Coach House Talks and Beacons

Even though Travelling is off the menu for another year, where would you like to go and visit once the restrictions are lifted ? What type of tourist are you? The “planning to the last detail” type or the “easy going one” -that takes things as they come and is adapting to whatever they find . Do people even do these kind of holidays anymore ? When you go on holiday do you like visiting and explori...

What does standing firm look like practically? Perhaps we’re fighting off thoughts like “I’m too unrighteous and God could never forgive me.” As Christians, the objective truth is that we are clothed with God’s righteousness because of what Jesus has done for us. As Ephesians says, we have the breastplate of righteousness. However, we are still faced with a choice.

2 Peter 2:4-10

How are you feeling today? Do you feel useful? Are you happy with your contribution in life? I know that in our household we often “discuss” who is doing the most washing up or the most ironing. Of course this isn't what we are really discussing, the real agenda is “I'm doing more than you, you ought to do more”.

You see it’s easy to let frustration get the better of us on the road. And also on the road of life. But the reality is cursing at other drivers doesn’t get us where we are going any faster.

I am a teacher and one day one of the kids called another one weird. I responded with, well so are you, so are all of us. None of us are exactly like someone else. We all have our own likes and dislikes, our own desires, our own ways of being.

In one of those rare moments of madness the other week I found myself in Aldi (although other supermarket brands were available!) doing some shopping with my mum before we went away to the caravan for a few days. Just one of those essential shops!

You may have seen beautiful reflections when you’ve walked around the Lake District, seeing the trees and fells perfectly replicated on the surface of the lake. It makes you appreciate the creation around you as you look at it from a different perspective, not having to crane upwards but looking straight ahead

2 Peter 2:1-3

You might wonder how does the Russian novel Link to today’s beacon. In one of his beacons last week -The one in which he was talking about revenge -Jamie mentioned something about Punishment fitting the crime and this made me think of this book because -spoiler alert -The main character gets a punishment which fitted his crime. That’s all I’m gonna say not wanting to spoil the whole book for those...

No one would watch a programme about someone hoovering their house daily, but plenty of people watch Grand Designs. Maintenance is boring and makeovers look amazing, but without maintenance, the results of a makeover are quickly lost.....

It's that time of year when accountants can start to relax a bit. From the start of April to the end of May they are busy poring over figures that relate to the previous financial year. Taxes have to be paid and reports prepared. Investors and shareholders want to know how their company is doing.

So if both the Bible and modern science teach us that our lives are moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts, then we need to ask ourselves, “Do I like the direction my mind and thoughts are taking me?”

Last Sunday I was really drawn to read a verse from Nahum. This is a book of the bible that we rarely read and once I read the whole thing (it is a very short book) I understood why. The book is about the judgement of Nineveh. This was a large town in the ancient world, that was a political cornerstone of that area.

2 Peter Chapter 1:16-20

On the church calendar, the Sunday just gone (23rd May) is known as Pentecost. This is significant because it is the day when Peter all those years ago, stood on the steps in Jerusalem and boldly announced the truth of Jesus to the crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Weeks (which we now know as Pentecost –meaning ‘fiftieth’ the nearest Sunday to 50 days after Easter Sunday)

Depending on your beliefs and your point of view will determine how you think gold was formed at the beginning of time. Whereas diamonds and pearls, among other precious gems have been formed as the result of huge amounts of pressure and the highest temperatures, gold was not formed in the same way.

Last week after church, with a small group of people, we were discussing this subject. To me the reason why we are sometimes compared to sheep was evident but someone in the group was confused about the analogy and someone else had to explain: It’s because most of the time we do what everyone else is doing. It takes one person in a group to panic, and it extends to the whole group. In a group of c...

What was your favourite birthday present two years ago? Unless it’s odd, flashy, useful, or a treadmill cluttering your garage, it’s likely to fade into the other ‘stuff’ you’ve accumulated over the years. Good gifts embed themselves in our lives but are easily forgotten, not least the good things God has done for us – so let’s take the opportunity to look again.

Have you ever felt under threat? The answer to this question is probably yes, to some degree there is threat all around us. Right now I know that there are many people worrying about the Indian variant of the Corona-virus that is currently surging through Bolton.

2 Peter Chapter 1:1-15

So let me tell you this story that happened this week. As I love to do, I go as often as I can to watch Noah the eldest of our twins, play football. He’s quite good. Can play defence, upfront, good goal scorer and his awareness of the game is great. Now this week i was blessed to go and see him play against another team from his division.

Have you ever sat back and thought about all the little moments that brought you to where you are today. Even you being born was a very unlikely circumstance and yet it happened. Elevation worship released a song called million little miracles. It’s about the fact that there are so many things that God does for us every day that seem tiny to us but change the course of our lives.

On the day that I should’ve sent the beacon to be posted I realised that I didn’t have one; not even an idea. Not a pleasant feeling. Normally What I tell you in the beacons is given to me by what I read in the week or by the conversations I have with others or with the Lord. Sometimes I get inspired by the things I listen to.

Did you know that coal, graphite ( pencil lead) and diamonds are basically formed from the same things – pure carbon? You would never call coal or graphite a treasure or think that it could be described as priceless: useful and often essential but not something of beauty.