Thought for the Day
19th March 2021
As we continue to move forward out of lockdown, many conversations are taking place about what the future will look like – these conversations are happening in all settings, work, home and Church.
I have heard people ask, ‘Will we still do this and that?’, ‘Will this activity open again?’, ‘Who will do this or lead that?’ – all very sensible questions and questions that have to be asked but we must not be scared / frightened of the answers. Things will undoubtedly be different going forward and not all the things we did and enjoyed before will come back and this isn’t a bad thing. There are new opportunities that will come, we just need to look and search for them.
Sometimes God closes doors because its time to move FORWARD. He knows that sometimes we won’t or we can’t move forward until circumstances force us to change. Trust the transition and Trust in God.
So as various meetings take place at Tyndale over the coming weeks amongst all of us, be strong, be open to change and listen, listen to each other and listen to God – what is He asking us to do and where is He asking us to go.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7–8
Graham Lewis
17th March 2021
If you went out regularly for walks before the pandemic, you may, like me, have been struck by the greater number of folk doing so now. Our footpaths, open spaces and streets are rarely empty these days, not least with whole family groups enjoying the experience of shared exercise. We’ve also noticed friends commenting that […]
15th March 2021
Today our house is filled with flowers, and cards. I miss our children, and their appreciation of me as shown on Mothering Sunday is heart-warming. We have had brief weekly ‘check up’ visits from Kate, but it is exactly a year since we saw Jeremy, and six months since we saw Steve. Their physical absence […]
12th March 2021
A woman talks to an interviewer in front of who-knows-how-many millions of viewers and presents ‘her truth’; pain, humour, sadness, regret and more are on display. Commentators give their opinions. Experts are brought in. In a TV studio tempers flare. Racism, misogyny, divisions between generations and nations, polls and politics, tradition, loyalty, mental health, duty, […]
10th March 2021
As children return to school this week there is much debate about how to help them ‘catch up’. This is creating a good deal of anxiety amongst children and parents alike as everyone wonders how to squeeze the quart of material ‘missed’ into the pint pot of the time the children have left in school. […]
8th March 2021
My Bible readings at the moment are in Romans, introduced by Revd Dr Nigel Wright, of Spurgeons. He writes about baptism as one who, like me, has been ‘buried with Christ’ and raised to newness of life. Baptisms in Congo take place in a small local river at festival time. The candidates line up on […]
5th March 2021
One of the consequences of the pandemic has been the raising of national barriers. Opportunities to travel the world for business or pleasure have been curtailed. International trade has plunged (impacting the poorest countries most severely). Travel restrictions might have been a useful approach to stopping the spread of disease, but let’s face it – […]
3rd March 2021
Ave Maria – ‘Hail Mary’. Not something I have ever heard in a Baptist service, but an important element of Roman Catholic worship. Maybe the Catholics make too much of Mary – and maybe we make too little. As we approach Mothering Sunday, in about ten days’ time, I have been reflecting on Jesus and […]
1st March 2021
Today, March 1st, is St David’s Day, celebrated, especially by the people of Wales, as he is the patron saint of the principality. I was born in its capital, Cardiff, spent my formative years there and have fond recollections of the way my school celebrated the day. We held an eisteddfod with the different houses […]
26th February 2021
Vaccination passports – ‘certificates of vaccination’… already certificates of vaccination in some form are being considered by some countries, and by some airlines, so as to facilitate overseas travel. So far, so uncontroversial. Where it gets tricky is in relation to vaccination certificates in everyday life. A pub or restaurant may require a ‘certificate of […]