tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83425628868351943752024-03-06T00:26:19.239+00:00South Wales BaptistsNews, thoughts and ramblings of interest to Baptists in South WalesMartyn Mosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09799211753532228483noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-20374655969804070912012-06-20T12:27:00.003+01:002012-06-20T12:27:59.079+01:00further studyI was not looking forward to today but God is full of suprises had a great day at the baptist collage and leart that some times we judge to quicklyMike martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00404268106597217639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-19369560991950879002012-06-20T12:26:00.000+01:002012-06-20T12:26:47.339+01:00when is minstry bestI was reading an article on the internet that was telling everyone that fifty is the new thrity in minstry this got me thinking are we being just like the world and following trends and fads surly we are all lead by god and if we set our idaes on him then there can be no limit or trend as just look at Moses his best work for the lord was much later in his life and he was just one of a long line to excel at a later year surly we must not look at age but what God is doing in our livesMike martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00404268106597217639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-44357873892831161432011-06-27T22:39:00.003+01:002011-06-27T22:49:28.919+01:00Life moves onWell what a great couple of weeks, life always has a new turn of events to keep you interested, what a great night the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">valedictory</span> was but it has its sad side it came to me how much I will miss the fellowship at Baptist Collage all the freinds I have made over the last three years. With everyone taking different paths I wonder if we will ever see each other again, there are a number of ways but I think that the collage forum needs to be a place for all the ex- students to meet maybe that could be something that we all could commit to it could be a way forward ?Mike martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00404268106597217639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-90817554914997949252011-04-24T06:47:00.004+01:002011-04-24T07:00:03.431+01:00A new startWith the last of the teaching weeks ended its time to look to the future so they tell you but this is one of the most testing times of our lives, gone is the routine of collage life and until it comes to the end you never realize just how much a comfort that is. Students who are leaving this year enter what is called the settlement process that word sounds so safe and comforting but beware it is only one of the most unstettling times of a students life. All around you people tell you that the Lord is in charge and to rest in the arms of Him who sustains us, thats all very well ,but they are telling you this from there nice safe cosy life so what do we do how do we cope with not knowing what is going to happen where we will settle. For all that you may dimiss the words that you are told thats all you can do is to trust and to rest in the arms of ChristMike martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00404268106597217639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-63157814255882967492011-03-15T16:11:00.001+00:002011-03-15T16:11:16.495+00:00Whitley Lecture - 23rd March - all welcome!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPUyk0N6Fttm2Vhbm9Qlh8v-EvNnrgqH_jEDCuRt-agjFcSo73Y7SHnA6Rx4AbiTYS3mxNCEa4fKkkremn73dTc3oWd45efx-QV9d1zptqugBPQYTEZcW1PFKXxsVgJ_V4OuQrD0urRL_/s1600/Wrestling+with+the+Word.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPUyk0N6Fttm2Vhbm9Qlh8v-EvNnrgqH_jEDCuRt-agjFcSo73Y7SHnA6Rx4AbiTYS3mxNCEa4fKkkremn73dTc3oWd45efx-QV9d1zptqugBPQYTEZcW1PFKXxsVgJ_V4OuQrD0urRL_/s400/Wrestling+with+the+Word.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584339229706351794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">We are pleased to announce that this year's Whitley lecture is returning to Cardiff next week.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />The lecture "Wrestling with the Word - a woman reads Scripture" will be given by Anne Clements at SWBC on Wednesday 23rd March, beginning at 3pm. All are welcome to attend, and the lecture will end by 4.30pm.