Reflections and Stories | Page 19 | Student Christian Movement

Why it's worth telling stories (and telling them well)

29 Feb 2016

At the Greenbelt Festival a number of years ago the late John O’Donohue posed a magnificent question. ‘After the morning you discover that you’re the son of God,’ John said, ‘what do you do for the afternoon?’

Part of why it is such a good...

Time to Talk

4 Feb 2016

I am writing this blog as part of Time to Talk Day 2016, a day to get the nation talking about mental health issues and end the misconceptions surrounding people with mental health issues. I have schizoaffective disorder, which is a...

The Vulnerability of Lent

2 Feb 2016

I’ve lost count of the number of times in the last few weeks that I’ve loudly proclaimed that Lent is my favourite liturgical season. This tends to get a variety of responses; “is that because of all the purple?” being my favourite. The comment on Lent that has most struck me, however, was a...

My SCM Experience has Lasted over 50 Years

25 Jan 2016

I owe a lot to the SCM. After a good Quaker upbringing, which taught me the importance of being of service to others, I joined the SCM at Bristol in 1958. It did two things for me.

Firstly, I was challenged to face up to a commitment in trying to be a follower of Jesus....

Stories of Faith: Why Church Matters

8 Dec 2015

I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to engage so fully with a church in my university city. I’ve been called into a role of leadership for the music of my church, and although I have family here too, nothing else has made Durham feel more like home.

I’ve been lucky enough...

My Favourite Book of the Bible: Exodus

8 Dec 2015

We were slaves. We had no freedom, no power, no hope. Evil ruled over us, and we were subject to its regime. We groaned and cried out. All around us was a system of injustice and oppression, and there was no way out, or so it seemed.

Then, God.

God heard our cries, God saw our...

Finding God in your job

23 Nov 2015

As a Christian, I believe that all good things come from God. That includes my own skills and abilities, and every good opportunity to use them. The Bible talks about taking up your cross, and dying to yourself – giving all our hopes, dreams and ambitions, along with those skills and abilities,...

Stories of Faith: Called by Name

18 Nov 2015

If I tried to tell you my whole faith story in this short blog, we wouldn't get very far. It could be a book, a long conversation, a lifetime of words and thoughts and feelings.

And so, I am going to tell you about a part of my journey. About being called by name. Our God is, after all, a...

Anglican by Upbringing, Baptist by Circumstance

16 Nov 2015

Like many people, I feel part of more than one denomination; for me it's the Church of England and the Baptist Church. I find many more similarities than differences between the two rich traditions. Both incorporate such a wide range of cultures and styles that there often appears to be more...

Dream Big, Dream Bold, Dream Beautiful

16 Nov 2015

Being here today is kind of strange for me, because I couldn’t afford to go to my graduation.

Maybe I secretly knew I would get the robes eventually! I feel very grand. I like it.

I’m a University of Derby graduate. I studied International Development at the Keddleston Campus. It’s...