I love Jesus, am married to Anna, and am a vicar in the Church of England. I think out loud and love to write it down. My favourite subject is Jesus and everything to do with Him. I love seeing people discover who they are made to be and the way whole communities change as we begin to live it out. In short, I'm fascinated with what it means to live beautifully and I think this comes from living faithfully with God - hence my blog.
Today is a special day for Christians – it’s Ascension Day! We remember how Jesus, after rising from the dead and spending 40 days with his disciples, then went into Heaven. You can read the story in Acts 1:6-11. Right now, Jesus stands with Father God praying for us and giving us strength; He remains … More Ascension Day – Pray with Us
Buckingham Palace has announced that His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has sadly died. An online book of condolence is available on the Church of England website here. Bishop Guli and Bishop Peter have both shared their condolences. “I am very sorry to learn about the death of His Royal Highness the Duke of … More His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh
Yesterday was one year since the beginning of the first lockdown began. Up and down the country people engaged with a National Day of Reflection instigation by Marie Curie. Here at Barking Riverside we joined together online in the evening as people of different faiths and none to spend a time of reflection and hope. … More One Year On – How we marked the lockdown anniversary
Jesus is my all in all The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer. My God is my rock— I take refuge in him!— he’s my shield, my salvation’s strength, my place of safety. Psalm 18:2 CEB Times of crisis usually shake the foundations of our life. The pandemic we are facing has … More The difference Jesus makes: Urbain Yombe’s Story
Lent officially starts this Wednesday. Did you know? Maybe you’re taking it as a convenient opportunity to diet or exercise…or maybe you’re a bit more traditional and you’ve been eating pancakes tonight then will be smearing ash on your forehead on Wednesday….but what is this season all about? Lent is a 40-day season of reflection … More Pancakes anyone? Lent – an invitation to the journey
Beyond doubt, one of the best things to come out of these last challenging months, has been seeing people stepping up to love, care for, and help those around them. There’s a host of practical support on offer and we’ve gathered what we know of locally on our Covid-19: Community Help & Support page. But … More A little help with the deeper things…loss, prayer, and big questions.
We’re in a really challenging time. But we do have hope. And we can walk this together, with Jesus. Here’s how we’re doing it. … More Weathering the Storm – how we’re doing it together with Jesus
What a year this has been! None of us knew what was going to be in store. And if we’re honest, we find ourselves still in the middle of this journey. The changing of one year to another is a moment to pause, reflect, and set our eyes straight for the new year ahead. That’s … More A New Year is coming…
Wow, what a year! And what a community….thank you to everyone who has decorated trees, came out singing, and a number of simple acts of kindness that have helped celebrate Christmas in such challenging times! Here’s a snapshot of some amazing artwork that’s been going on! But we’re not done yet! We’ve made some opportunities … More Thank you! And let’s celebrate together…
What does Christmas mean to you? This is an incredible time of year for hope and togetherness and joy. More than ever we need hope and we need each other….but we’re not allowed to gather…. That’s why we’ve been placing Street Christmas Trees all over Barking Riverside. These are there for us to decorate together. … More Meet your Christmas Tree!
