Author Archives: Kev Bales

Tuesday morning, I was strolling along Southbourne promenade before work. I passed several people of different ages and backgrounds and we didn’t pay much attention to each other; we didn’t know each other so we had no need to acknowledge each other. Then I passed a lady and she said “Morning,” with a smile IContinue reading “Good Morning!”

I don’t know about you, but my 2020 didn’t go quite as planned! Almost everything was uprooted and altered; holidays, birthdays, work rhythms, Christmas, and New Years Eve. But for me, and maybe you, New Years Day held the same promise it does every year, the promise of hope and change. There is nothing magicalContinue reading “A Bag of Hope and Change”

Well 2020 has been quite the year so far. As we journey through advent, typically a season of hope, its hard not to respond to the constant changes and restrictions in our lives with negative emotions and reactions. It is only natural that many of us are angry, lonely, despondent and confused. We need toContinue reading “Gifts”

I hope you know what I mean by a ‘glowstick’. Maybe they were a thing of their time? I know when we were in our twenties we would go to nightclubs and lose ourselves on the dance floor, moving and twisting to really uplifting trance music. We would dance and dance and dance… Part ofContinue reading “glowsticks”

Last Sunday, I was due to share ‘The Prayers of the People’ during our church service. These are a set of prayers I invite those with us to share with me, they are often about those simple things that really matter in life. More often than not something during my week inspires the prayers IContinue reading “Nothing to say?”

On Monday, a friend of mine put an urgent post on Facebook. A dog she was caring for had snuck out of her garden and headed to the clifftops for an adventure… without her permission! (Bloody dogs!) She was naturally distraught about this little escapee and what might become of him. As soon as IContinue reading “Hector”

Harvest time is the ideal moment to reflect on the gifts, skills, passions, hobbies, strengths and talents God has lovingly bestowed on us. We are not alone, when we come together through the power of the Holy Spirit, there is nothing we cannot achieve in God’s name. So how have you used your gifts thisContinue reading “To do or not to do…”

Last Sunday I made a really delicious beef brisket, even if I do say so say myself. After seasoning the beef with salt and pepper and a little thyme, I seared it in oil. I then placed it on a bed of celery, carrots and white onion. Around this I then poured a mix ofContinue reading “God’s Hotpot”

The world has always and probably always will debate and discuss creation. Much of this debate falls in to the science versus science camp, as if the two cannot coexist. Those of us who have a faith, a belief system, will have grown up with very different creation stories that we still hold dear. ManyContinue reading “All Things Bright and Beautiful”

We live in uncertain and unsettling times. The last few months have been challenging and confusing and the need to regularly adapt will continue. Each week is a brand new set of rules about how we work, how we travel, how we shop and how we socialise. Never have we spent so much time worryingContinue reading “Anchored in Spirit”