the red pill

I've been meaning to get back into blogging for a while, and just struggling to find time. I haven't given up on it, but the limited time I've had for online stuff has been mainly on Facebook and Twitter, and a little on instagram (I know, i need to get with it...). I'm writing this blog today to encourage a bit of accountability for myself. Truth is, I'm a sinner, and one of the areas of real lack of control has been around food and exercise. I've been greedy. And I've been lazy. At Easter I decided to make some gentle changes, and then during my sabbatical in autumn I got more serious, eating less and increasing the amount of  walking I do. The upshot is that weight is slowly shifting, and quite a bit so far, but I know I will struggle to keep it up. So here is my permission to you to challenge me on it, and to ask how i'm doing. It's not going to be a big thing for me on social media, and although I have wondered about starting a new bl...

Our current Sunday morning teaching series is called "Red Letter Commandments", and takes a look at the places in Matthew's gospel where Jesus gives a commandment that we feel is still relevant to us today. Last week I preached on Matthew 5:38-42 and Jesus command to us not to take revenge, but to engage in creative nonviolent resistance. This week I was speaking from the following paragraph Matthew 5:43-47, Love your enemies. I remembered that I had once read a sermon from Dr King on that text, and so I read it again in preparation. It is an amazing sermon, far better than I could have aspired to, and I shared that fact this morning. I quoted from one section, and said that I would share the text from my blog for those who'd like to read the whole thing. This is a transcript from a recording made November 17, 1957 at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama. Right in the heat and turmoil of the civil rights movement. I pray his call to radical love will ...

In Hebrews 13:8 we are reminded of a timeless truth, “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.”  This morning in church I shared that if something were true at the time of Jesus’ life, it’s still true today. If there was any truth in His teaching 2000 yrs ago, it’s still true today. If His life and ministry are an example, they are still an example to us now. If his death on the cross had an effect 2000 yrs ago, it still has that effect today. If His resurrection was a sign of anything then, it’s still the same sign now. If His ascension into heaven meant He was powerfully interceding for us then, and preparing a place for us, then those things are still true today. And finally that if the giving of the Holy Spirit, so liberally poured out onto humanity that Pentecost day, empowered Christians to live, serve, love and minister in the power of God at the beginning of the Church’s story then the same is true today. Because Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, ...

Last autumn I started broadcasting on Periscope a couple of time a week, with the title "Ask the Pastor". They were quite popular broadcasts with people from all over the world tuning in sharing greetings, prayer requests and posing a wide range of questions from matters of faith through politics, sports and general information about living in the UK. A period of illness at the end of the year meant I stopped broadcasting and kinda got out of the habit. I'm happy to say, in response to several requests, the broadcasts are back. I'm aiming to broadcast weekly, and in the first instance it's most likely to be on Fridays at around 4pm UK time, that's 10am CST in the USA. If you aren't able to join me live, then please feel free to leave questions in the comments here then watch the broadcasts later on this link to my periscope profile. Or alternatively you can tweet questions to me on twitter where I am @baptistjon  and I'll include them in ...

Vacancy – Office Manager Salary: £18-20k depending on experience Term of contract: This is a permanent position Hours of work: This is a full time (37.5 hrs per week) post, with 5.6 weeks annual leave. Tabernacle Baptist Church Wolverhampton (often called Tab) is a busy, diverse multi-site church of some 250 people, with buildings in Whitmore Reans, the city centre and Ashmore Park. We are seeking to recruit an outstanding individual to work at the heart of our church's organisation. Supporting a large team of staff and volunteers, alongside handling enquiries from the public and managing a number of routine tasks means that each day is varied, and that the right individual will find this a stimulating and rewarding opportunity. The postholder will need to be someone who has proven office management skills and be able to communicate effectively in person,  in writing and through the use of digital media. They will also be strongly internally-motivate...

