Confidence to act
As well as setting off with a new group of students, I’ve invited the last cohort to tell me about their experience of the CMS Certificate. I’ve got a questionnaire called Pathways which they get in advance, and then I…
Clone of Tina Site
Sneaking a peek over God’s shoulder to see what He is up to: thoughts on future church
Clone of Tina Site
Sneaking a peek over God’s shoulder to see what He is up to: thoughts on future church
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Read MoreConfidence to act
Preparing to head off
From St Ives they came… from Poole, Bath, villages across seven counties. A half-excited half-apprehensive crew of dreamers caught up in the movement of God’s Spirit. Preparing to set off on a learning journey to an unknown destination. Less poetically…
Awe and wonder 2
What causes that sense of awe? One thing is how far ahead God can plan. All our rational thoughts deny that God could set something in motion that will happen across millions or trillions of minutes. How could God ensure…
Awe and wonder 1
We started the Bath and Wells annual Grand Rumpus Meet yesterday with 20 minutes of awe and wonder. Everyone present was invited to share a moment of awe they had experienced recently in connection with pioneering. It was a feast…
The Easter message I didn’t hear
Over and over again I heard people writing about this ‘strange’ Easter…and about how we wouldn’t be able to celebrate it in the ‘usual way’. And I wondered – with some frustration – when did Easter become unstrange? and usual?…
Easter in Moscow
I’ve been in Russia at Easter three times, and I’m thankful for the experience of a Russian Orthodox Easter. I’m thankful for the mysterious pageantry of the Easter vigil, the priests in their gold and white robes, engaged in a…
Falling from thankfulness
Re-reading yesterday’s post today I realise how quickly I slipped out of ‘thankful’ mode into ‘appraisal’ mode. Thursday’s post was a ‘thank you’ letter, that came from a place of gratitude and shone a light on the people who had…
Falling in love with the Anglicans
Durham saw me falling in love with the Anglicans. At university I volunteered to help out in a church in an ex-mining village a few miles away from the monumental beauty of Durham Cathedral, where I matriculated amongst the hoards…
Thank you for the churches
Lest I should seem ungrateful for all that the Church in its various shapes, sizes, flavours and locations has given me, here’s a ‘thank you’ letter to all the churches that created spaces where over the years I have met…
Carry-on church
I don’t mean ‘Carry On Church’ as in the slapstick films of the 1960s and 70s, although that’s a thought to conjure with… I mean ‘carry-on church’ as in ‘carry-on luggage’ – the only luggage you’re encouraged to take now…