</span><br /><br /><em style="font-family: verdana;">This lecture grapples with the issues raised when a committed Christian woman comes to the biblical text and realises that not only are there the verses from Timothy to negotiate but far deeper hermeneutical problems. How does a woman who does not wish to reject the authority of Scripture but who increasingly becomes aware of the androcentric, male centred, nature of the text and the patriarchal character of many of its stories come to terms with the Word ? Not only the text itself but patriarchal interpretation of these texts has caused anguish for many women called in different ways into God’s work. The lecture traces one woman’s journey from a call to ministry that led to an intellectual engagement with issues of interpretation and the formulation of her own hermeneutical stance. Out of this came her revisionist work on the women in Matthew’s Gospel in the conviction that the Biblical text contains a self-critique of patriarchy. The gender issue is now a mainstream topic both within the academy, the church (the BUBG Council 2010 debated the issues surrounding women in ministry) and at popular cultural levels. It is increasingly important to be able to articulate and develop a hermeneutic that both recognises the Bible’s patriarchy for what it is, whilst at the same time hearing God’s Word speaking to us within the complexities of lives lived in the 21st century.</em> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />The Rev Anne Clements is minister of West Kingsdown Baptist Church, Kent. She has been happily married for thirty years and is the mother of three grown daughters. She originally trained as a teacher and she and her husband spent ten years teaching in mainland China (1986-1996). She was called to the ministry in 2002, trained at Spurgeon’s College and was ordained in 2006. Anne is currently completing her PhD on the women in Matthew’s Gospel.</span> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-72738786086338646492011-01-28T12:46:00.004+00:002011-01-28T12:48:15.417+00:00Edwin Stephen Griffiths Lectures 2011<p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b style="">Edwin Stephen Griffiths Lectures<br /></b></span></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b style="">Wednesday, </b><b style="">2<sup>nd </sup></b><b style="">March 2011</b></span></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b style="">1.30 & 3.30pm,<br /></b></span></p><p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b style="">at South Wales Baptist College</b></span></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"><b style=""> </b></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"><b style="">Given by: Revd Dr Anne Phillips MA, PhD (Co-Principal, Northern Baptist Learning Community)</b></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"><b style=""><br /></b></p><p class="ecxMsoNormal"><b style="">Lecture 1<span style=""> </span>Daughters of God: Girls Growing in Faith</b></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">Children’s spirituality is a growing area of interest and research. However children come in two varieties, and gender differentiation increases at puberty; we therefore do girls (and boys) a disservice by ignoring, as most popular studies do, that they may ‘do faith’ differently. In this lecture, Anne will explore the ways early adolescent girls understand themselves, God and their faith within the contexts of home, church and school, setting their self-understanding within a framework of research into a spectrum of developmental theories.</p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"><b style="">Lecture 2<span style=""> </span>The Power of Un-naming: Girls and the Bible</b></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">Why are so few biblical girls named? Is motherhood a girl’s only God-given purpose and destiny? How does it feel that ‘there aren’t many parts for girls’ in biblical drama? Where do girls find their biblical role models? </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">These questions identify some of the issues many girls and women face when they read the Bible. This second lecture breaks new ground in taking a scholarly look at pre-adolescent girls in scripture, and through studying their place in God’s story argues for a ‘theology of girlhood’ that defines their distinctive role in salvation history.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">After graduating in Theology from St Hugh’s College, Oxford, Anne worked for several years as a secondary school teacher and mother. After her call to Baptist ministry, she served in a local pastorate before joining the staff of Northern Baptist College (now Learning Community) where she is now Co-Principal. She has for many years been involved in the Baptist Union of Great Britain’s work on children in the church, abuse and domestic violence, and women in leadership, interests which demonstrate her passion to seek justice for people the church too often marginalises. Her book, <i style="">The Faith of Girls</i>, is due to be published by Ashgate in 2011.