Simon Says

My lovely wife and partner in ministry, Nina, has shared a story from our time in wonderful Liverpool. Please do read it. I'll fight. Will you? http://mum2theboys.blogspot.com/2011/05/memories.html

From an early age I have been blessed with friendships and experiences of different church traditions and these have greatly blessed and enhanced my life and own spiritual journey. Here is a music video - a praise chant - from a Greek Orthodox Christian singer. It's truly beautiful. If you get a chance, visit the church she is part of at http://www.andoverorthodox.org/index.html - makes interesting reading!

I was called to follow Jesus as a Salvation Army Officer in 1990. In May 1991 - four days after my 22nd birthday - and exactly twenty years ago - my Nana Smith typed out a letter to me (she later told me that it had taken ages as she could only type with one finger). It contained wisdom and advice for a young man preparing for ministry. It is one of the most precious possessions I have. I entered the William Booth Training College in 1993, the year after my Nana went to be with Jesus. My sister later also entered the Training College and on her Commissioning Day I sent a copy of this letter to her - from a Nana to a precious granddaughter - words that she would want to say to her as she stood on the cusp of new challenges and ministry. I have returned to this letter from time to time. I came back to it this afternoon; initially because of clearing boxes in preparation for moving. But I then spent time to re-visit it and receive again such godly wisdom. I reproduce the letter in f

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;   surely I have a delightful inheritance (Psalm 16:6 NIV) I was blessed before I was born. Through God's grace I was born into a godly family with a godly heritage on both sides of my lineage.  My paternal grandmother knew and served the Lord, growing up within the Salvation Army. There she met and married my paternal grandfather who hailed from a non-Christian background but had a life transforming encounter with the Risen Christ, serving his Saviour within the ranks of the Salvation Army until the day he died. My maternal grandparents both came from Salvation Army stock. Both served as Salvation Army officers (a story, perhaps for another time). My family (including my parents) are my inspiration. Today has been a bit of a pottering day and involved working through boxes stored in the garage as we prepare to move in July to our new appointment. I came across these photographs. Two are of my mum's dad - Jack -

As I celebrated my thirty-twelfth birthday yesterday Nina and I also celebrated 16 years since our commissioning as Salvation Army officers. it has been a journey - in the words of the late Mike Yaconelli -  "If I was to drop dead now my last words to you would be: What a ride!"  He went on to say -  "You cling to Jesus, you give your life to him. It will be wild, it will be unpredictable, it will be dangerous. But, man, will you know how to dance"  Well, that sums up 16 years of Salvation Army officership. We're here because that's what Jesus wants. And as we stand on the threshold of a new adventure it wonderfully concentrates the mind and the heart on a fresh realization of a desperate need for God, utter helplessness and a need for total dependence on Him. If experience has taught me anything in 16 years, it's that God does the work; apart from Him I can do nothing. As I listened to my sessional dedication song today -  prayed and sang it with a re

Here is the link to an article from the former Bishop of Durham which briefly addresses Bin Laden's death and raises some interesting questions. Most disturbing is the possibility he touches on where nations in the ascendent (in his scenario the West is in decline and world hegmony is passing to countries such as China and India) begin to treat us in the way we have treated them. I tend to lean towards this narrative and find Tom Wright's words to be those of a prophet - a mild mannered English gentleman-prophet, but still a prophet. The words of Jesus, who encouraged us to treat others as we would be treated, are as apposite in issues of international diplomacy and security as they are to the issues of annoying neighbours! America's exceptionalist justice | Tom Wright | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Time to dip my toe - finally- in the murky waters of tomorrow's Referendum. My Twitter friend, Nick, has provided very good reasons why those of us who can, should participate in the Referendum - irrespective of how we vote. You can read what he has written (including thoughts as to the criteria we should use when considering where we put our cross) at http://www.nickssanctuary.com/ . I will not reinvent a wheel that has already been so well designed! However, I will now nail my colours to the mast. Tomorrow, I will vote no. Now, before you lump me with the "dinasours" of the No to AV campaign, let me explain why.... I was first captivated by politics as an 18 year old by the then vibrant Social Democratic Party. I campaigned for them in 1987 - a bad year for the Liberal/SDP Alliance. I voted for the ensuing merger of the two parties, became a founder member of the new Social and Liberal Democrats and even went to the first party conference in Blackpool as a deleg