We bought our daughter a small bottle of Chanel No. 5 for her eighteenth birthday. It was an extravagance but we thought… well, you only celebrate turning 18 once. I worked out the cost. For one litre of the stuff … Continue reading A man with a sweet smell
What do the following men all have in common? Napoleon Boneparte, Captain Mainwaring from Dad’s Army, Charlie Chaplin, Attila the Hun & Ghandi. Maybe this joke will help if you haven’t got it … Short people: We maintain a positive attitude on life because we’re always looking up. Yep. You guessed it. They’re all short. Very short. Folk say that sometimes short men have an attitude problem. It’s as though they have something to prove. I wonder if that’s what was with Zaccheus. You can read his story in Luke 19. He was, as the old Sunday School song puts … Continue reading A short man with a big issue
Some people always ask questions. It can be annoying. We all know it when toddlers never stop with the questions. Why is the grass green? Because of chlorophyll. What’s chloryfill, daddy? It’s a chemical that turns grass green. But why?! … Continue reading Doubting or Questioning?
James T Kirk. Bold. Adventurous. Shoots from the hip. A hero to many. A bringer of chaos to anyone who has to work with him. A real cracked pot. Just like the Apostle Peter. I love the Apostle Peter. I’m … Continue reading To boldly go
For too many centuries, history has been written by men. The voice of women has not been heard. So it’s great to celebrate the first votes for women this week. It is a joy and a delight that we live in an age where true equality it within our grasp, even if not quite totally here yet. The voices of women really do need to be heard. One of the extraordinary things about the Bible is how Jesus treated women. We don’t know a great deal about many of the women in the New Testament, but what we do know … Continue reading Mary, Mary, quite contrary?
Are there any foods you really hate? I’ve two at the top of my revulsion list. Bananas and olives. Bananas are just slimy. I can’t stand the texture. And the salty, bitter taste of olives? Yeuch! In perhaps the oldest … Continue reading The unluckiest man ever
Prince Phillip is known for not always being politically correct. He once said, “If a man opens the car door for his wife it is either a new car or a new wife.” The sad reality is that there’s some truth in that. The first flush of romance in a relationship can fade pretty quickly. I was looking at divorce rates in the UK. The headline figure stands at around 42%. You can read more info here. But essentially if you last the first ten years, you’re in with a good chance of staying the course. Some marriages look dodgy … Continue reading How messed up is too messed up?
Katy’s grandma was bombed during the Second World War. Her mum was a small child & both mum & grandma hid under the dining table while the rubble fell around them. Grandma vowed never to like the Germans and she … Continue reading A reluctant hero
A judge was in his office with the lawyers from the prosecution and defence standing in front of him. “This is totally unacceptable”, he glared at them. “You, lawyer Jones have sent me a bribe of £10,000 And you, Lawyer … Continue reading Judges
It was so funny. I know a guy… He will remain nameless because his insecurities are such that he couldn’t cope with being named in a blog like this. He honestly came up to me once and said: “I’m being … Continue reading Cracked Pots: Pride comes before a fall
Sticky post
Ever noticed how old pottery has a beauty all of its own? I’d love to be a pottery expert. I go aorund charity shops with my wife, Katy, and I’ve seen some of the blue and white stuff from China and I don’t know if I’m looking an Ming or Han dynasty. But there can be a real beauty, even in stuff that is old and cracked. Sometimes they deliberatly put in errors into the firing process. I think they call it crackle glaze, like in the photo here. Sometimes I feel like I am old and cracked. No longer … Continue reading Cracked Pots
I’ve just had a very weird thought. As I’ve lain awake with a teeny bit of chest pain, I got to thinking it’s been a rather unproductive year, ministry-wise. I’ve not been able to do half what I wanted to … Continue reading Active Inactivity
