So this is Christmas … “So this is Christmas …”, another song blasts out on a repeat of Christmas songs. I was in town with all the Christmas shoppers. Lucky me! In busy shops, little people don’t like big people. I found myself apologising for being in the way a few times every minute, so …
Failed Resolutions I’ve never been much good at new year’s resolutions. This year my resolution was to blog more and look, January is nearly over and I’m only starting to blog now. I remember the first new year’s resolution I ever made. I was ten years old and it felt like I was always in …
UK’s most common misquote I hear this phrase often in my profession; ‘people who go the extra mile’. It expresses a very worthy sentiment, describing those people who do much more than they are obliged to. The teaching profession in this country is full of caring individuals who regularly go well beyond the call of …
About four years ago, I read a book that made me think “Of course! This makes sense. Why did I not see this before, why haven’t I heard this before?” This blog is based on what I’d read. You’ve heard it said … In the Sermon on the Mount, six times Jesus uses the phrase …
Towards the end of Mark 8, Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah. In other words God’s anointed King. When Peter realises King Jesus intends to go to a cross, he doesn’t answer by saying ‘lead me to the cross.’ He says ‘But King Jesus, that’s not very king-like. Wouldn’t it be better if …. …
Every year, over 100,000 children enter the BBC’s 500 word competition. The competition is to write a short story in only 500 words or less. Publishers, Oxford University Press then analyse the content carefully, and each year declare a ‘children’s word of the year’. In 2014, the chosen word was inspired by every maths teachers’ favourite children’s …
For Philip, the wait was over. There was something about Jesus, that when he said “Follow me!”, Philip did. He sees in Jesus the possibility that his hopes will be fulfilled. We don’t know what his hopes were, but like anyone living under an oppressive regime, it is likely to have involved the over throw …
This blog is based on a sermon I gave at my church – disciple the nations! Matthew’s Gospel is often portrayed as the most Jewish of the four Gospels. The general theory is that it was written for Jewish Christians scattered after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. This may be true, but to …
“Should an engaged couple be Frank and Ernest?” I can remember being oh so clever as a boy telling this joke. But even then it was outdated! The only people called Frank or Ernest were even older than my parents. Names go in and out of fashion. My name was the third most common boys …
A fellow teacher sings in a choir. He loves church music and jovially describes himself as a cultural Christian. To him evangelical is bad news. He described to me how it was an evangelical Christian who came and complained bitterly that most of their music is sung in latin and should not be allowed in …