[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during May 2024]
Our imaginations and the thought processes that follow are influenced by a wide range of stimuli, some benign, some not so. What we see or hear, even what we feel or smell, contributes to the impressions that we form and our subsequent response. This week’s reflection was inspired by two radically different videos that I saw during last week. (more…)
[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 05/May/2024]
Our recent series on the seven deadly sins reminded me of a time, around 40 years ago, when some friends and I compiled a list of the sins in the order in which we committed them. The top three in my list were envy, anger and pride, with envy way out in front. Envy of my more popular sister had blighted my childhood (and hers) and envy of others was continuing to blight my adult life. (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during May 2024]
Unlike Christmas Day, the date of Easter varies from year to year. The procedure for deciding the date is derived from decisions made at the council of Nicea in 325 AD and, like the Jewish Passover, the date is linked to the phases of the moon. According to the established formula, Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon of Spring. A second rule is that Easter cannot be celebrated before 22nd March each year. (more…)
[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during April 2024]
Did we get it wrong, again? Depending upon what ‘it’ is, the answer is very probably “Yes”. The apostle Paul knew the feeling:
Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong.
Romans 7 v19 [CEV]
[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during April 2024]
Recently I saw a photo of a billboard poster. Its message read:
Save 100%
↓
Don’t buy anything
[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during April 2024]
Have you ever received a message that you did not want to hear? Perhaps you had a summons to a meeting that you wanted to avoid or maybe you were instructed to do something that you did not want to do. (more…)