This is a beautiful and profound video that expresses something important.  Apologies if the colourful language early in the video offends... if you get past that it's well worth watching:

So, the Evangelical Alliance (EA)have decided to discontinue the membership of the Oasis Trust because of its stance on LGBT issues.  Whatever your views on LGBT issue, this has to be a very sad day when one evangelical can effectively expel another over an issue that, so far as I can see, is not a central defining tenet of evangelicalism.

You can read what the EA said here and what Oasis said here

I'm sure lots of views will be expressed over the coming days.  The responses I have seen expressed by Baptists are all the same - they are saddened, and long for people to learn to agree to disagree with grace and humility.  Very sad indeed.

UPDATE an excellent, gracious, gentle, wise and thoroughly Baptist repsonse from David Kerrigan here

The latest smallVOICE podcast is now available here... as always worth a listen

On Monday, sat in a first class carriage of a Virgin pendolino, enjoying free wifi (seems to work better on the west side of the train!) and a very tasty salad all for £20 less than a standard class ticket, I wrote this post on social media.  It could have made it into my sermon but it didn't, so now I'll put it here (with a few edits at the end) 

Three and a half years (or thereabouts) ago I promised myself never ever to wish time away because I was delayed in traffic or had a gap between trains. It was never again 'time to kill' but 'time to savour' it has been a liberating and transforming choice.

Various bits of news about various friends this weeks has reminded me of the fraglity of life and I have repledged myself to savour every moment.

So today I've enjoyed people watching at two railway stations (three more to go) drunk coffee and tea, am enjoying free wifi on my cheapy creepy first class ticket (hence the multiple changes) have eaten a lovely free butternut squash salad, some cripss and a banana and now a free pepsi to boot! Have chatted to shop staff, given some loose change to Help for Heroes, smiled at strangers and done a few puzzles!

The scenery is beautiful, the train is whizzing along at a pleasant flush-friendly cool temperature and life is good
.
Life in its fullness isn't life free of trouble, but it is life savoured... this will be my sermon theme on Sunday.

Special hugs to [friends initials] and anyone else who needs one today

Part of the 'meaning' I 'take' or 'make' from that dark time is the good and liberating things that arose in my attitudes and actions.

I have an odd 'problem' this week - I could say my sermon in very few sentences and I'm struggling with the padding!  Option (a) is a lot of personal stuff but that doesn't feel like what I want to do.  Option (b) is some exegetical stuff which just feels dull.  Option (c) is a short sermon with a few bits 'n' bobs to make it take more then five minutes!!  I am leaning towards Option (c) and hoping no-one asks for their money back!  I think it'll work, and in the end it'll probably be around average length cos that's the way of things... but for once it's taken some work to make it more rather than less.

I've a feeling there's a lesson in there somewhere!