He also left me with the question, “what is the face of the church?” At the moment I am unsure. I am not sure that the Church is a positive reflection of Jesus. It may well be a body that is broken and beaten but not necessarily from the doing of others but of self harm and self abuse.
The Broken Church
Mapfupa Angu Achapfuka
Zimbabwe has a rich and complicated history, but as Chigumadzi writes, there is an opportunity to listen to the ancestors, that these bones will rise again. There is hope for Zimbabwe, it nearly died, it has been close to death, but my hope and prayer is that a day is coming when its health will return and a resurrected Zimbabwe will emerge.
Zimbabwe
I am off to Zimbabwe. I will be with a team travelling around visiting churches, a university and meeting various folk. I don't know what to expect. I meet the team I travel with a few hours before we fly and I have to trust we'll get on, that all the plans are made and … Continue reading Zimbabwe
Just Voices
I am a white, university educated, male. I like to think I am empathetic and understanding. I thought I knew about gender equity but until I stopped to listen I realised I had no idea. #justvoicesconference, #ideashaveconsequences, #genderequity
Keep on Marching
On Sunday I stood and watched as thousands of women marched through the streets of London as part of Processions 2018 and I was inspired. But, there is a problem. It requires that we keep on marching, keep on processing, keep on telling the story.
Looking for a Fight
Jesus preached that we should love God and love our neighbours. This week I heard a preacher subtly preach condemnation, encouraging the congregation to boldly stand up for rights, to be ready to fight. It was a sermon that misused scripture and encouraged hatred for anything that is other. It was a sermon that subtly made space for racism, sexism and homophobia. The church is broken because it’s forgotten to love her neighbours and is choosing to fight them instead.
I am an Evangelical
I am an evangelical, an inclusive, justice seeking, hope filled, passionate, rebellious, faithful evangelical.
Open the eyes of your Church, Lord
In the days following the resurrection of Jesus his disciples had their eyes and minds opened to things they had not seen or understood previously. I pray that the church today would have its eyes opened and be a place; a people; a community of hope for the world. Open the eyes of your Church, Lord.
An Interesting Part of Death
Death is an interesting part of life. The one thing that is guaranteed in life is that at some point we will die. I was chatting with a woman I know who is in her 90’s. She tells me that she is ready to die. She is tired, she has had a good life, she … Continue reading An Interesting Part of Death
Snowy Community
I have been enjoying the snow during the past few days. There has then the joyful whoops of excited children pulling back the curtains and seeing the world turn white. Explorations of snow and ice – the sound as is crunches under feet, how it feels in our fingers and even how it tastes. It … Continue reading Snowy Community
The Broken Church 