[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during March 2026]
The path of trouble is the way home.
CH Spurgeon [1]
Is there a modern relevance to these words, written by a prominent preacher in 1865? Or are they now just an outdated expression of a sentiment that was prevalent in non-conformist denominations at a time very different from our contemporary experience?
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[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 15/Mar/2026]
I have to be honest with you: I sometimes find Good Friday a little frustrating.
It’s not the event itself, of course. The day marks one of the pivotal moments in the Christian calendar, when we pause to reflect on the enormity of Jesus’ sacrifice and the gift he gave to us through the cross.
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during March 2026]
It displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.
Nehemiah 2 v10 [ESVUK]
That observation comes from the account of the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem in 444BC but the same words could easily describe the opinion of many people throughout the centuries since the nation of Israel evolved from the families who sought refuge in Egypt around 1875BC.
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[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 08/Mar/2026]
I went on a course a few days ago. It runs once a year, at a venue in a particular London hospital. I was dropped off at Horley station and made my way into London. It was a smooth journey, and I arrived with a bit of time to spare. On the way out of the tube station as I walked to the hospital, I noticed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk with a sign asking for donations. I walked to him and put some money in his cup. He said “God bless you” and I said a prayer in my mind for him as I walked on towards the course.
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during March 2026]
He answered, ‘Must I not take care to say what the Lord puts into my mouth?’
Numbers 23 v12 [ESVUK]
Our opening verse comes from the early part of the story of Balaam around 1400BC. Balaam is remembered primarily for his conversation with a talking donkey but the story has lessons beyond animal husbandry.
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[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 01/Mar/2026]
It’s amazing how often when reading Scripture we come across things we’ve never seen before – even if we’ve read a passage many times. Just the other day, the Holy Spirit took me to John’s gospel, chapter 4.
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