Last Sunday, congregations in any churches following the common lectionary will have heard the story of the Good Samaritan, prompted by Jesus being asked “… and who is my neighbour?”
Author: blog
Walking humbly…
Another busy week of political upheaval, international violence, an inquest report, and sporting breath-holding…. uncertainty and frailty on a multitude of levels. As others have recently said, our best response
Values for a post-referendum society
As I look at the many churches across our Diocese I am struck as to how much change they have witnessed through, in most cases, many centuries. They have seen
How’s your vision?
My colleague raised his glasses to the light and peering through the smears and spots of the blurred lenses he declared; “It’s hard to be optimistic when you wear a
Will it be Remain or Leave?
Within a week we’ll all be making one of the most important decisions of our lives. Our political leaders have told us this and we recognise the issues are significant,
It was all their fault…
Taking into account the context, the Bible can often be stunningly accurate in describing human nature. When I heard Eliza Manningham-Buller, former head of MI5, present “The Blame Game”
What are you looking at?
Nearly every day for the last five years I have walked down the High Street in Cheltenham. Recently challenged by a passage I read by an American geographer, Yi-Fu Tuan,
Listening well
The Diocese of Gloucester is now into the period of conversation, where we take time to listen to one another and have our own say on the future of our
‘The prudent are restrained in speech’
Her Majesty the Queen is usually prudence personified, keeping her political and personal opinions to herself. But this week both the Queen and the Prime Minister have been caught speaking
“Leicester City – the team of teams”
So, the underdog finally won the big prize. Leicester City, little Leicester City, are the new English Premier League Champions. A simply amazing story! I’ve been watching football for over
A Church equipped for support
I am currently involved in helping to coordinate the vision process for the Diocese of Gloucester and have been thinking a lot about one of the three questions Bishop Rachel
Reigning and Serving
The nation has offered its congratulations to the Queen as she celebrates her 90th birthday. Staunch republican and labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was glad to add his good wishes, while
Little changes, bigger picture
This week I’ve been watching the BBC One programme, How to Stay Young. The programme began with a physical test you can do to get an estimate of how long
Domestic abuse, an every day story?
Everybody knows that after months away from The Archers – Radio 4’s daily soap – re-entry is accomplished within a couple of episodes because nothing ever happens. That is, everybody
The Art of Conversation
In a week where the government warned about the lack of language skills in our children and an experiment by Microsoft to see how an artificial intelligence called ‘Tay’ could
Do not be afraid
Do not be afraid for I have redeemed you I have called you by your name you are mine – this is a line from one of my favourite hymns.
There’s no place like home
It’s Cheltenham Race Week and many will appreciate the arrival of milder weather. Throughout the changing seasons, planet Earth continues to go hurtling around the Sun at a speed of
If the tables were turned…
Archbishop Justin has said it is outrageous to describe people who are worried about the impact of migration as racist. He told Parliament’s The House magazine there was “genuine fear”
‘It is right to give thanks and praise’
After a stunningly good BBC production of ‘War and Peace’, I am revisiting the book (yes, really!) The edition I have was given to me as a teenager in 1976;
In, out, shake it all about!
Relationships are hard! You meet, you fight, you make up, you fight again, after several centuries of that you have a referendum and make a commitment to ever closer union.
The Message of The Revenant
The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, just won best film at the BAFTAs. It is a brutal story of revenge and survival in early nineteenth century America. Having seen it, I
How successful are you?
It will come as no surprise that Republican candidate Donald Trump is a bad loser, asking for a re-run when he came second in the Iowa caucus. Failure is intolerable,
Candlemas reflection
Godly and human encounter marked by love and grace 2 February 2016: Candlemas As we celebrate the Presentation of Christ in the temple (Luke 2.22-38) we see human and Godly
Is that bacon sandwich worth it?
Antibiotics – life-saving, cheap but under immense threat. The recent news that bacteria resistant to Colistin, the antibiotic of last resort, have been found in the UK brings the post-antibiotic
