Thursday, September 28, 2017

Gospel in Disney: Diamond in the Rough

Children's Address

The story of Aladdin is from 1001 Arabian Nights and it's about a young man who was orphaned very young and ended up raising himself and who survives by stealing food in the market. In an early scene we see him stealing some bread and immediately we're tempted to think: "Hmmf ... a thief!" but we need to be careful. Let's watch the first clip

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Harvest Festival and Saving Souls

Here in the Northern Hemisphere it is the season of Harvest Festivals and I have been reminded that Passover/Easter, Pentecost (Jewish and Christian) and Tabernacles (Final Harvest festival, yet to be fulfilled in Christianity) are all related to various stages of Harvest. Mindful also of Wesley's instruction to preachers: "Everywhere avail yourself of the great festivals, by preaching on the occasion" it seems that the Harvest season lends itself to the saving of souls.  

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Jesus' Rocks


What did the diamond say to the coal?
I’ve been under a bit of pressure lately.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Botox? I’m using it to save my teeth from grinding.


To find out if you are suffering from sleep bruxism, it’s probably best to ask someone else. Teeth grinding is a subconscious malady, one we rarely realise we are doing. Usually it’s only when a partner complains that the noise of your gnashing is keeping them awake or a dentist spots teeth being worn away at an alarming rate that it becomes apparent that you may be one of the growing number afflicted by the latest lifestyle-induced health problem. A friend of mine suffered sleepless nights for weeks before realising it was not a plumbing fault in her flat that was causing clicking and grating noises, but her husband’s jaw.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Adam & Eve: Paradise Lost


A front page newspaper headline this week announced that more people in the UK don’t have any form of religious faith than do have ... and in an editorial comment the next day the paper asked if we should care?

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Gospel in Disney: Jesus, Lion of Judah

 

Today we begin a new series looking at the Disney classics and we start with the LionKing. This idea of a lion king that Disney picks up is actually a Biblical idea: it starts all the way back in the time of Jacob, who had 12 sons, one of whom was named Judah. When Jacob is dying, he pronounces a word over each of his sons. These words would come to define their lives ... that’s the power a father has ... the power to define what a child is like and when Jacob came to Judah, who wasn’t his oldest son, he spoke a special word about Judah and his future descendants. Let’s hear that word again: