Note from today's talk 

19th April
In John 21:15-19,  we learn that without Jesus we are in darkness and cannot live fruitful lives and that God’s love for us cannot be limited by the extent of our love for him. 

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Comments on recent news 

10th April
There are signs that the American President is not only alienating his international allies, but is running out of loyal domestic supporters at home as well.

One sign of this was his wife making an unprecedented public statement that she knew nothing of the events brought to light by the Epstein files that have been released. This can only mean one thing, she senses that her husband has lost his grip on power and is going to face justice and wants to save herself.

Some news outlets are reporting that 72 legislators are preparing a resign or face immediate impeachment ultimatum.

Even the hardcore MAGA support base is coming out to condemn recent statements threatening the genocide of an entire civilisation.

The question of the psychology of an end-times heretical religious cult may well determine how all this plays out.

The MAGA base is heavily involved with a cult that believes they are bringing about Armageddon.

Based on a misreading of scripture that leads to a dispensationalist view of the end of history. If you sincerely believe that bringing about a global conflict is God’s will, you may be beyond rational arguments or basic human decency.

What remains beyond doubt is that the more lurid forms of evangelicalism with its cults of unaccountable charismatic leaders is now a fatally damaged identity and that the future belongs to forms of religion with more structured accountability and less lurid apocalyptic speculation. 

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Three Questions 

8th April
Only three questions really matter.
Is my love for Jesus growing?
Is my love for people expanding?
Is my capacity to do God’s will on earth as it is done in heaven increasing? 

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Easter Day worship 

5th April
Lovely to have a full church with new people who are returning, “You made it such fun we are coming back.” By God’s grace and mercy we are experiencing gentle growth.

The platform set up for today’s services with no more room for any more musicians. Fantastic to have brass, a contemporary music group, and some truely lovely unaccompanied four part harmony singing this morning. Thank you to all our musicians, sound and AV technicians, cooks who provided a lovely breakfast, Sunday school staff, flower arrangers, readers, Church Secretary and Deacons, those who prepared Holy Communion and everyone who contributed. The end of Holy Week feels like breaking the tape at the end of a marathon. Thank you to everyone who has kindly and generously travelled the journey with me and made it possible, The Central London Fellowship Band of the Salvation Army, the Dean and Chapter of St Albans Cathedral and wonderful vergers and volunteers. Peter Berners-Lee of Churches Together in St Albans and the wonderful St Albans Clergy and friends from the City churches.  One holy, catholic and apostolic Church in many forms and places working together to serve the Kingdom of God. 

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Unity at the Cross 

3rd April
Lovely to preach at St Albans Cathedral today at a packed Unity at The Cross Service. Wonderful to have the London Central Fellowship Band of the Salvation Army providing the music and to see so many of my ecumenical friends tonight made me realise how many deep friendships are forming across the theological and denominational spectrum after just a few months here.  One holy, catholic and Apostolic church in all its various forms. Truely glorious, a foretaste of heaven. (And yes, I did robe, out of courtesy to my lovely colleagues from the Cathedral who worked so hard to support and enable the service - mellowing in my old age.) 



I don’t often get the privilege of hearing this amazing band, because I’m normally playing with them and sat in the middle, you don’t get the full effect. Yesterday, the London Central Fellowship Band of the Salvation Army played for the Unity at The Cross service in St Albans Cathedral. I want to publicly thank them. The sound was just stratospheric, filling the sacred space with the most beautiful dark, rich, warm sound, they truly brought a foretaste of heaven and many people commented on how wonderful it was to experience this as the band led us in hymns and worship songs and played a beautiful devotional piece to aid us in our meditations. Thank you to all my amazingly talented brothers and sisters in Christ and friends! You are truly wonderful, both musically, and personally. I am, and will always be an awe of you.


 

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Mission Partnership 

29th March
It was a great joy and privilege to be able, (together with our Deacons) to pray for David and Vera Pinheiro our church supported YWAM leadership team missionaries during this morning’s service as they prepare for a time of sabbatical leave and mission work. I’m delighted with a growing partnership and working relationship with them, and other wonderful folk from the YWAM Harpendon campus. 

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Catholicity worked out

28th March
Dagnall Street Baptist Church is one of the nine earliest founded Baptist congregations in the UK. As well as reading about the churches long history, I love hearing about my predecessors. Rev Dr Morris West is best known as a President of the World Council of Churches and a Principal of Bristol Baptist College as well as a Minister of Dagnall Street. This week I discovered that he was also in the habit of appearing at the houses of ill church members and doing their washing for them.  In my view, this loving care is as important as any other distinction. Doc West as he was known, was passionate about the ecumenical movement. Today, I honour his memory as I serve by speaking in Churches as diverse as Salvation Army Devotionals and a Liberal Catholic Anglican Cathedral. I was once described as someone  who if pictured as a stick of rock would have the word, catholicity running through me. So I am careful to learn and speak the language of each tradition whilst bringing my own particular insights as I reflect upon scripture, and I hope, to embody their positive attributes.  May God give us generous hearts and a love for our Christian brothers and sisters that enables us be be firmly rooted in our own tradition and utterly committed to learning from and honouring every part of God’s diverse holy, catholic and apostolic Church. 

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A Minister's week 

25th March
Monday was an opportunity to join a Ministers Forum and enjoy conversations whilst hearing about financial restructuring and write a sermon on diverse theological ways of explaining how the cross works.

Today has been varied and illustrates the diverse nature of Ministry.

Some final draft sermon tweaking, this is enjoyably creative.

Then a very enjoyable and productive meeting on big picture strategy. I am so privileged to work with such a wise, knowledgeable and gracious Church Secretary and Diaconate, without whom I’d be as much use as the proverbial chocolate tea-pot.

The inevitable admin that keeps the show on the road had to be done. Not my favourite task.

Finally, a joyfully authentically real ALPHA course evening. I have two wonderful people working with me who provide such wise, pastoral and theologically insightful contributions to the question and answer part of the evening. Together we are able to provide a theologically broad spectrum of answers in a way that is enabling the course participants to grow in their knowledge and faith in leaps and bounds.

Tonorrow will include meeting a new person to build the relationship and talk about how their professional expertise can fit into our growing pastoral programs and preparing to speak to a preachers group as well as arranging a brass fanfare leading into the opening hymn for our Easter Sunday Service. Musical experience is very useful in Ministry.

Thursday will include a Directors Meeting for the Cross Street Centre Cafe where a wonderful team of talented staff and volunteers enable our ministry of hospitality to the St Albans community. My time working for an accountancy and management consultancy firm helps with this.

Friday is primarily for pastoral stuff.

I can’t think of any other job that is so varied. 

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Regent Hall Band of the Salvation Army Spring Brass Festival

7th March
It was a huge privilege to play in this concert. Wonderful vocal solos with piano, and an amazing fantasia for band and piano. Wonderful solos on cornet and on trombone from David Dawes. So what do you do when you are on stage and God speaks straight into your heart and mind through the devotional time? You get on with job of course, but play on through the breath of the Holy Spirit, you forget about yourself and God takes over. Quite an experience. An amazing finale. I have played in many memorable performances, but this tops them all. I also had the privilege of listening to a grandmother who had lost her daughter and is now bringing up her granddaughter and helping a homeless person find shelter, having worn my uniform on the train home. 

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War and Scripture 

4th March
I commend this excellent blog post by Rev Dr Helen Paynter, also drawing  on Dr Ashley Hibbard and others, as a corrective to the abuse of scripture within the American Military at this present time. 
Click here to read it.

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