part documentary about homophobia around the world. As the title suggests, it was presented by the multi-talented Stephen Fry, who describes himself on Twitter as: ‘British Actor, Writer, Lord of Dance, Prince of Swimwear & Blogger.’ During the making of the documentary, the …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/10/23/stephen-fry-out-there/
Oct 17
TODAY, the third Thursday in October, is Spirit Day, when millions of people wear purple and change their social media profile pictures to help create a world in which lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people are celebrated and accepted for who they are. What is Spirit Day? Spirit Day is an annual day held on the …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/10/17/did-you-go-purple-for-spiritday/
Sep 27
WHAT MAKES the debate over same-sex marriage around the world really interesting is the power of empathy, when ordinary people who are not LGBT begin to see it from our point of view. Spare six minutes to hear this man say why he began to get what it’s like to be judged second-rate for who …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/09/27/watch-defriended-over-a-wedding/
Sep 22
LAST WEEKEND the church where my civil partner and I worship together celebrated Inclusive Church Sunday. Despite major building work which unexpectedly revealed the presence of asbestos, and has restricted access to the building during the week, last Sunday the doors opened for three special events to mark the occasion. The day was dedicated to Inclusive …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/09/22/inclusive-church/
Sep 08
WHEN I FIRST went to an LGBT social group in Bath in my late 20s, I met an older generation of gay men who would speak in code to each other to avoid ‘outing’ themselves to others who might overhear them. For example, when discussing another man and wondering if he were gay, they would say …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/09/08/not-on-our-bus/
Sep 06
Gaydio, the UK’s only radio station for the LGBT community, aired a documentary this week about the LGBT history of Liverpool. It’s a powerful and moving oral history told by members of Liverpool’s LGBT communities past and present. I was interviewed about my work with LGBT young people over the last eight years, and the impact of the …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/09/06/power-of-love-lgbt-history-liverpool/
Sep 03
I BEGAN this blog a year ago after attending a seminar called ‘The Book You Were Born To Write’ by Nick Williams. Completing my 42nd year felt like an apt moment to do so, since 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe and Everything! It’s been an interesting and eventful …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/09/03/the-ultimate-question-have-i-found-the-answer/
Aug 11
The following text is a reflection I presented today during Morning Prayer at the church I attend with my partner. The church chooses a monthly theme for its services – this month’s theme was Musicals! When my partner and I were asked to lead a service on the theme of musicals, at first I thought: …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/08/11/i-am-what-i-am/
May 27
THIS HAUNTING AND POIGNANT SONG is dedicated to those who don’t feel free to love for fear of judgement, or even physical assault, by others who assume their love is wrong: They met across the dance floor just like many other lovers Each of them were caught within a trance And with the nervousness of …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/05/27/waiting-for-the-lovers/
May 19
This quotation, from a poster called ‘How To Build Community‘, was part of the inspiration that led me to start this blog around nine months ago. I have written about my experience as a gay Christian, as part of the first same sex couple to register our civil partnership in a place of worship in the …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/05/19/idaho13/
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