Pentecost Prayers
Pentecost Prayers
by Richard Steel
Responsive prayers for opening and ending of service on Pentecost Sunday or any service focusing on the Holy Spirit Pentecost Prayers Opening Prayer Holy Spirit, we thank you that you are a person, not just an impersonal ‘Force’ Holy Spirit, we thank you Holy Spirit, we thank you…
Debt And Sin
Debt And Sin
by Andrew Gadd
Satirical poem - do we truly want Jesus to take our sins? Debt And Sin “I stand at the door and knock”, He said, “And pray you’ll let me in.” “My house is such a mess,” said I “With all my debt and sin. Lord, let me do some housework first, To clear my debt and sin, And once my h…
Opening Prayer - John the Baptist
Opening Prayer - John the Baptist
by Richard Steel
An opening Prayer based on Benedictus and John the Baptist’s ministry John the Baptist (24th June) Opening Prayer (Based on Benedictus and John the Baptist’s ministry) As people who know we have received mercy We come to you As those who share your new Covenant We come to you As …
Transforming Preaching - Preaching for transformation
Transforming Preaching - Preaching for transformation
by SPCK - David Heywood
1 Why preach? Preaching for transformation In the previous sections we have looked briefly at preaching in the contexts of contemporary culture and the Church’s life and worship. We saw that preaching is related to worship, teaching, pastoral care, leadership and evangelism. All …
Transforming Preaching - A microcosm of ministry
Transforming Preaching - A microcosm of ministry
by SPCK - David Heywood
1 Why preach? A microcosm of ministry At the heart of the Church’s worship and life is the expectation that people will encounter God, and preaching is the activity that focuses and expresses this expectation. Karl Barth called it the ‘representative event at the centre of the Ch…
Transforming Preaching - The Challenge of Preaching
Transforming Preaching - The Challenge of Preaching
by SPCK - David Heywood
1 Why preach? The challenge of preaching Preaching is characteristic of the life of the Church. An expectation that the worship of the gathered Christian congregation will include a sermon can be traced back at least to the second century in the writings of Justin Martyr. Before …
Transforming Preaching - Introduction
Transforming Preaching - Introduction
by SPCK - David Heywood
Introduction I was never taught how to preach. My training included the opportunity to preach a sermon in front of a camera and review it, but little else. I have met many in a similar position. The only training we have received in preaching has come first through listening to o…
Recovering from Depression - Shaping the future – forgiveness
Recovering from Depression - Shaping the future – forgiveness
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Shaping the future – forgiveness In this chapter we’re going to be reflecting on the huge issue of forgiveness. Because this is such a vast subject I’m focusing here on forgiveness in relation to the ‘hidden things’ that might lie behind depression and which we’ve been talking ab…
Recovering from Depression - Shaping the future –protecting ourselves
Recovering from Depression - Shaping the future –protecting ourselves
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Shaping the future –protecting ourselves As we have seen, part of our work towards preventing another episode of depression may involve engaging more fully with our past, including the memories, thoughts and emotions that are still causing us problems...
Recovering from Depression - I know what you’re thinking
Recovering from Depression - I know what you’re thinking
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
I know what you’re thinking One of the symptoms or effects of depression is that we can become extremely self-centred, tending to think that everything is about us and not in a good way. If we phone someone and they don’t ring back it’s because they don’t want to speak to us, if …
Recovering from Depression - Thinking from the past
Recovering from Depression - Thinking from the past
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Thinking from the past Earlier we thought about strong emotions which have their roots in the past and which have perhaps never been fully understood or expressed, so that they continue to cause problems for us in the present...
Recovering from Depression - Emotions of the past
Recovering from Depression - Emotions of the past
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Emotions of the past Part 3 Body, mind and spirit Recovering from Depression A companion guide for Christians Pandas and thunderstorms Ever since I can remember, whenever there’s a thunderstorm around me, in real life or on television, a picture comes into my mind of the soft bla…
Recovering from Depression - Bringing the emotions of the past into the ‘now’
Recovering from Depression - Bringing the emotions of the past into the ‘now’
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Bringing the emotions of the past into the ‘now’ James – music and sorrow We talked earlier about James, whom we first met earlier. Although with the support of a counsellor James tried to identify the reason for his intense grief on hearing music, he was unable to do so. He was …
Recovering from Depression - Some ideas for day-to-day living
Recovering from Depression - Some ideas for day-to-day living
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Some ideas for day-to-day living In this chapter I’m going to share with you a few ideas about our day-to-day care of our bodies, minds and spirits. I hope you may find some of these suggestions helpful, perhaps opening up one or two previously unnoticed paths along the road or e…
Recovering from Depression - Setting out on the journey
Recovering from Depression - Setting out on the journey
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Some essentials Foundation stones When you have weathered the storm of an episode of depression one thing is certain: you will want never to have to go through another. You will want to do everything you possibly can to avoid that valley of dark shadows and stay in the light that…
Recovering from Depression - The process of recovery