What do you value most in your life? A recently personality test that I took asked me to fill in “5 things that I can’t live without”. The respondents often write snarky things like oxygen or water, or honest things like their cell phone or coffee, or serious things like friends or family. If that question were posed to you, what would you answer? What would be the things you can’t live without? This answer naturally changes as we change throughout our lives. What I valued as a … [Read more...]
Mary
Let It Be To Me
Oh God of love, help us to hear your invitation today, as you call each of us on a journey of faith, and equip us with all that is necessary to reply, “Let it be to me as you have said.” Amen. The story I’m about to tell you is called "An Angelic Salutation", and it was written by David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester. An Angelic Salutation For a long while they sat opposite each other, gently holding hands. She with her head bent, her body racked with sobs; the Angel calm, still, waiting … [Read more...]
Joy on the Way
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” If you were tasked with assessing the health of a church—any church, this church—how might you go about doing so? One way might be based on bums in pews. At a diocesan level we call this ASA or Average Sunday Attendance. The oft unstated assumption seems to be that the higher your ASA the better off you are. Or, you might consider the financial health of the place. You could, for example, take a look at the budget, paying … [Read more...]