Today Great Britain has embarked on an uncertain journey, following the referendum on whether we should remain a part of the European Union. Months of sharply divisive campaigning has revealed itself in a result that is far from resounding with 52% voting to leave, and 48% to remain. There are people in our neighbourhoods and churches who are struggling to make sense of the enormity of the decision, and as I write this our Prime Minister has just resigned, the Governor of the Bank of England has issued an emergency statement and our finance markets are in turmoil. How should those of us who follow Jesus respond to these events? Is there anything for us to do other than pull up our drawbridges and try and ride out the coming storms? Whether we voted to remain or leave, is there some shared action or attitude that will help in this time of questioning and uncertainty? I want to offer a few thoughts as someone who is first of all a pastor. My concern is to help church members ...

A New Creation This is Pentecost. God effects a new creation. The old is gone; the new has come. Through a massive invasion of grace, a valley of dry bones gets a new lease of life. A dispersed and confused people find a new togetherness and speak a new language. People drenched with fear and savaged by disappointment now experience the miracle of renewal. The dead are raised to life again. Order replaces chaos; new community displaces wayward individualism. They thought the day of their liberation had come, but it turned into a nightmare. Then, at Easter, it became clear that they had survived the night of gloom and had arrived at a new dawn with joy. Now, with the Son ascended, what were they to expect? They waited in Jerusalem. Passover was to be followed by Pentecost. Easter joy was to be consolidated into a lifelong blessing as, through divine empowerment, God opened up for everyone the path to new life. The signs of the new creation are clear. The mighty wind...

(I wrote this in response to a number of people contacting me to ask why we had done this today. This is not meant to be a boast, but we pray it would challenge and inspire. If you feel it's boastful then please forgive me and leave a comment and I'll pull the article )  This morning my colleagues and I dropped into the staff meeting at All Nations church to take a £10k gift from our church to theirs. Our church Meeting (we are Baptists remember...) had talked it through and felt that this was the level of gift we should give. Are we awash with cash? No. Are we planning our own rebuilding programme soon? Yes. Would it have been easier to hold onto that cash as we build up our own reserves to rebuild? Undoubtedly, yes! So, why did we do it? Firstly, we are aware that as we enter our own programme of rebuilding there is a strong temptation to focus solely on our own need. In giving away first we remind ourselves that we serve a God who is able to do immeasur...

Today the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, arrives in Jamaica for a short visit, where he will hold talks about trade, and lay wreaths in honour of the war dead. In 2013 the Jamaican government approved a motion to call for reparations from the British government following the affects of slavery, empire and massacres. There is some doubt that this will be part of the conversations he has on this visit. It's important that the issue is raised, and given proper time and discussion. There will be many who say that the past is the past, that saying sorry is meaningless now, and that any reparations are really the Jamaican govt trying to extract some extra finance from what remains of the once great empire. To think this way is to deny certain realities. The legacy of slavery in the UK is seen in the industrial advantage that was won, and still to a large extent remains today. Slavery meant great wealth was then reinvested in other industries which in turn thrived, and con...

Today in church we considered some of the ways we might respond to the current situation that is filling news broadcasts and publications; the mass movement of refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants through Europe, the largest movement of people on this continent since World War 2. Here I reproduce a handout we gave to church, and include links to agencies you might consider supporting, and also a video from Krish Kandiah of Home for Good. You'll see that I add a little detail to his 5 suggestions then add a sixth too. If you would like to add further ideas in the comments section, I'd be pleased to read them, thanks. Refugee crisis : an urgent call to action from Home for Good on Vimeo . Responding to the mass movement of refugees, asylum seekers and migrant people 1.        Pray a.        For the protection of families and individuals taking desperate measures to flee war and persecution b. ...

The Assisted Dying bill will come before parliament again soon. It has been put forward by Rob Marris, MP for Wolverhampton South West. We respect the great work he has done as a constituency MP in his previous term of office, congratulate him on his recent return to parliament, and rejoice in his close connection to us as individuals, churches and a network. Nevertheless, as ministers and churches in the city that Rob Marris represents we felt we needed to make some kind of response to the issues raised by this bill, and the threat we see in it to some of the more vulnerable members of society who may find themselves the unintended victims of its consequences. Below is the text of an open letter we have addressed to Rob, along with the current list of signatories. Other Wolverhampton Ministers wishing to sign can comment below, with the name of their church and I will add them. An open letter to Rob Marris in response to his Private Member’s Bill on Physician Assisted...