Rejoicing & Weeping, Growing and Shrinking.

Rejoicing & Weeping, Growing and Shrinking.

In Lewis Carroll’s rather bizarre tale of Alice and her adventures in wonderland, the young Alice on several occasions either eats or drinks something which causes her to grow or to shrink. I wonder if over the past couple of years our view of the world has grown or...
Freedom and fatherhood

Freedom and fatherhood

Let me begin with a story. It comes from a favourite film, the Shawshank Redemption. It’s the story of an old jailbird called Brooks Hatlen, Shawshank’s librarian. After 40 years of incarceration old-man, Brooks is released into a bright new world of freedom. But his...

Living differently

  As an Australian in Glasgow, I’m conscious every now and again of the feeling of being a foreigner. It doesn’t happen very often, and it’s easier for me than others as I am a somewhat ‘invisible’ foreigner in the UK; also white, Western, and English-speaking....
Freedom and fatherhood

Who do you think you are?

Our New Identity in Christ. The news in Scotland this week has been full of pictures of trees in the Northeast blown down by Storm Malik on Saturday then Storm Corrie. A photo in a recent BBC News article showing a picture of thousands of trees toppled like toothpicks...
Freedom and fatherhood

Blinded by grace

June 2019 saw a historic event occur on the pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival. The rapper Stormzy became the first black solo British headliner at the iconic festival. Central to his performance was his hit song “Blinded by your Grace” The excited crowd of...
Freedom and fatherhood

What does grace look like?

Who exemplifies grace for you? What image comes to mind when you think of a grace-filled person? You might want to ponder that thought as we head to Sunday. In popular thinking, a grace-full person is a doormat, a rollover who is passive and silent in the face of...

Grace – it’s Amazing!

The turn of a calendar page makes little difference to reality, nevertheless, the beginning of a new year symbolises change and fresh possibilities for many of us. So how are you launching into 2022? Some of us remain disheartened and exhausted as we continue to...
Life Together

Life Together

“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community… Let him who is not in community beware of being alone… Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who...
The Wonder of Christmas

The Wonder of Christmas

This week I was chatting with a young mum watching her two-year-old mesmerised by a small revolving Christmas tree. She was sadly anticipating the day when her child would grow up and lose her sense of ‘wonder’. This conversation has made me think about the concept of...
What Mary do you know?

What Mary do you know?

Mary, she is either adored or avoided, sainted or airbrushed from history. We often view her as a demure and dainty woman, her eyes coyly bowed in saintly meekness. This Mary points to a Christmas and a kingdom of quiet, passive submission. That’s hardly the Mary Luke...