I wonder if you noticed the coverage in the papers yesterday about the launch of the Churhes Mutual Credit Union. A number of the newspaper articles had headlines suggesting that the Churches involved in this new  venture were taking on the Wonga's of this world. The truth is this project is a long way from moving into the same market as Wonga.  Indeed Credit Unions operate under completely different finanicial rules. However it is a clear strategic move by the churches...
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I've been trying to iron out some of the technical issues that seem to face me when I write this blog. However  for the past few months it has felt like I'm getting nowhere. So I end up frustrated and give up and leave the study. Hence  the spasmodic writing of articles. Somehow the software never seems to do what I want. This morning I was in the Sanctus Media office and this gave me a chance to speak to Owen who is our web designer. After a short conversation and a...
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For the past few weeks I’ve been thinking that its time I started writing the blog again. So here goes with my first post leading up to Christmas. On Wednesday I attended the funeral of Nancy Crawford. Nancy was my wife’s mother’s eldest sister. She died  last week aged ninety-nine.  If only she could have made  her one-hundredth birthday! I want to write a story about Nancy to encourage all of us to take seriously the promptings of God in our lives, especially when we...
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Here's an update on the Jubilee Hope adventure across Africa. At last the ship is in Lake Victoria. It was launched into the lake last Saturday. Jubilations all round! this has been quite an undertaking. As chairman of te Vine Trust our board owe a debt of gratitude to a wide range of people. the truth is if we were to list them all it would run into literally hundreds of names. We've had amazing support for this project fro  the civic community the corporate world, the...
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I spent most of the morning on my knees picking weeds out of the gravel in my driveway.  I always feel there is something therapeutic about weeding. Its like the prayers of confession. IWe ask God to pick the weeds  of sin out of your life.   And often in prayer God  forces us metaphorically and sometime physically to be on our knees sorting out the mess we've made on the path of life.  Of course you have to get yourself into the frame of mind to do it the weeding and...
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