Coach House Talks and Beacons

Dates; the wonderful thing about the English language is that one word can have two very different meanings. On the one hand a date could be just be a marker of time, or maybe a special occasion where two people spend time together, or on the other hand it could be that sticky dried fruit that you eat at Christmas.

What we do with wealth can be many things, including good, comical, tragic and stupid. This beacon includes a wet passport, a reflection on Smaug and what Jesus wants us to do with our money.

After working hard all week, everybody looks forward to the weekend. you all know what I’m talking about when I say “the Friday feeling”. It’s that feeling you get when you’re able to let your hair down and not stress that you have to get up the next morning;

The End - A Simple Picture

Hey - are you struggling? Do you need to speak to God for help? Unsure how to do this amazing thing called prayer? Well, stick with me over the next few minutes and hopefully you’ll go from this Beacon, able to pray and leave all your worries and cares with Jesus, knowing He will answer all of your requests.

I would say since shame is a direct result of the fall it’s something that we were not made to feel and from experience it can often be unhealthy. The difference between guilt and shame is that guilt is to do with what we’ve done and shame is to do with who we are. Not that we should be walking around naked, I very much like wearing clothes, but shame can make us hide too much.

Way back in 1997, a British band by the name of Chumbawamba had a top 10 hit with a song called ‘Tubthumping’. It contained a limited lyrical content, but I remember at the time, liking the refrain.

We are not meant to go through life confused. We should ask questions, get support from others who have a good understanding, read the simple truths in the bible and put our trust in Jesus. Then we can know and believe and trust as Nicodemus did, understanding the clear message

In an age when everybody is a mini celebrity on the social media websites, we find ourselves in a situation where very often compare our lives to others. We have access to private information about other people like : what they are eating where they go and who they are hanging out with. In the pre-Internet era, we only knew what our close friends were up to;

2 Peter 3: 1-9

But sometimes, like with our fireman friend, it is possible to coax someone out. Often you have to go in the burning house, you have to understand their position, whether it be that they’re suffering or selfish or whatever it may be. I’m not saying you should join them in their sin. A fireman doesn’t put himself in the fire. In fact, a fireman on fire is no help to anyone. .

One of the questions that Christians frequently ask is “Why doesn't God answer my prayers?” You know that feeling, you ask for something, you feel it is right to do so, you ask repeatedly over a period of time and still nothing happens. This can be disheartening or discouraging, it can lead to doubts or even a loss of faith, so it is important to understand why this sometimes happens..

This last weekend i had the absolute pleasure of going again to see Noah, the oldest of our boys play in the Tytherington Juniors 5v5 Festival. Noah and His team mates ably managed by Mark, Chris and Cooke managed to get to the semi-finals. There they had a very comfortable win with Noah bagging 4, and then onto the final they went. It was a tough game, but .

A frame for a piece of art is very important. It helps you focus on a painting. It helps you pick out important parts of the art and shows it off. It separates it from the rest of the world and highlights it. Sometimes a frame can be found in surprising places like one I saw on Facebook around a child’s drawing on a wall.

When I was younger I attended Sunday School and one of my teachers, Norma Wilson, used to give us memory verses to learn. We actually enjoyed the challenge of learning a range of key verses and we collected points. And we all know what points make …prizes of course..

Mission Sunday - Open Doors - Trevor

Why am I telling you this? Well, I might have good road sense and a fairly good understanding of where places are and how to get to them, but I would be foolish to think that I knew everywhere and everything if I was called upon to go somewhere. Often it is the precise location we need as well as the general direction.

Growing up most of my friends were big fans of scary films. I didn’t want them to believe that I was not tough enough to watch them so I would watch them, but when the scary bit came on I used to hide my face in a cushion or behind my hands. I was too scared. Even now I’m not able to watch scary films. The only difference is that now I’m ok with it. I don’t mind people thinking that I’m chicken.

How many footballing careers have been cut short by injury? Countless. Whether it’s Brazilian Ronaldo, Fernando Torres or Jack Wilshere - many players fade into the background with niggling knees, worn ankles and pesky metatarsals. Injury comes with the territory. Setbacks, failure and trials are a part of life, listen on to see the surprising advice God gives us to get us back on our feet.

It is always sad when someone passes away. For close family or friends the loss is felt the most, for more distant family or friends less so but there will still be a time of mourning or reflection. For most of the rest of us we might not even know someone has died, the only way of knowing is if we happen to see a report in the newspaper or perhaps, in this modern age, in a facebook post.

We’ve all felt like God was far away from us once in a while. But you know what … That is a lie that we can easily fall for if we aren’t careful. God is not a feeling .. He’s much more than a feeling. Our feelings lie to us all the time. Feelings change quickly and can make us lose sight of the truth. This passage reminds us of the reality of where God is when we are brokenhearted: close.

2 Peter 2:10-22

Generosity is one of those virtues that we all know is good to have. But how can we know how much to give? It says in the bible we should give 10% but is that 10% before tax or after tax? Should we take out vital expenses first? How do we know we are doing it right?

Now as someone with fewer follicles each year, I am obviously not going to be a candidate for the most luxurious hair 2021. My hair began to recede many years ago, I suspect due to it being subject to long periods in chlorinated water during my swimming days, or the peroxide from my ‘hair metal’ years of long shaggy perms!

Recently we had a clear out and tidy up at home. It was the first chance we had had since our house had been full of people throughout the last year, as different friends and family stayed over, as they left uni, started jobs in Manchester or were just between jobs. It was great having a full house over the lockdowns as we always had lots of people to chat to and share meals with.