The Spirit of Adventure

  A Sermon for Remembrance Sunday We gather today, on this Remembrance Sunday, to keep faith with a promise. We stand in silence, recalling the noise, the sacrifice, and the terror of wars past. Our hearts are heavy with the memory of lives given and futures lost. And in this shared moment of remembrance, we turn to Scripture, asking not just "Why did they die?" but "For what enduring hope did they suffer?" The Bible readings today give us two answers: a magnificent vision from the prophet Isaiah, and a rigorous practice from the Apostle James. Isaiah lived in a time of siege, anxiety, and imperial threat, yet he saw something extraordinary. He saw a day "in the time to come" when all nations would stream, like a river, up to the mountain of the Lord. They would come not to conquer, but to learn God's way of life. His vision culminates in that unforgettable image: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hoo...

Reflections on Welcome and Belonging All these flags. As an immigrant myself, all be it a legal one with legitimate access to citizenship, I find the present preoccupation in the United Kingdom of painted and flying flags deeply unsettling and intimidating; even fascist.  Equally, having grown up under the Apartheid regime in South Africa pre-1994, I find the Christian Nationalist overtures of recent gatherings deeply disturbing. As an Anglican I have always been drawn to the 'via media' - the 'middle way' - not as a means of sitting on the fence but as a dynamic position holding the extremes of the day securely in both hands while finding that path that affirms our common humanity and human dignity, our belonging to something bigger than ourselves, which from a faith perspective might be termed 'the people of God', a human community that is inclusive - always inclusive - of others. There are no easy answers in an anxious world where our common security is sough...

The First Mark of Mission At the Bishop’s Study Day held at St Michael and All Angels Church, Ledbury, on Saturday 13 September 2025, Bishop Richard Jackson of Hereford offered profound insights into the first Mark of Mission. His presentation challenged many of our assumptions about evangelism and pointed toward a more authentic way forward. Evangelism remains one of the most challenging aspects of contemporary Christian life. While all traditions are called to this first Mark of Mission, many of us struggle with its practice. Too often, our role models have been off-putting, our language feels foreign to modern ears, and the wider culture views evangelistic efforts with suspicion or outright hostility. Yet the call remains clear. As Jesus says in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” This commissioning points us beyond our discomfort toward a deeper understanding of what authentic evangelism looks like. The Inner Life of Mission True evangelism begins not with te...

Reflections on the Death of the Duchess of Kent On the passing of a royal who chose humanity over protocol The death of Katharine, HRH Duchess of Kent, at 92 brings to close a remarkable life that demonstrated how true nobility lies not in titles or protocol, but in the courage to serve with authenticity and grace. As we reflect on her passing at Kensington Palace, surrounded by family, we are reminded that the measure of a life well-lived is found not in the positions we hold but in the humanity we show along the way. There is something profoundly moving about a woman who, born into aristocracy and married into royalty, chose repeatedly to step beyond the comfortable boundaries of expectation. The image that will surely define her legacy is that moment at Wimbledon when she broke centuries of royal protocol to embrace a tearful runner-up. In that simple gesture of comfort—arms reaching out to console rather than hands remaining formally clasped—she revealed a truth that transcends cer...

Welcome to my blog. I moved to the United Kingdom in July 2022, and it has taken some time to get around to blogging again. It took an extreme amount of courage to embrace this adventure, and thus the name of this blog. I suspect this will be somewhat eclectic, but with the bulk of it being a focus on life and faith in a new land.  I have British citizenship, but was born and brought up and lived most of my life in Southern Africa. This adventure is an opportunity to explore my British roots. If you’re interested, I have previously blogged at: lifeadventurer.blogspot.com (a more personal blog) therectorsdesk.blogspot.com (while Rector of Corpus Christi Church in Garsfontein, Pretoria) thelongviewza.blogspot.com (while Rector of St Andrew’s Church in Newlands, Cape Town) Enjoy!