Coach House Talks and Beacons

I think that in the current situation there will be some of you out there that feel as though you are walking through mud at the moment. It is dragging you back, slowing you down, stopping you from getting where you want to go.

Part 2 - Dont Settle for Less. - Clean Heart, Clean Mind, Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.

Throughout history lots and lots of people have claimed to be God or God’s chosen leader on earth. There are so many cults around the world, that have convinced many people. There are also many other religions. So what’s so different about Christianity?

Once upon a time the cry of ‘Any old iron…. Any old iron?’ would reverberate around the streets, as rag and bone men did the rounds collected our old junk and taking it away to make a few pennies on.

Have you ever sat down to pray and talk to God and considered how many other people across the world are also doing the same thing? Or maybe when you are singing and worshipping in a small group of believers, have you ever thought how many hundreds or thousands are also sending their thanks and praise towards heaven.

Last Sunday’s we started an Alpha course at church. I had heard about this course before but I never had a chance to experience it myself. It’s interesting as it makes you think about questions that you never realised you had or never thought about before. I’m giving you just an example : What makes you happy ? Or what would you ask God if you had a chance?

Like Cool Runnings suggests, you’re unlikely to win an Olympic Gold in the Bobsleigh if you grow up somewhere without snow, ice and the prevalence of that sport. We have personal limitations too, and we realise this as we get older.

Do you ever feel that you aren't serving God as you ought? Do you sometimes feel that you are failing in your Christian walk? Do you sometimes feel that you only go to church on a Sunday to make up the numbers?

It’s at this point the Holy Spirit begins to unlock and unleash the fullness of the person’s potential, unfolding before him all he’s created to be and to do, helping him to succeed at accomplishing God’s purpose for his life.

I had to tear up all the plans I did have for the next term less than a week before that term started. I then wasn’t given enough information to start planning the lessons I would need to be teaching until the term started.

Have you ever justified an action based on something that you believe has given you either the power to do something, or at the very least, protects you from blame and gives you something to hide behind! I’m sure you have, because mankind continually does it all the time. We are so good at it; we don’t even realise we are doing it

Some like the first glimpse of new growth in Spring and others love the Autumn colours. Whatever your preference, I suspect that most people would prefer dry, warmer days rather than cold, damp days and at some point we all yearn for the end of Winter days.

As this new year began at midnight last December 31st, I must confess to feeling very apprehensive as to what might lie ahead in the year we were just beginning. My feelings were influenced by all that had happened in the previous year,

The Lord has a road prepared for all of us and some of the things he wants us to do have the task of building character in us at the cost of ego and pride. God gives us the custody of worldly things in the course of our lives to help us understand the difference between materialism and what He holds as treasure.

Films like The Great Escape, Mission Impossible and the Oceans series epitomise human planning to me. It gives human ingenuity a colourful and vibrant appearance. Whether it’s Steve McQueen vaulting barbed wire fences on his motorbike to escape the Nazis, or Tom Cruise’s character lowering himself through hole full of laser tripwires

There is a question which I have often pondered at this time of year, and it is this; on what day do I stop wishing people a Happy New Year? If I see somebody for the first time in March or April, is it too late to wish them a Happy New Year? Answers on a postcard please, but one thing is for sure, as this is my first Beacon of the year it isn't too late, so Happy New Year everybody

Do you like Bread? A warm baguette with soup, or freshly made bread straight out of the oven with lashings of butter…? What about soft sliced white bread with fresh cooked bacon in to make the best of bacon butties.

We can’t predict what the next year will bring. None of us could have predicted how 2020 would go. None of us could know how much time we would spend in our homes and without our friends. And none of us know what 2021 will bring. Maybe things will go back to normal. Maybe we will be able to go back to seeing those we love on a regular basis.

Judging by the sheer amount of fireworks exploding into the sky at Midnight on New Year’s Eve, plenty of people were happy to see the back of what has been a troubled year, with Covid changing the way we interact and behave, and the deliberations and brinksmanship of Brexit, 2020 has had its fair share of challenges

So it's the end of the crazy year, thats been 2020. Andy, Mel, Bekah and Jamie sit round and discuss the Beacons. Which are there favourite, which ones to head for if its your first time listening. ENJOY

The more excuses you produce, the less convincing you sound. The words provide a verbally comprehensible answer to a doubt or request. However, the fact that so many words were used to begin with casts doubt on the answer. Rationally, the excuses may or may not be true, but it’s often indicative of someone who’s afraid or trying to cover their back.

One thing that I have learned as a Christian over many years is this. There are no words, that any speaker, no matter how good, can say, that are better or more effective than the scripture itself.

But what is the best Christmas song ever written? The Messiah by Handel?,Joy to the world, Silent night, Away in a manger, Jingle bells . . .

Every type of government that we have ever seen, even if it has “safeguards” in place, becomes corrupt and becomes about money. Democracy is meant to have the safeguard that the government can be voted out but has still become about money

It seems that many have taken to putting up Christmas decorations well before the start of December in order to bring some cheer in these strange times, where we cannot be together as much as we would like.