FEBRUARY is LGBT+ History Month,an annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary history. The Methodist Church in Britain has published resources for LGBT+ History Month since 2022. This year they asked me, as Director of the Open Table Network to share the story of how Open Table began and has grown from one to many communities.
FEBRUARY is LGBT+ History Month, an annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary history. This year, the Methodist Church in Britain asked me to write a prayer which will be shared with churches for the month.
LAST SUNDAY, as part of my training as a Methodist minister, I shared this short reflection during a carol service at Wesley Church Centre in Chester: ‘Do not be afraid; for see – I am …
CHRISTMAS is loud, isn’t it? So much expectation. So many voices. Telling us how to celebrate, what to wear, what to eat and drink, what to watch and what to buy.
Instead, the Methodist Church in Britain invites us to ‘Hush The Noise’ and listen to THREE new Christmas singles!
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?
Dec 05
THIS IS THE VIEW looking up the hill outside the building where I work. The charity, the Young Person’s Advisory Service in Liverpool city centre, has been supporting children, young people and families on Merseyside for 46 years, in premises that have supported child welfare for over a century. It is a quaint, charming and eccentric …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/12/05/photo-a-day-dec5-lookingup/
Dec 04
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT a black and white photo that adds drama and impact. This was not taken today, but on the day of our civil partnership on 6th May. It is one of my favourite photos of the year, too good not to share. My partner and I are poised on the threshold of the …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/12/04/photo-a-day-dec4-blackwhite/
Dec 03
MANY of us spend more time looking at our smartphones than at the faces of our loved ones, researchers claim. It’s true that hand-held devices are seductive and attention-seeking – the temptation to see what’s new will always be there and most likely grow stronger with each innovation. They are a wonderful invention which, used …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/12/03/photo-a-day-dec3-handheld/
Dec 02
TODAY IS THE FIRST Sunday in Advent, the time of preparation for the Christian celebration of Christmas. Each of the four candles reminds us of those who prepared the way for the coming of Jesus: The first is for the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the forefathers of the Hebrew people and the founders of …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/12/02/photo-a-day-dec2-peace/
Dec 01
For the background to the Photo A Day challenge, please read the intro to Day 1 here.
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/12/01/photo-a-day-dec1-8oclock/
Nov 30
‘HOW DEEP dare I go? How far might I reach?’ These challenging questions form part of a framed display of the life story St Ignatius of Loyola on the wall of Loyola Hall Jesuit Spirituality Centre in Merseyside. I went there with an early draft of of my ‘coming out’ story to make an eight …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/30/photo-a-day-nov30-wall/
Nov 29
IN A SUNSET SKY, above the chimney pots, a dark speck moves towards the trees. Is it a bird? No. Is it a plane? Yes. A huge jet carrying hundreds of people and huge amounts of luggage appears as big as a leaf on the trees below… For the background to the Photo A Day …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/29/photo-a-day-nov29-big/
Nov 28
FOR THE LAST nine years I have lived without a vehicle. Maybe next year we could buy one but, as these car magazines show, the choices and costs are bewildering! It’s almost ten years since I moved to Liverpool. When I came to visit for New Year 2002, ‘joy-riders’ stole my car from a cinema …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/28/photo-a-day-nov28-vehicle/
Nov 27
YESTERDAY CHRISTMAS came to our street, when these ‘green’ decorations appeared on the street lights. They are Christmas trees that wrap around the pole of the lamp post, with a solar panel attached at the top where the star might go. During the day, the trees are not lit, but as soon as it …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/27/photo-a-day-nov27-tree/
Nov 26
AS I LEFT home this morning, workmen were installing Christmas decorations on the street lights outside our house. It seems a little early to be putting up decorations, but I suppose it is only four weeks until Christmas Eve. Our decorations remain in the cupboard. This year we will be with my family in London …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/26/photo-a-day-nov26-in-the-cupboard/
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