[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during June 2026]
And when the south wind blows, you say, “It’s going to be hot,” and it is.
Luke 12 v55 [NIVUK]
In the northern hemisphere the longest daily period of daylight hours has passed and, although we may not notice it yet, the evenings are starting their slow transition to winter darkness.
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[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 07/Jun/2026]
Some of you may have seen a recent video from the United States in which a police officer pulls over a female driver whom he suspects of driving without due care and attention. He asks her to wind down her window and tells her that he saw her holding a mobile phone in her right hand.
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during April 2026]
Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
With a cargo of ivory, and apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.
John Masefield (1903)
Does this cargo manifest sound familiar? Those of a certain age may have learnt John Masefield’s poem at school but its inspiration is much earlier. King Solomon had a fleet of trading ships modelled after those built at Tarshish for the equivalent of global trade within the then-known world. They were the container vessels of their day.
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during April 2026]
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5 v43-44 [ESVUK]
These words come from Matthew’s account of the teachings of Jesus collectively known as the Sermon on the Mount. He was speaking in the context of a nation under occupation at a time when there was no shortage of enemies and persecution.
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during November 2025]
Could do better … should try harder
Were you one of those pupils whose end-of-term reports included one or other of those statements, or even both? How did you react?
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[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2025]
Time, like an ever-rolling stream, Bears all its sons away.[1]
Do you know what time it is? A seemingly straightforward question for which a glance at a nearby screen or timepiece should provide a simple answer. However, as our opening quotation might suggest, there is more to it than that.
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