[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 23/Feb/2025]
Battleship Faith: Holding On When Prayers Go Unanswered
In the past week, the question of suffering and unanswered prayer has arisen a number of times. How do we feel and respond when God doesn’t seem to answer prayer? Why does the Bible encourage us to “present our requests to God”[1] only for us to sometimes feel as though our prayers are ignored or unanswered?
(more…)
[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 26/Jan/2025]
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on … ”
Philippians 3 v13-14
Next Sunday marks a significant step for our church family as we move to two morning services, at 9:30 and 11:15. This shift is aimed at addressing our overcrowding and creating space for more people to hear about Jesus. While I’m excited about the potential of this change, I’ll admit I feel a measure of trepidation. The dynamics of our services will shift—they won’t have the same bustling atmosphere we’ve grown accustomed to. Additionally, we may see a temporary drop in attendance as people navigate this change and choose whether to commit to a specific time. (more…)
[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 08/Sep/2024]
Stepping Forward: Making Space for Those Yet to Come
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2 v3-4
I’m reflecting on this passage the morning after our church meeting, where we voted to trial two services on Sunday mornings. The discussions leading up to this decision were long and involved, but at the core of it all is a desire to remove barriers for those seeking God through our Sunday services. (more…)
[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 28/Jul/2024]
I think one thing Christians find hard to acknowledge is a feeling of disappointment with God. When we first become Christians life often seems wonderful and we believe everything is going to be different, but then our old troubles come back and we can struggle with feelings of disappointment. (more…)
[A devotional reflection originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2024]
Those of us who follow the international news regularly will have noticed that the story of Ahab and Naboth recurs with almost daily frequency.[1]
The characters are different but the scenario is basically the same. A person in a position of power sees an adjacent piece of real-estate and decides that it would fit well within his own portfolio. He – or indeed, she – makes what they consider to be a reasonable offer for it and, if that is declined, then resorts to the use of deception, guile or blatant force. (more…)
[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 28/Apr/2024]
On Sundays we have been looking at the seven deadly sins, starting with the number one sin: Pride. (more…)