Talking is always going to be better than falling out. The church, the world, Keighley doesn’t need more division it needs more unity. We are stronger together. We are stronger when we are able to work with those we disagree with. We are stronger when we can admit we are wrong.
Read MoreGod said to me you don’t have to feel guilty when you mess up. You are only human. All your mistakes are forgiven by the power of the cross. God has forgiven each and every one of us.
Read More
The global Church needs to acknowledge that it has been responsible for a lot of trauma. Here Moz our Pastor discusses the types and effects of Church bases trauma, how to begin recovery and how the church can prevent future abuse.
Read MoreThis blog was written by our beloved Fraser during the last week of his life before being promoted to glory in August 2023. Fraser was a much loved and respected Elder in the church as well as a close friend.Fraser wanted to live his life as a sign post to Jesus and I hope and pray this and his other bits of writing reveal the God of Love that Fraser loved to you.
Read MoreI would like to share some thoughts and reflections on the story of Gideon. The story of Gideon can be found in Judges chapters 6-8. It says that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said to him, “the Lord is with you o brave man.” But Gideon replies by saying later “Please Lord, how am I to rescue Israel? Behold, my family is the least (significant) in Manasseh, and I am the youngest (smallest) in my father’s house.” The Lord answered him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will strike down the Midianites as (if there were only) one man.” What this shows us that Gideon saw himself as unworthy and insignificant to do what called him to do. However, that is not how God saw Gideon. God called Gideon “O brave man.” How God saw Gideon was totally different to how Gideon saw himself. God called Gideon an overcomer that is what Gideon means. In the story Gideon had to face and overcome many fears and doubts to step into and fulfil his destiny as a mighty warrior.
Read MoreLook for the positive - Phil 4 v4-9
We can find good in every situation and we can find God and his goodness there too. In Roms 5v20 it says “where sin abounded, grace abounded so much more”
Read MoreGod is Love - 1 John 4. This is a very important statement that John makes in 1Jn4 v8 and 16.
He makes it twice to emphasise its importance and the whole passage is about God’s love. The bible is full of many references to God’s amazing love for us, but this is perhaps the most direct. It’s a statement which has influenced me more than any other and everything I work my life is for is guided by it.
Read MoreRichard Rohr, in more than one of his books talks about getting rid of the binary/dualistic mind that leads to conflict (right vs wrong, us vs them etc) and finding a third way, based on the three persons of the trinity, in which rather than the opposition of two on different sides we have a third becoming the medium in which love can flow between the two (think of the renewed closeness and love of a couple who have just had a baby). Thus in God we truly have a third or middle way which is the only way, the way of love.
Read MoreThis psalm talks about “the house of the Lord”, “Jerusalem” and “a city”
In v1 and 2 it is described as a good place to go to. It is an analogy of God’s presence. When we come into God’s presence there is a journey to make - a pilgrimage. It’s not that God Is trying to make it difficult for you. Hebrews 4v16 says “Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Read MoreGod is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
V1- When we are in trouble (this is meant in a very general sense); he comes in with all that is needed:
Refuge – from the trouble
Strength- to overcome the trouble
Help- to defeat the trouble
If doubt has its cousin fear, then hope has its cousin faith.
They work together.
Doubt and fear tend to creep in unannounced, trying to disrupt and cause havoc.
Hope and faith, on the other hand, have to be found and sought out. But they are reliable and dependable. They are always there for you when you turn to them.
Read MoreIn the begining God seperated the light from the dark and created Eden where man and God lived together without judgement but humans detrayed God and chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and returned to the darkness. Later to show humans the way back to Eden God came to Earth in human form in Jesus, the light of the world. But in another garden Gethsemane, humans once again betrayed God and executed him, nailing him to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, the light could not be extinguished and Jesus rose again giving humanity a way to return to Eden and how God made them.
Read MoreOver the last 5-10 years my theology has shifted hugely, in this blog I discuss the key changes and challenge the reader to see if they agree.
Read MoreI believe something is happening, in what is termed deconstruction I see the prelude to restoration. Deconstruction is necessary to get back to the Church and faith God created. Faith before man turned it into religion. Only when the Church has undergone this process can restoration of the world take place.
Read MoreWhat do you think of when you think of the Church?
The biblical definition of church is the group of people who identify as followers of Jesus. In Ephesians 5 Scripture says The Church is the bride of Christ, and in 1 Corinthians 12 the body of Christ. The Church is a collective group whom God has equipped with the Holy Spirit so they can work in partnership with the divine to restore the world to God’s original perfect creation. The Church is beautiful, powerful, compassionate, and full of grace. The Church is as close to God in human form as it is possible to be, except for Jesus, and working everyday to become more like him.
Read MoreYes you heard me right. God is NOT in control. All my life when bad things have been going on I’ve heard this well intentioned phrase, “Don’t worry God is on control, he knows what he’s doing”. A phrase intended to comfort in difficult times. It’s time the church stopped using this phrase.
Read MoreThe number of posts I'm seeing with “All Lives Matter” or the worse "white lives matter" slogan really saddens me. It doesn't sadden me because the people posting them are necessarily racist but because it shows a huge lack of understanding which reflects the society that we live in.
Read MoreEvents like our current situation often cause people to evaluate their faith or lack of. Some people when times are difficult come closer to or discover God as their rock and comfort. Others get angry with God, questioning his motives or existence as from their perspective he is suddenly absent from the world.
I want to spend some time exploring some of these deep personal and theological questions. These are my own opinions that have come from my own reflections on Scripture, time spent with the spirit and conversations with others.
Read More