TODAY I said farewell to the church which has supported me for much of the last three years. Now that I have started training to be a Methodist presbyter [from the Greek word πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros) …
LAST SUNDAY, as part of my training as a Methodist local preacher, I led a service at a Black majority church in inner city Liverpool, about half a mile from a mosque. I had planned the service the week before, but as I woke to news of protests, riots, violence and destruction in the city the night before, I knew I had to respond somehow.
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.
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/
Mar 02
MARCH 1st was the third anniversary of the first meeting of the Michael Causer Foundation. Michael Causer, from Whiston, Merseyside, died on 2nd August 2008 aged just 18 after being brutally assaulted and left for dead eight days earlier. The parents of the murdered gay teenager have set up a Foundation in his name to provide housing and …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/03/02/building-on-foundation-for-lgbt-youth/
Feb 10
THE HOUSE of Commons vote in favour of same-sex marriage on Tuesday 5th February was a landmark for equality, but it’s not the end of the journey – As Liverpool prepares to host the UK’s first National Gay Wedding Show next month, this is my personal response to the marriage equality debate, written for the March …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/02/10/are-we-there-yet/
Jan 27
HAVE YOU EVER wondered why people are so different? Why they can’t all be like you? Why people don’t understand where you’re coming from or what makes you tick? Welcome to the human race – questions like these have preoccupied us for centuries, and no doubt will for generations to come. There have been many …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/01/27/nine-ways/
Jan 25
TONIGHT I was invited to share my story at the local meeting of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, which describes itself as: a UK-based international charity which challenges homophobia and transphobia, especially within the Church and faith based organisations, as well as working to create and praying for an inclusive church. The timing seemed …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/01/25/keeping-faith-in-pride/
Jan 19
The Lesbian & Gay Foundation have launched a new campaign to encourage people to fight for equality and support same-sex marriage. They are calling for people to contact their MPs to offer a message of support for same-sex marriage and encourage them to vote in favour of the proposed legislation. Here is our letter: Mrs …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/01/19/a-letter-to-our-mp-love-equal-marriage/
Jan 02
TONIGHT WE HAD a visit from an Open University researcher who is working on a project called Enduring Love? Couple Relationships in the 21st Century. My partner completed an online questionnaire a few months ago, and we were selected from almost 5,400 people who completed the questionnaire to be one of 60 couples who are …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/01/02/enduring-love-research01/
Jan 01
WHEN I STARTED this blog I aimed to write a short post each week. I managed for about six weeks, but some of the posts were not so short as I was writing about issues and experiences that had been on my mind for months and years. But life began to take over and I …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/01/01/photo-a-day-inspiration/
Dec 12
The first time I met my partner’s aunt, she waited until he was out of earshot and asked, ‘So do I need to buy a hat?’ She is not what you’d expect a supporter of marriage equality to be – a working class mother of three from Merseyside, not an obvious ally at first glance. …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/12/12/photo-a-day-dec12-hat/
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