22
Sep 2023
Early this week I accompanied Keith to his first Residential in Cardiff as he is starting his Masters in Theology , Ministry and Mission. The directions to reception stated that after parking in the carpark we should find a gap in the hedge which would lead us down a narrow path to reception. When we arrived it was a bit dark but we managed to find this gap in the hedge. As I was walking through this gap, it reminded me of Phil’s preaching on Sunday on Nehemiah 2, in which he spoke about the importance of building walls and gates in our lives. Like Nehemiah, who was building the walls for protection from the enemies, God has equipped us with great tools to help us build our walls......
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15
Sep 2023
If you are anything like me, then the news this week will have left you feeling pretty broken. We can’t watch the scenes of devastation in both Morocco and Libya and not have troubled hearts, unanswered questions and a deep sense of shock. For many of us at Trinity, this news has carried with it a personal dimension as we cry out to God for our dear friends, and the community they love, who have been so deeply impacted by the earthquake. Yesterday it was our regular monthly communion service at The Ferns and, in response to a desire from the residents there to be praying for our world, we read Psalm 91 together: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of......
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08
Sep 2023
08
Sep 2023
One of the joys of holiday this year has been re-reading most of the Narnia books by CS Lewis. I have a strange habit of reading – or listening – to them every five years or so, and each time finding something new to feed my soul and inspire my faith. I was particularly struck by how Lewis describes an incident with Lucy in the book Prince Caspian. He writes “Lucy woke out of the deepest sleep you can imagine, with the feeling that the voice she liked best in the world had been calling her name.” I know it’s hard to sleep in these hot nights of the moment. But whether half asleep or fully awake I wonder whether you can recognise that experience of knowing God calling......
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07
Sep 2023
06
Sep 2023
01
Sep 2023
This week at 11am we’ll be ‘Blessing the Backpacks’ (and other symbols of our Monday to Saturday life) at the start of the school year. It’s a really helpful reminder of the fact that God is interested in every aspect of our lives, and longs to bless us, speak to us and use us wherever we go. If you are coming along to 11am then please do bring your backpack or another symbol of your everyday life with you. Last September we wrote prayers of blessing for one another on luggage labels and then collected them in and handed them out again. I attached the one I received to my bag and there it stayed until about four weeks ago when, much to my sadness, it fell off. Over......
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23
Aug 2023
I have just returned to work after two weeks of annual leave. For the first week we stayed home, did a few jobs around the house, and watched lots of TV. The second week we spent a few days away – taking in the sights and sounds of Oswestry. But during this time, I found it difficult to switch off. I’m not good at ‘doing nothing’, and I found myself lamenting that I was ‘wasting my time’, that I wasn’t making ‘good use’ of my free hours, and that I ‘wasn’t achieving anything’. Whilst physically my body was trying to benefit from rest, my mind was working overtime and then I began beating myself up – Hurry up and relax already!! Then one day it changed. One morning I......
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16
Aug 2023
I don’t know whether anyone has caught any of this year’s BBC Proms, the series of concerts taking place in the Royal Albert Hall in London featuring all sorts of different styles, genres, orchestras and tastes. I’m immensely jealous of one of my children who has – I think – attended three events so far this year. I happened to catch a bit of the recent concert featuring Felix Kleiser playing a Mozart Concerto. He was born without arms, and plays the French horn with his toes. His musicality and professionalism is awesome to behold! Kleiser says “Everyone thinks it must be really hard to play with your feet. The funny thing is, I think the same way about you. I really don’t understand how you can hold a......
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