Goodhand in Banbury

One of the pleasures of life for me is cooking. I will often take a cook book to bed to explore new recipes, how sad is that?. The joy of our new kitchen with a warming drawer (it really helps with proving bread) has just added to the delights of time to try recipes old and new. All of this however has been turned on its head.  Just before Christmas our eldest grandson was diagnosed with being Coeliac. Considering he was a big baby, 10 pounds, it had become noticeable that he was not growing at a rate you would expect. Getting the local GP's to test to see what was going on was a saga in itself. The blood tests came back and the results were off the chart.  His mum having done her research checked and double checked when told to take him off Gluten. "Are you sure?"  Everything you read says you need a second blood test to have the confirmation. But no get him off she was told. So he went Gluten free. This was a real challenge because he loved bread, especially granddads b...

This post seeks to follow on from my last which was about 'What defines us.’ The books I mentioned in the previous post, in one way or another, highlight the forces which control our world. To put it crudely a culture built on individualism, capitalism and consumerism are destroying the planet and dividing people. Yet many of us collude because we like the lifestyle they bring. The church has often reinforced them, even though they stand in stark contrast to the kingdom of God where people are to be in a supportive community. Instead individualism enables the rich to become richer while an ever growing number of people become poorer. Institutions often protect those in power and persecute the vulnerable. The ongoing post office scandal is just one example of this. The church is no different in being prone to protect itself with the price being paid by the vulnerable. Looking back at my own experience I am saddened by the way my institution pushed for change, ‘regrouping for mission...

Defined by God not by our role After nearly two years I shared in leading an act of worship. Appropriately it was the Sunday during  the week of prayer for Christian unity. So as a Methodist minister now worshipping in an Anglican church with the local Methodist church present I preached. I was in two minds if I should bother with clerical shirt and dog collar, I did find one eventually!! It raises the point that for all these months I have not worn one, mind you as I came towards the end of my ministry I tended only to wear one for Sunday, hospital visits etc, so why wear one now as its doesn't change who I am or does it? What is it that really defines us? When I was training for ministry back in the early 1980’s I had opportunity to work with the industrial mission team in Birmingham. It was a period of great upheaval in the work place.  Growing numbers of people in traditionally safe jobs were becoming unemployed. I helped to  organise an event in the cathedral in the ...

 Our five year old grandson has been diagnosed with being coeliac which explains a lot in that his growth has slowed down and so we are thankful we now know that there is something we can actively do to help. As I enjoy cooking and baking the challenge is on to make 'Gluten Free' (GF) foods for him, not least Gluten Free Bread as he is a bread lover, especially granddads. So we now have GF mince pies, Yorkshire Puddings and with a change to a recipe some excellent GF biscuits which he likes oh and some GF chocolate brownies. I did make a first batch of bread only to discover that the yeast was not GF so it couldn't be used. It's going to take us sometime to adapt what we do to ensure we enable him to be GF while seeking to make it as normal as possible. Key will always be making sure you don't cross contaminate foods when preparing them. I now have an app to check purchases to ensure they are GF. During lockdown when we were able to return to 'in person worship...

Luke 1: 26-38   In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,   to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.   The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.     But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God.   You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.     He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,   and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”   “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”   The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on yo...

  It seems a little ironic that we found ourselves sitting in St Gabriel, Aldersbrook, Wanstead for a Carol service on Sunday evening. It seems like a long way to go for such a service. Well our London family have moved church and Emily has been part of the childrens choir. While we couldn't make the Christingle we were able to head to London promptly on Sunday so we could be there for the service and see her sing in the choir.  The Church is a traditional Anglo-Catholic parish that clearly has a tradition of a choir helping to lead worship. So it was a delight to sit in a fairly full church to share in a candle lit service of carols readings and poetry for Christmas. There were lots of families present which was good to see. The parish priest seems like a very gentle individual who is clearly seeking to engage with the wider community. He's tried a pop up church for families with small children to messy church etc. It is good to know that people are willing to try these thing...

Mary’s Song Luke 1: 46-55 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord      and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful      of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,      for the Mighty One has done great things for me—      holy is his name.  His mercy extends to those who fear him,      from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;      he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones      but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things      but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel,      remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,      just as he prom...