</p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> <span style="font-size:180%;"><b style="">We extend a warm welcome to all ministers and church members who would like to join with us for these lectures</b></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-8184185192480132782011-01-26T12:31:00.000+00:002011-01-26T12:32:15.608+00:00New Morning Class<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Mark's Gospel: A manifesto of radical Christian discipleship</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />With Rev Simon Woodman<br /><br />Hosted by <a href="http://www.cityurc.org.uk/cacec/cacec.htm">Cardiff Adult Christian Education Centre</a>, <a href="http://www.cityurc.org.uk/">City URC Church</a>, Widsor Place, Cardiff.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mondays 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Four sessions starting 31 January 2011</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />This course will explore ways in which Mark‘s gospel can speak directly </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">to the world we live in today. We will encounter again the </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">call to radical Christian discipleship which so transformed the lives </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">of those who first heard it, and we will investigate ways in which</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">that same call can be heard in the twenty-first century. With an </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">emphasis on the social, economic and political dimensions of discipleship, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">the words of Jesus can be heard to echo down the centuries, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">raising vital questions for those who would follow him today.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />31st Jan 2011 - <span style="font-style: italic;">Encountering the radical messiah</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7th Feb 2011 - <span style="font-style: italic;">Engaging in radical relationships</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">14th Feb 2011 - <span style="font-style: italic;">Living a radical life</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">21st Feb 2011 - <span style="font-style: italic;">Asking radical questions</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Core Text: <span>Ched Myers et al</span><span style="font-style: italic;">, “Say to This Mountain” Mark’s Story</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;">of Discipleship</span>, Orbis Books, New York: 1996</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Course Fee: £20<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Simon Woodman is a lecturer in the South Wales Baptist College</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-67231745912738969362010-06-15T11:55:00.003+01:002010-06-15T12:10:12.641+01:00'Prophetic Voices From the Margins: The Contemporary Witness of Anabaptists, Celts and the New Monastic Movements'<span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgx4k-WqlCAutrjl3M7-GVmODTgrRc_hHNiN6MhwGWRqEVcGOBQC3UK5RDRCwgPikrPwlH4rZRjul0egPfR9pPKK8Rg-jjydBxSexJKzw6myLpzF7Mxrc9REZ3kNqmR-6dvnUUUClHGzS/s1600/Prophetic+Voices.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 409px; height: 579px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgx4k-WqlCAutrjl3M7-GVmODTgrRc_hHNiN6MhwGWRqEVcGOBQC3UK5RDRCwgPikrPwlH4rZRjul0egPfR9pPKK8Rg-jjydBxSexJKzw6myLpzF7Mxrc9REZ3kNqmR-6dvnUUUClHGzS/s400/Prophetic+Voices.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482955012390672610" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Or see the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=127501993947615">Facebook Event</a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-33960174531825681312010-06-08T12:50:00.003+01:002010-06-08T13:00:06.155+01:00A first note from a leaving student but a new dad!I find it a proud and special moment that my first entry to the college blog is to announce the safe arrival of my first born son Reuben James O' Herlihy, who was born on June 1st at 5:24 pm and weighing 8.2 lbs. Mum (Rachel) is good and recovering well and our bundle of joy is changing all the time, starting to look more like his mum which is a good thing. I was told shortly before the birth by a good (female) Friend that the closest a man will ever get to giving birth is writing a book, well I'll stick to sermons and essays because, well let me just say 'respect to the mothers of the world'. I have lost my cable for my camera so photos will have to wait, but let me tell you he is lush.<br /><br />IanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-88849282126068972482010-05-15T22:06:00.002+01:002010-05-15T22:11:30.624+01:00Job Advert: Principal of South Wales Baptist College<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIqSUbgl3mr-z45bklQp4PQROcEdnLVisuIkaCyGURu6WbD7qpK5bsqEkhbqUbFVbh6gfVcOTVjczr3oQGdyH26SY-ovYOg68bNOFVLp5QFeuW4zR28n80SJGoPn1WERQwJviUL6p3WKv/s1600/SWBC+logo+Purple.