[A ‘Tuesday Challenge’ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during October 2024]
As often happens when preparing these reflections, it starts with a question: “Where do I begin …” Fortunately, the actress Julie Andrews is able to offer some advice:
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start [1]
For us as Christians (and for everybody else but few admit it) that takes us to the earliest verses of the Bible. (more…)
[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 15/Sep/2024]
Recently I was on holiday in Wales with my sister Jean and son David. Jean was keen to attend a local service, so we looked up the parish church online. All the reviews described it as a beautiful church, with particular reference to the stained-glass windows. (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2024]
A recent comment on one of our earlier reflections posed a question: I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your mind before writing? I’ve had a hard time clearing my mind in getting my ideas out. I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be wasted. Perhaps this is an appropriate time to revisit the purpose for these reflections and explain how they come into reality.[1] (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during August 2024]
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity
Our opening quotation comes from the first lines of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ published by Charles Dickens in 1859. The story is set during the French Revolution (1789-1799); the two cities in the novel are London and Paris, both cities were rife with moral corruption and anarchy. (more…)
[This reflection by Michael Goble was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 21/Jul/2024]
In the arid centre of Australia there is a river called Todd River which flows through Alice Springs. It is quite wide and there are big stone bridges for the traffic to drive across the river. Each year in the town they hold the Henley-on-Todd Regatta and about 20,000 people come to watch the boating races. There is only one problem. (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2024]
The 1972 film ‘The Godfather’ tells the story of Vito Corleone, the patriarch of a New York gangster family. Despite his involvement in a wide range of nefarious business activities he was noted for his devotion to his family. By contrast, James Hilton’s 1933 novel ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’ describes how a lonely school teacher became a father-figure for hundreds of boys, not just earning not just their respect but also their devotion.[1] It has been said many times that our perception of God as ‘Father’ is often conditioned by our relationship with our own father or other father figures that we have known. (more…)