Walking the Way: A daily devotional

Readings: Isaiah 2:3-5 Matthew 5:1-12 Sermon  Today is a solemn day. Today we remember those who have offered their lives in sacrifice for their country. This year the UK would have been at in some theatre or the other for over 12 years and in all the conflicts the United Kingdom armed forces would have suffered 1300 casualties. Since 1900 the UK armed forces have suffered just under 1.5 million casualties from all sections of the Armed Forces.  I have a strong link with the military and with war. My Father served in the Royal Navy, my Grandfather in the RAF, my uncle was a military policeman and my mother served as a nurse in the Rhodesian Army during the Rhodesian bush war. My brother served in the infantry.  We grew up in during the Rhodesian Bush War in a town near the Zambian Border. I remember when I was small being made to sleep in the passage of my house because Zanu PF (the party of Robert Mugabe) insurgents had a nasty habit of dropping mortar rounds into the ga...

Thought for the day – Forgiveness This morning, thousands of people in churches across the county will be saying the prayer that Jesus taught us. And in that prayer are some of the hardest words we could ever hope to pray. We pray these words every Sunday: Forgive our sins as we forgive those who would sin against us. I’ll be honest and say there are times when I go quiet because I may not have the resources to forgive or simply don’t want to. God calls us to make difficult choices sometimes and difficult choices require courage. Forgiveness is difficult. Indira Gandhi described it as the virtue of the brave. It takes courage to let go of the hurt we get thrown at us, as we go through life. Being able to forgive those who hurt us shows not only those who have caused us the pain (whatever that pain is) but also those who love and care for us that we have struggled with life and have, through the grace of God, started growing into the person God wants us to be. Forgiving s...