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.
AT THE ANNUAL MEETING this weekend of the parish where the first Open Table community began, I spoke about my journey with this community over the last 15 years, and the new stage I am …
THE COMMUNITY in which I joined the Methodist Church last year hosts a short telephone service on Sunday afternoons – like a Christian conference call! Today I was invited to offer a five-minute reflection on the Gospel …
On Sunday 2nd April I spoke to Paul Beesley at BBC Radio Merseyside about my journey, from London to Liverpool, in and out of Christianity and back again, coming out as gay and Christian, and the growth of the Open …
Dec 26
JUST HEARD that Stephen – my friend and neighbour for almost 12 years – has died suddenly. I was too busy to visit him in hospital the last time he was there – in fact I didn’t even know he’d gone in again this month. He made this great montage of photos for Warren and I a couple of …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/12/26/seize-the-day-in-memory-of-stephen/
Dec 24
AT A carol service this month, hosted by the Open Table inclusive Christian community in Liverpool, I read one of the readings, which I found moving, inspiring and too good not to share. It’s an extract from a lecture called ‘Jesus for the non-religious’ by John Shelby Spong, a retired US Episcopalian Bishop: Suppose we change our …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/12/24/live-fully-love-wastefully-be-all-you-can-be-a-reflection-for-christmas-by-john-shelby-spong/
Dec 11
LAST WEEK the YMCAs in the Liverpool City Region gathered for a carol service in the city’s Parish Church, opposite the world famous Liver Building. As the chaplain for YMCA Liverpool, and just starting as chaplain for the YMCA in the neighbouring town of St Helens, I gave a reflection on the Christmas story and …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/12/11/welcome-into-the-story-a-reflection-for-the-ymca-christmas-carol-service/
Dec 01
‘Together we can change the world, just one act of kindness at a time’ – Ron Hall Let’s spread more kindness this festive season! This Do Good December kindness calendar from Action For Happiness has daily suggested actions to do throughout December 2018 to help you spread a bit more kindness in the world. The festive season should …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/12/01/kindness-calendar-do-good-december/
Nov 18
THIS BLOG began as I turned 42 in 2012, as: an attempt to be heard, not just for myself, but for other lesbian, gay and bisexual Christians who struggle with their sexual orientation in faith communities that judge them, at best, to be defective heterosexuals, rather than recognising and valuing the gifts and insights that embracing their …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/11/18/the-book-i-wish-i-had-written-queer-and-catholic-a-life-of-contradiction-by-mark-dowd/
Oct 31
LAST WEEKEND Open Table – an ecumenical Christian worship community which offers a warm welcome to people who are: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer / Questioning, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA) and all who seek an inclusive Church – took part in a day conference called Gathering Voices – From Welcome to Affirmation. As part of that event …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/10/31/what-open-table-means-to-me-guest-post-by-jen/
Oct 24
LAST MONTH, I spent three days with colleagues from around a dozen other YMCAs at the UK Unify conference, a platform for YMCAs to share and reflect on the Christian mission of what is now the largest and oldest youth charity in the world. I was expecting the conference to be mostly chaplains and managers, …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/10/24/just-do-it-for-gods-sake-reflecting-on-the-christian-mission-of-the-ymca/
Oct 18
SINCE 2010, the third Thursday in October has been marked as #SpiritDay, 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. It began in 2010 when Canadian high school student Brittany McMillan created …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/10/18/heartwarming-responses-to-lgbt-bullying-spiritday-itgetsbetter/
Oct 15
ON Sunday 14th October 2018, Warren Hartley, co-facilitator of Open Table in Liverpool, was invited to speak at the Open Table community service at St John’s United Reformed Church Warrington. As 11th October is now marked around the world as National Coming Out Day, Warren took ‘coming out’ as his theme: I love stories. They …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/10/15/the-power-of-story-guest-post-by-warren-for-national-coming-out-day/
Aug 14
IN RESPONSE to a post I shared recently from my blog archive, ‘I am what I am’ – A reflection on identity, Moon, a member of the Open Table ecumenical Christian worship community for LGBTQIA+ Christians in Liverpool, wrote this response which I am happy to share: When I think about my identity, I often …
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2018/08/14/in-out-a-reflection-on-identity-guest-post-by-moon/
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