[Jacob]…dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it. Gen. 28:12-13 KJ21 A ladder is perhaps a familiar piece of everyday...

You will go out with Joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you… Isaiah 55:12 The much-loved film musical, The Sound of Music opens with the majestic beauty of the Alps, its mountains and alpine countryside in Austria, with all...

Dear friends, welcome to our new look monthly newsletter which has been renamed “The Beacon” to match our brandnew missional strap-line for 2022 and beyond: Being beacons for Jesus and making him known. What is a beacon? A beacon is defined as ‘a signal fire commonly on a hill, tower,...

Technology is great when it behaves itself but when it suddenly stops working it can be very frustrating and as I write to you this month Frank Spencer’s catchphrase comes to mind: “I am having a bit of trouble.” My e-mail account on my laptop has just decided to block...

The start of a new year can sometimes bring with it mixed emotions ranging from fear and uncertainty to the excitement and anticipation of what the new year might hold for us in our own lives and in the lives of our loved ones. As we reflect on the past...

Last month we reflected on Advent and what it means for us as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas in Bethlehem. The Christmas story, with its vivid imagery of the angels, visiting Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and then the shepherds, builds to a wonderful climax with the...

November is certainly a month of contrasts and of different experiences, emotions, celebrations, and commemorations. We experience longer periods of darkness in the afternoons and evenings as the clocks have gone back. Then we experience light as fireworks colourfully light up the dark night sky and their noise as whizzes,...

Have you ever experienced a happy accident? These are the instances we sometimes encounter in our lives when something good happens unintentionally. Incidentally did you know that Bassets liquorice allsorts were the result of a happy accident? Apparently, the different multi-coloured sweets we know today were originally intended to be...

A Quiet Word – July 2021 Have you ever noticed how quickly the grass grows at this time of year? I pondered this as I tried to cure my gardenembarrassment and cut the lawns and de-weed the paths at the manse. In the recent wet and then hot sunny weather...