[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 25/Jan/2026]
I received a lovely Christmas present – a journal. It looks really upmarket; the sort of journal you want to make sure you don’t make any spelling mistakes in as you write. Each blank page invitingly encourages you to fill it in with … Yes, that’s the problem. Fill it in with what?
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during January 2026]
Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready
Joshua 1 v2 [NIVUK]
Miriam had died, Aaron had died and now Moses had died. The three siblings who had led the exodus from Egypt and the journey through the wilderness had gone. What would happen now?
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[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 18/Jan/2026]
Martin hit a raw nerve during his teaching last Sunday. As he explored how we all tend to do what Jesus called ‘drawing attention to the speck in someone else’s eye while ignoring the plank in our own’, I found myself feeling very uncomfortable!
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during Jaanuary 2026]
Once upon a time the ruler of a large country became obsessed with taking possession of some land belonging to his neighbour. By a devious scheme he was able to dispose of the opposition to his plan and he then acquired that additional land. This success gave him great pleasure – but someone greater was watching.
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[This reflection by Dazz Jones was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 11/Jan/2026]
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how quickly my brain makes judgements. It happens almost without my express permission or even acknowledgement. A look, a tone of voice, a comment taken the wrong way – and suddenly I’ve formed a neat little story about someone else. My brain seems to like things tidy, categorised, black and white. “They’re like this.” “People like that always do this.” It feels efficient. It feels safe. But Jesus helps me see it’s also quite flawed!
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during January 2026]
It’s over for another year. The festivities for Christmas and the New Year are once again behind us – now just a memory, except for those less-than-subtle reminders that will be arriving in our letter boxes during the next few weeks. We can at least be grateful that we are not responsible for supplying the provisions for Solomon’s household.
One day’s food supply for Solomon’s household was: 185 bushels[1] of fine flour 375 bushels of meal 10 grain-fed cattle 20 range cattle 100 sheep and miscellaneous deer, gazelles, roebucks, and choice fowl.
1 Kings 4 v22-23 [The Message]