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 98px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIqSUbgl3mr-z45bklQp4PQROcEdnLVisuIkaCyGURu6WbD7qpK5bsqEkhbqUbFVbh6gfVcOTVjczr3oQGdyH26SY-ovYOg68bNOFVLp5QFeuW4zR28n80SJGoPn1WERQwJviUL6p3WKv/s320/SWBC+logo+Purple.jpg" alt="" 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; mso-hyphenate:none; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:AR-SA;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-unhide:no; color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:595.25pt 841.85pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1; mso-footnote-position:beneath-text;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family:verdana;">As advertised in the latest edition of the Baptist Times:</span><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="text-transform: uppercase;">South <st1:country-region st="on">Wales</st1:country-region> Baptist College <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Cardiff</st1:place></st1:city><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="text-transform: uppercase;">Seeks to appoint a Principal</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><br /><span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Applications are invited from persons with suitable experience and academic qualifications to lead this well-established College in its work of ministerial formation, as from September 2011.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The College prepares candidates mainly from the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Baptist Union of Wales, and engages with churches in seeking to facilitate the mission of Christ in and beyond <st1:place st="on">South Wales</st1:place>. Facility in the Welsh language would be an asset but is not a requirement.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">SWBC is a constituent member of <st1:placename st="on">Cardiff</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype>'s <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">School</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Religious</st1:placename></st1:place> and Theological Studies.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Details of the application process and further information can be found on the College website <a href="http://www.swbc.org.uk/">www.swbc.org.uk</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Closing date for receipt of applications: 21 June 2010. Interviews 21 July 2010.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-67572987214603972012010-03-06T17:44:00.004+00:002010-03-14T16:02:56.847+00:00"Persecute me - I'm after the Brownie points"<a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLDTI1n0b2Ln1tBl02fyb8knMkprC9WYZ4e29-di5qv3TV6C9nJCBh0dG5PpxSFCIwkp2RbhZzioM6a8L85hToEb4_ck5Eg1G3YXqpNHAExzm-7R3S96Yk1MTF-dHNijjGH5xl1hSkTT5/s1600-h/Frank+Skinner.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 88px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLDTI1n0b2Ln1tBl02fyb8knMkprC9WYZ4e29-di5qv3TV6C9nJCBh0dG5PpxSFCIwkp2RbhZzioM6a8L85hToEb4_ck5Eg1G3YXqpNHAExzm-7R3S96Yk1MTF-dHNijjGH5xl1hSkTT5/s400/Frank+Skinner.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445580666488020738" border="0" /></a><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } --> </style> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://bapcolian.blogspot.com/">Ian Thomas</a> has picked up this very interesting<a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/frank_skinner/article7050380.ece"> Times Online column article</a> by Frank Skinner, entitled</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-size:100%;">'Persecute me – I’m after the Brownie points: We Christians thrive as a minority. A bit of strict us-and-them keeps up the quality'</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-3396309203814343882010-02-01T12:11:00.000+00:002010-02-01T12:12:07.366+00:00The church that I am a part of are in the process of the consultation the association offers. On Saturday we had a day together that marked the midway point in this and we concluded together that an area in church life that we need to give serious attention to is that of Evangelism. We need to see people coming to their own faith in Jesus Christ and that is going to be largely down to the personal witness of each of us that part of our church. I was at a the Ignite Youth event last night and it was so exciting to see teenagers make a decision to follow Jesus at that event. It is always a huge joy to see anyone discover the reality of a personal relationship with Jesus, something that all of us as Christian ministers surely desire to see. Some of us made a promise at our Ordination and Induction to do the work of an evangelist. The normal form of words these days are that we promise “to lead and enable God’s people in their mission to the world, seeking God’s kingdom, proclaiming the gospel in word and deed and seeking to make Christ known in every way”. People need to know that they need to be saved! Enabling people to discover for themselves ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10) is both our duty and our exciting privilege. Let’s go do it!Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-78591834946511101452010-01-25T14:37:00.001+00:002010-01-25T14:37:35.808+00:00I got some wheels on Friday – and got stopped by the police last night! You can guess what I was thinking, ‘O don’t tell me this car’s been stolen’! It hadn’t been but clearly they had run a check on the car whilst following me and informed me that I was driving without tax and insurance! Fortunately I was able to prove my innocence to this accusation. I am aware however that if their computer was clever enough to see all the road traffic and highway code laws I had fractured over the years I wouldn’t have been able to prove complete innocence. I’ve been reading Job where, it could be said, Job does a reasonable job of defending himself against his friends but has no chance of defending himself against God. Would I get any grace from my road traffic friends? Unlikely but from God I have known huge amounts of grace and am hopeful for yet a whole lot more. So I just took a little time out to thank God for his mercies and again I realize I have more to be thankful for than I thought!Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-81050420404316506552010-01-18T10:49:00.001+00:002010-01-18T10:49:46.979+00:00unbalanced!I found over the last week or so that I had allowed myself to get a bit unbalanced! It’s a common thing I guess, things happen and we allow them to affect us a little more than we should. For me it was a number of things including my car dying and broadband not working. Silly isn’t but we so often allow this to happen. Quite often it’s financial, more often it’s relational. We allow ourselves to feel offended far too often. The more we dwell on the problem facing us or the hurt we have experienced the bigger these things get. Soon we have lost proportion, our ability to make decisions is affected and relationships further fractured. Jesus tells us not to worry about the stuff of life but to seek his kingdom and righteousness (Mt 6:33). I‘m sure our relationships are implicit in this but he also tells us to love even our enemies (Mt 5:44) and Paul helpfully calls us to consider others better than ourselves (Phil 2:3) and urges us to accept one another in the way that Jesus accepts us (Rom 15:7). All to helpfully enable us to keep a balanced Christ like view on things. Why not pause and check out where anxiety is running unduly high or grudges are beginning to take a hold and offer them to the Lord seeking his peace to reign in your hearts (Col 3:15). It may be a very simple thing but I encourage you to just stop and do it.Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-15033971525183337772009-12-21T15:47:00.000+00:002009-12-21T15:48:18.473+00:00Surprise!Time to grab your sun tan lotions and head off to the beach! You wish! Though I am one of those crazy people that will go for a boxing day swim in the sea. Don’t worry I haven’t gone completely mad, I am still aware its Christmas time. Last week I reminded you of the need to tell the story and be open to the Holy Spirit to bring a freshness into the Christmas Good News. One thing that strikes me about the whole Good News, the whole Gospel is that it is full of the unexpected. Who would have expected God’s Son to come as a poor, illegitimate refugee? Who would have expected the Messiah’s message would have been one of love? Who would have expected that he would have revealed a way into a relationship with the Father by Grace? Who would have believed his preference for the poor and marginalized, his value on women and children? Who would have expected the company he kept or would have second guessed who it would be he would most criticize? <br /><br />It’s all too easy for us with the benefit of the New Testament and over 2,000 years distance to think we would have been more ready for his coming. And if the truth be known, he still catches us unawares again and again. His spirit blows where he wills and I for one would say that he continues to surprise me but I am so glad he does. Sometimes following the Lord feels like a rollercoaster, but that’s the thrill of it!<br /><br /> I do pray you will be surprised by him this Christmas. I don’t know what next year will bring. For some it will be an amazing year of fruitfulness, for others a year of heartache but I know he will be with you all in equal measure and whatever surprises are there for us, they will be opportunities to discover the Grace of God and the Joy of serving the Master. <br /><br />In Christ I desire for you a Blessed Christmas and a Joyous New Year.Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-68540540634328428182009-12-14T09:44:00.000+00:002009-12-14T09:45:56.081+00:00It's Christmas time, and time is running outIt’s hard for me to think about Christmas time without thinking of a Sketch I did as a teenager that seems imbedded in my mind. I played the Vicar and the particular line that has come back to haunt me is – “This year I’m going to preach a meaningful Christmas sermon, I will not have Darth Vader or Tinky Winky, La La or Po in the pulpit, nor will I ruin my sermon notes with one of those dolls that wets themselves! I will think through everything carefully beforehand, and preach on the relevance of the birth of Christ to the modern world. If only I had time!”<br /><br />I have a narrator’s part in a production this year, but won’t be preaching and so I don’t even have to face the temptation of going to the file of old material after hours of trying to come up with something original. And so my thoughts are with you because I do know the agony of trying to get it just right each Christmas. Of tying to present the Christmas message in a new and relevant and fresh way.<br /><br />How do you say anything new? Anything that will so impact your congregation in such a way that will stop them in their tracks and cause them to think WOW! I never thought of it like that! and will have such an effect on them that they live their lives in a whole new way as a result of hearing you. <br /><br />But it’s about you or me, it’s about Jesus. The Christmas story about Jesus is just so amazing that we want people to see it that way too!<br /><br />The trouble is it’s near enough impossible to say anything new. It’s all been said! How do you improve on 2,000 years of storytelling? It’s newness depends on its freshness, and it’s freshness depends on openness – an openness on our part to hear God speak.<br /><br />My advice for what it’s worth – just tell the story - and invest the time you could spend in coming up with something new in prayer for that openness of spirit that will allow God’s Spirit to bring Jesus into lives in a fresh way!Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-69967762236250797342009-11-23T12:54:00.000+00:002009-11-23T12:55:36.315+00:00Christmas is comingI don’t know if you’ve noticed but Christmas is coming! High street lights are being switched on, decorations are going up, cards are being written, and the perfect gift sought! Joy, Peace and Goodwill to all men or Bah Humbug! I don’t know which end of the spectrum better fits you but I do know how we all strive to encourage people towards the real meaning of Christmas, that the perfect gift has already been given! I have no ‘thought for the day’ as such today but just wanted to assure you of my prayers in the run up to Christmas. It is an especially busy time for pastors. I pray that through your ministry people will discover and gladly accept the gift of Jesus.<br /><br />And by the way, it is unlikely you will hear from me next Monday, I’ll be Christmas Shopping!Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-66664131646709619642009-11-16T08:30:00.001+00:002009-11-16T08:30:53.207+00:00God is Love!My wife, Jackie, is leading a small group tonight on the theme ‘God is Love’. Recognizing my Biblical knowledge and profound teaching experience (well I can dream) she asked me if I had any good material. So I looked through my preaching and teaching files to pull something out for her to have a look at. To my huge surprise I discovered I didn’t have anything! To be sure, the theme was present in all sorts of ways, plenty on God loving us and more than a little on encouraging our love for God. But on the nature of God as Love - very little. Something that I will have to redress.<br /><br />The last 3 words of 1 John 4v8 form one of the most profound statements of the whole Bible and perhaps for many people today one of the hardest to believe. ‘God is love’. When we think of this 'grubby tennis ball' of a planet, set in the vast infinity of space, our own lives as just moments in the onward surge of time, and our individuality among countless millions, can we really talk meaningfully about God loving us? And when we look at the world with all its evil and suffering, so many damaged and broken lives, how can there be a God who really loves us? Yet, John insists, this is the very nature of God. And if we are not to empty the word 'God' of all its meaning, we must realise that such an infinite yet personal Creator is not too great to be bothered with my tiny life. He is so great that he can be bothered with each of us individually. John is not identifying a quality which God possesses; he is making a statement about the essence of God's being. It is not simply that God loves, but that He is love. Focussing on who he is enables to believe what he does. And so though of course I want to say to you, ‘God Loves you’. But maybe it is even better to say to you ‘God is Love’!Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-75999222738246137882009-11-12T11:31:00.002+00:002009-11-12T11:34:45.865+00:00Faith and the EnvironmentRevd Dr John Weaver, Principal of South Wales Baptist College, was a guest on the BBC Radio programme All Things Considered this Sunday.