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Welcome to my website! There are various sections to the site; this homepage shows you the more recent / popular content in each area. Happy exploring!
Recent Blog Posts
Sometimes I hear it said that Old Testament ethics can be summed up in the command to fear God, and New Testament ethics can be summed up in the command to love God.
Related, it is sometimes observed that the Old Testament summary of the law is ten sentences that prohibit ("Thou shalt not" - those making this point usually do so quoting the old fashioned way of putting that), whereas...Read more
As I've been studying the individual messages to the 7 churches ( Revelation 2-3 ), I've been very struck by the way Jesus addresses both each church collectively, and also the individuals within it.
Take the message to Ephesus (...Read more
"Mum, why did that man say that Jesus was a potato?" So asked the three-year old girl.
Did I say that? Well, not exactly. But it was something like this:
We were looking, a few weeks back, at John 12:23-33 during our all-age service. Jesus has been approached by some...Read more
Popular Blog Posts
(Last updated 16th July 2016)
Back in September 2010, I posted on my experience (as an Englishman) procuring and using a Télépéage gadget for use on the French motorways. I wrote that post just in case it happened to help someone. Since then, it has become more than 3 times as popular as any other page...Read more
Are you trying to find out which Church of England Parish you live in? Simply put your postcode into the search tool below:
PostcodeSearch
The Church of England's Parish System
I don't know how long this has been the case. If you know, please leave a comment to educate me about this. However, England is divided up into a number of distinct, non-overlapping,...Read more
I have huge respect for Christopher Idle. I love the hymns he writes. And he's a godly man with a wise, pastoral heart. I was searching for some of his hymns, when I found something rather different.
Doubtless, many readers of this will be familiar with Henry Scott Holland's poem Death is Nothing at all . For those who don't know it:
Death is nothing at all. It does...Read more
Recent Sermons
It’s hard to keep going if you feel isolated.
Picture the scene. You’re at Kings Cross, boarding a train to Edinburgh. A large crowd is watching the departure signs. Finally, a platform number: platform 4. The crowd surges that way, and you’re among them. But once you’re through the ticket gates, most people board the train the other side, on platform 3. You get on the Edinburgh train.....
Let me tell you about a church I’ve got to know, and some of the pressures it faces.
Some people in the town really don’t like this particular church. They’ve had major aggravation from the town council, and from the media. There’s real hatred from a few, but sometimes that’s all it needs to sway public opinion.
It’s a tough place to be a Christian, but they’ve weathered it......
On 26th July, a Roman Catholic priest named Jacques Hamel was murdered inside his church by violent Muslims. His funeral was attended by thousands. Since then, the British security services have issued fresh advice to English churches on counter-terrorism security.
From time to time in Britain, people who are preaching on the streets of Britain spend the night in police cells. What......
Blogroll
A random sample from some of the people I read online, taken from the past 24 hours.
Leading children in worship is different than leading adults in worship because children differ in their ability to:
Understand God, themselves, and their relationship to Him. Understand language, ideas and how to talk about God.So worship leaders must lead in ways that are developmentally age appropriate. Make sure to check out the curriculum...
Here’s another reason to be cheerful: Barack Obama’s final days as President are taking a neoliberal turn.
He’s just spoken out against planning regulations in America’s cities. This is a huge limit on growth – maybe bigger than in the UK. By constraining the supply of housing in places people want to live, like New York and San Francisco, and keeping people in less-...New updated version of MySQL Governor is available from our updates-testing repository.
Changelog:
governor-mysql 1.2-8
MYSQLG-134: checking if mysql is not in yum exclude list (DirectAdmin); MYSQLG-140: fixed a typo in mysqlgovernor.py script output; fixed incorrect order of -server package installation....You'll also find me in a few other places online, such as …
Other Websites
I also maintain a few other websites:
- Mandelbrot ExplorerThis is an easy to use, totally free, fractal explorer — explore the Mandelbrot Set and the Julia Sets, starting with one of 6 inbuilt colour schemes, but with a totally flexible layers-based way to colour your fractals exactly as you wish. There are many other features - visit the website to find out more. Visit mandel.org.uk
- Books by Mary OakleyMy late grandmother compiled 5 little booklets of poems and prayers that helped her at various stages of her life. Visit the website to find out more about these booklets, or to order online. Visit lifetocome.co.uk
- Kemsing with Woodlands ChurchesThe two churches in west Kent where I'm the vicar / minister / pastor. Visit kemsingwithwoodlands.org
Social Media
I use social media more to follow others and to keep in touch than I do to post information of my own. Nevertheless, occasionally I'll post things. Find me on:
