…the home of the under-gardener That is not something I ever thought I would say.  Then again, I never thought I would find myself talking on BBC radio all about gardening either.  These past few years have seen the garden become a place of solace, inspiration and hope for me in so many ways. If you would like to know more, please click on the image below ..read more

A reflection on ‘God speaks’ by Ruth O’ Reilly-Smith Many years ago, when I was at Primary school in fact, we had a hobbies’ exhibition. A friend of mine had a collection of autographs, and I was rather envious. He had them from pop-stars and statesmen and everything in between.  Some were accompanied by the letters from those for whose autographs he had asked.  I especially remember one from Leonid Brezhnev, with a swirling hand. It was many years later that I discovered another meaning for the word  ‘autograph’.  An autograph could be that very rare thing – a piece of wri ..read more

A sermon for Easter Day 2021 Preached at Newbury Baptist Church April 4th 2021 ___ The edge of the sky is showing the faintest hint of pinky light against the purple, as if the night is giving up the unequal struggle with the rising sun. Silhouetted in the garden is the figure of a woman – monochrome in the half light. Her head is bowed – whether in prayer or despair it is hard to tell. Around the hem of her dress, the dew has left a ring- like a rising tide to wash her away. There is a tide within too – an old and insidious darkness which she had thought was banished for ever. His voice has b ..read more

A new story for Christmas There is a tree on Greenham Common which has inspired me in many of the hardest moments in recent years.  At some point it has been all but blown flat by a storm.  However,. It keeps on growing and flourishing despite the odds.  I call it ‘The Courage Tree’, and the stone on which this story is based was found tangled in its upturned roots. Many many hundreds, or probably thousands, of years ago, a big piece of rock was formed from lots of tiny bits of things left behind. As the years went by, the big piece got broken up into smaller pieces, and o ..read more

Understanding the presence of God in virtual worship When I first started studying theology, I was very confused by the word ‘immanent’.  Whenever it was spoken in a lecture, I heard it as ‘imminent’ and could not understand the description of God as someone who was about to show up any minute.  Surely, he was already here?  Of course it was not the word imminent but immanent which was being used – and its point was precisely that God is already here. It is a truth which we shall affirm again and again over Christmas, however we might celebrate it. That said, it is not a Christm ..read more

A review of Nancy Campbell’s Fifty Words for snow In case you don’t know what Jolabokaflod is, let me tell you.  It is a tradition which started in Iceland during the Second World War. At the time, paper was one of the few things which was not rationed – and so people would buy each other books. Jolabokaflod , which means ‘Christmas book flood’  referred to the tradition of curling up under a blanket with your new book and a hot drink on Christmas Eve.  I cannot imagine a better book with which to do it than Nancy Campbell’s Fifty Words For Snow. Anyone who i ..read more

A nativity scene for our times? It will be no secret to many that I am a fan of nativity scenes. Earlier this year my book, ’37 kings and a budgerigar’ was published, featuring 25 of the sets in my collection. I have enough for at least another two books – so be warned! I am always on the lookout for something new to add to the collection, the more quirky or thought-provoking the better. This year, my son may have just found it for me. The Negativity was the brainchild of artist and musician David Nedrow. Talking with his sister and niece back in 2012, the subject came up of a family friend’s ..read more

More than meets the eye Last week I posted some initial thoughts on here regarding different historic images of church, and how they relate to the way we see it now.  Since then, my conversations have led me to believe that it might be helpful to develop each of them a little further. Ekkelsia/ synagogue Like the logo itself, the strength of this image lies in its sense of gathering. Here are people called out of their immediate community and into a gathering for the worship of God. With it, the calling brings a sense of security and aspiration: ‘God wants us here’. Gathered under such a ..read more

Four images of church Church is not what it was. Then again, life is not what it was either.  There are flickering glimpses of church right now which flash past like the images on a zoetrope, but somehow the movement fails to animate them. Here is a steward welcoming you at the door, welcome restricted to the eyes since a smile cannot be seen beneath the mask and a handshake cannot be given. Here is a moving tapestry of faces on a Zoom screen, each one a window into another’s home and life. If we try to sing together, the inevitable lag means that we cannot hold a shared tune in time. Her ..read more

Thea Muir’s journalling Bible I have been reading the Bible regularly since I first received a Gideon New Testament at the age of 12 in Secondary school.  That little book started a revolution in my life which would lead eventually to finding a Christian faith for myself. One thing led to another, I was ordained as a Baptist Minister in 1992, and I am never without a Bible. In fact, a Bible is so much part of my working toolkit, that I have to replace them every few years when they fall apart from use. I read it, meditate on it, preach from it, and write books inspired by it. All this bei ..read more