<br /><br />"Looking ahead to the Copenhagen UN Climate Change Conference in December, Roy Jenkins is joined by four guests, each from a different faith community, to explore the extent to which religious beliefs shape our relationships with the natural world? How do they influence how we act on an issue like global warming? And what – if any – is the distinctive contribution which people of faith have to make to one of the most crucial issues of our generation?"<br /><br />You can listen to or download the programme either from the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/atc/">BBC website</a>, or from the <a href="http://www.swbc.org.uk/downloads.htm">College Download Page</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-87100420522756353332009-11-10T01:13:00.000+00:002009-11-10T01:14:33.418+00:00Happy Birthday Sesame StreetWell this week’s Monday morning note is being written in the early hours of Tuesday morning! The reason is I left early this morning (sorry yesterday morning now) to come to BU Council in Swanwick. So today Tuesday we are celebrating 40 years of Sesame Street. No not at Council, though it will be interesting to see if It comes up! We did however spend some time today considering how we may better address the needs of children and better include them in the life of our churches. I have just had great fun however on www.sesamestreet.org go on, you know you want to! It never did take off in the UK as it did in other parts of the world but it has been a major player in the education of children around the world for, hard to believe, 40 years. And Bert and Ernie still look good on it.<br /><br />The stars still want to be part of it. The Independent carries these four quotes:<br />MICHELLE OBAMA "I never thought I'd be on Sesame Street with Elmo and Big Bird... It's probably the best thing I've done at the White House."<br />JAMES BLUNT "I always wanted to be a Muppet. So when Sesame Street approached me, I thought: 'I'm going to be on this!' It's pretty incredible stuff."<br />RICKY GERVAIS "You know you've made it when you get asked to do Sesame Street or sing with a little furry puppet. It's quite weird in a funny way."<br />KOFI ANNAN "Elmo and his friends, they tell it straight... Keep it simple and it brings you back to earth. I think that is very important, we all need that."<br />Kofi Annan has of course simply restated what Jesus said: “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The utter trust and dependency in the Father is sadly lacking in most of us and has been replaced by a self sufficient maxim that, well that, let’s be honest is really ‘childish’ rather than ‘childlike’!Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-12177876594126926882009-11-02T20:48:00.001+00:002009-11-02T20:48:54.646+00:00God is GoodGod is Good! (Nahum 1:7). We have to begin there in each and every situation. The problem is that we so often fail to tap into the goodness of God for lack of trust. One dictionary definition says that trust is ‘confidence in’ and ‘reliance on’ and secondly that it is a position of obligation. Eph 1:3 lets us know that the entire Christian life is learning to access what God in Christ has already provided for us. But in the learning we often meet with failure and disappointment. If God works in everything for our good (Rom 8:28), by implication we will fail in some things when first we try. We are wrong to limit this verse to the bad things that happen to us which are beyond our control. It also has to have reference to the things we do! And believe me this is a hugely positive thing. If you are succeeding at everything, you’re not trying hard enough! You’re not risking enough! <br /><br />My kayaking club are going to award a trophy at the end of the year to the person who has had to bail out of their kayaks and swim the most. All that has accomplished is stopping many club members from having a go at a stretch of river that is a bit beyond them and this means improvement is hampered. We need to risk, we need to go out on a limb, we need as Will Carey said, to “attempt great things for God”. We have after all an assignment from God to see to it that His Kingdom comes, His will is done. Trusting a God that is good and always works good gives us the confidence to keep at it, to pursue those things that are beyond us naturally. It is how we grow. Learning and growing through failure Keeps us tethered to the goodness of God.Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-67993132851511810712009-10-26T10:35:00.000+00:002009-10-26T10:36:54.092+00:00Father and Son bondingJust had a great weekend white water kayaking on the river Dart, Father and Son bonding and all that! It’s the reason we took up kayaking. The trouble is I absolutely love it where as my son, Lewis, has not been quite that enamoured with it. As many of you who came to the Roadshows would have heard, my son’s thing is def metal and he’s a drummer! (Pray for me). So in the summer I went to Sonisphere festival at Knebworth and discovered there is an advantage to going deaf in old age. Actually we had a great time together and even though some lyrics were far from wholesome they were a great launching pad for conversation with my son. It did strike me that if the command on God’s people is to make disciples of all people groups (Mt 28:19) who’s doing it amongst this tribe? If you are aware, I would love to know. What I truly loved about being there was seeing my son energised. It seems both of us want to live life to the full and I know that Jesus himself said that was why he came. I am praying that my son will discover that for himself, even that he would be one Jesus would use to reach that culture.<br /><br />You will find this email and the previous two on the South Wales Baptists Blog<br />http://southwalesbaptists.blogspot.com/<br />Have a look and join in the conversations on this blog!<br /><br />By the way, the dart was so good this weekend he’s decided that Kayaking really is fun so I’m sorry but we are praying for rain this half term week so we can get on another river!Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-45095909474468921832009-10-26T09:47:00.001+00:002009-10-26T09:50:54.864+00:00Rest in Him (19th Oct)It’s been an incredibly busy few weeks and looking at the diary over the next few weeks it’s only going to get worse. And so it was such a blessing to get away for a 24 hour retreat last week with some other regional ministers. We need these occasions not simply to recharge but to recalibrate and as the Lord graciously did for me last week, reiterate his call upon my life. Whether it be a full blown retreat or the valuable moments we take each day, to listen to the Lord, allowing the Holy Spirit to regulate our heart beat with the Father’s is vital to our ongoing walk and fruitfulness in his service. It is the learning to rest, remain, abide in Christ so that we are able to bear the fruit he produces in us. We find our place in God and he finds his place in us. We become a hospitable place for him to dwell in us. Strange that we still insist on rushing around so much!?! But on that note hope to see some of you at the last of our Roadshows this week; Wednesday at Monmouth, Thursday at Woodville Cardiff.Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-5819486231368614662009-10-26T09:45:00.001+00:002009-10-26T09:47:19.861+00:00first weekly email 12th Oct<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNick%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNick%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNick%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> 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mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I have had in mind for quite some time to email all of you as ministers within the association on a regular basis, say every Monday morning, simply to encourage you in what the Lord has called you to. It is after all an easy way to communicate quickly in the world we now live in. Paul tells us to make the most of every opportunity (Eph 5:16). And there are many opportunities. What about taking opportunities to help one another? As disciples of Christ we are ever learning from his word, by his Spirit and from each other. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">I wonder if we can commit ourselves to taking the opportunity to sharpen one another (Prov 27:17). For encouragement, challenge and enabling each other. This can be done in twos and threes, in small groups, using our monthly ministers gatherings, then there are the bigger gatherings like Mainstream and the Ministers Conference. Andy and I are currently running missional roadshows focusing on change and transition. Tonight at 7pm we are at Jerusalem Pentrebach, tomorrow Ebbw Bridge. There are many opportunities to develop our gifts and understanding of what the Lord has called us to.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Perhaps begin by giving another minister a ring today and plan to meet up!</p> Nick Bradshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00127157271175809496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342562886835194375.post-50686665559130391712009-09-26T00:17:00.001+01:002009-09-26T00:19:14.068+01:00CREDO: An affirmation of Christian faith<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmY_qFv1yPHVmTeot9nmVP9wDNLMkW0-UW_3_YFh_EqTA0SSwoHyu5INl6WZrwtc7stm7jBQaFv23VCuWp5T-edBBp5A5AK10M10Jhp0xnG3x_G3q0DQ4o3JF4DYrZgydyusDXVkDlgfK/s1600-h/Credo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmY_qFv1yPHVmTeot9nmVP9wDNLMkW0-UW_3_YFh_EqTA0SSwoHyu5INl6WZrwtc7stm7jBQaFv23VCuWp5T-edBBp5A5AK10M10Jhp0xnG3x_G3q0DQ4o3JF4DYrZgydyusDXVkDlgfK/s400/Credo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385548223677662402" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0