Blinded by Grace

Blinded by Grace

June 2019, the rapper Stormzy walked onto the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and with the words “let’s take this to church … we’re giving God all the glory right now” He sang: “Lord I’ve been broken Although I’m not worthy You fixed me I’m Blinded By...
Blinded by Grace

All together in one place

“They were all together in one place”. So begins the story of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that birthed the church. (Acts 2:1) “They” were 120 women and men, disciples of Jesus, waiting and praying in an upstairs room. In focussing on the work of...
Blinded by Grace

A Generous Community

Recently Alison and I went for a wee wander in one of our favourite places to go for a walk when visiting family in Oban, Sutherland’s Grove. A few years ago, extensive and laborious work was done to cut back rhododendron bushes. This invasive plant had begun to...
Blinded by Grace

Coronation Day

I have no idea what it’s like to be King Charles 3rd. We’ve been rewatching Netflix’s “The Crown” and, if fictional drama gets anywhere near the truth, then “frustrating” might describe what it’s genuinely like inside the British constitutional monarchy. The...
Blinded by Grace

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think you are? Tracing our family history, uncovering the heroes and villains in our genealogies, can be a fascinating and unsettling endeavour. Many who do discover that the generational patterns, both good and bad, handed down by our families of origin...
Rise Up

Rise Up

This Sunday is the last in our Rise Up series where we’ve been looking at Isaiah’s message from Chapter 40 onwards. Isaiah 55, which we will look at on Sunday, is the joyous conclusion to the section of Isaiah’s prophecy which starts in Isaiah 40, and it is a fitting...
Rise Up

Shout to the Lord

No one sings like the saved. We Christians are known for our singing. No one sings as much, or for as long, as we do! Whatever your tastes, preferences or musical delights, whether you can hold a note or sing off key, like it or lump it, churches of every shape and...
Rise Up

God’s Secret Service

“The heavens are like brass”   “I feel like I am shouting at the ceiling!”    “If God loves me why does he not answer my questions, my plea for help?”   Many of us can identify with moments when heaven is silent and God appears deaf to our earnest requests. These are...
Rise Up

A Wee Story

A Wee Story I find it hard not to be jealous of incredibly gifted people, be they athletes, artists, writers, and in particular, musicians. One of my favourite musicians is Cory Wong, and his collaboration with the amazing Metropole Orkest, Starship Syncopation, is an...