Posts Tagged: ‘Jeremiah’

Fasting

[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 15/Feb/2026]

Next Wednesday is the beginning of the Christian season of Lent, which this year starts at the same time as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Muslim year is shorter than ours by about 11 days, so Ramadan comes round earlier each year. During the month of Ramadan Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. Going without water must be particularly hard during the long hot summer days and I am thankful for their sakes that Ramadan for the next few years will be in the cooler months when the days are shorter (at least in the northern hemisphere).
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Contributor: Helen Ruffhead
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All Change!

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during October 2025]

What good would it do to change my way of living
If everything inside me stayed the same?

The question was posed by song-writer Barry McGuire in his 1978 song “What Good Would It Do?”; the song was later included in his “Cosmic Cowboy” album. The lyrics ask whether there is any benefit arising from a change of behaviour if that change is only superficial.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Having Higher Standards Than God?

[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 19/Oct/2025]

As I write this, it has been a very eventful few days. After two years of turmoil, hardship and heartache, the ceasefire has come into effect between Israel and the people in Gaza. Many people played a part behind the scenes in negotiations to end the conflict and get the hostages home, President Trump being very significant in getting things across the line.
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Contributor: David Makanjuola
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Much Ado about Nothing

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2025]

Just as in the murky emptiness of pre-creation, there was nothing there, no concept, no discernable form, a vacant void. A blank screen waited in vain for some signal from the keyboard that would trigger a message to be shared. Then, in the silence of the night, God spoke:

‘Nothing!’

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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Past, Present, Future

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2025]

The Wikipedia entry for today[1] attributes the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem to this date in 587BC. Solomon’s Temple was a magnificent structure, described in detail in the books of I Kings and II Chronicles. For several centuries it served as the focal point for the worship of God in Israel.

But the good times did not last. Moses instructed the Israelites to teach the laws of God to their children and their children’s children[2] but, as the years passed, the sincerity and enthusiasm of earlier generations gave way to formality, indifference and eventual neglect. Can we recognise a similar pattern in more modern times?
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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The Prophet’s Lament

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during June 2025]

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
Lamentations 3 v21 [NKJV]

This snippet from Jeremiah’s lamentations represents a switch from a negative despondency to a positive appreciation of the blessings that the Lord had prepared for him.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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