Richardl
MY BLOGS
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The Preachers' Blog
http://richardlittledale.me.uk/
A blog on preaching, communication and the creative use of words
LATEST ARTICLES ( 623 )
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Neither Claptrap nor Drips
Keeping the pulpit clearYears ago, when my children were small and Postman Pat was a familiar friend, I used to love the story entitled ‘Postman Pat’s rainy day. Read more
Posted on 01 February 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Empathy Fatigue?
Got the t-shirtAs regular readers of this blog will know, I love a good advert. As a preacher who often speaks in public uninterrupted for 25 minutes or so, I... Read more
Posted on 31 January 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Connected for Good (II)
7000 miles in one clickThose of you who read yesterday’s blog post will know that this morning a seven-year long relationship with a church 7000 miles away in... Read more
Posted on 25 January 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Connected for Good
An international serviceThe photo below shows a test-run for tomorrow morning’s pulpit. For the past few years I have found myself connected with a small... Read more
Posted on 24 January 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Lego and Lights
Engaging with prayerLast Autumn I was away preaching one Sunday and found myself being interviewed live before the church during the worship. This was not a... Read more
Posted on 19 January 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
A Captain’s Tale
Scaling the heights of storyRegular readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of narrative preaching. I can see narrative in a 30-second advert, a stil... Read more
Posted on 16 January 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
This is Not Ironic
Of courseEarlier today I was dismayed to see the tweet below appear on my timeline:If ever there were an example of jumping on a bandwagon, this was probably it. Read more
Posted on 14 January 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie
A moment of honestyLike thousands of others, I was shocked to see events unfolding in Paris on Wednesday and beyond. I was one of those who contributed to the... Read more
Posted on 11 January 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Purple Prose and Tinned Sausages
A lesson from a recipe bookIf I could ban one phrase from every preacher’s vocabulary, starting with my own, it would be ‘it will do’, accompanied with a shrug. Read more
Posted on 06 January 2015 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
From New Zealand, with Love
An unexpected ChristmasI came across this video a couple of weeks ago, and have been judiciously keeping it ever since for use in church today. It comes from... Read more
Posted on 25 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Christmas by Tube
A map to find the way?Why do bad things always happen at Christmas? It cannot have escaped people’s eyes that there was a cruel irony to the dainty gold... Read more
Posted on 22 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
A Carol Service by Any Other Name
Festively fecklessEvery year it happens. On the last Sunday evening before Christmas I stand there before a packed church, looking out at the expectant faces... Read more
Posted on 21 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Morse Code Magi
Bruce Munro’s Star of BethlehemAt about this time every December I suffer from an affliction familiar to many preachers: familiarity overload. Read more
Posted on 18 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Fighting the Penguin…
And losing the threadThis morning I read an article claiming that the Evangelical Alliance and others had decided to ‘take on’ the advertising might of giants... Read more
Posted on 11 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
To Mary…
…a sonI find myself part way through writing a sermon this morning on the conversation between a terrified young girl and an angel. How quickly an ordinary... Read more
Posted on 10 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
The Song After the Silence
Reflecting on Zechariah and Alfred DelpLast week I was reflecting on here about the young Roman Catholic priest Alfred Delp, executed by the Nazis in 1945. Read more
Posted on 08 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
Living on Amber
Struggling with adventI once heard it said that if London drivers actually waited to move off until all traffic lights turned from amber to green, the whole cit... Read more
Posted on 07 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
“Reaching Out…
…to grasp eternal things”That phrase is one of many descriptions of advent by boyish-faced Jesuit priest Alfred Delp, written from Tegel prison in 1944. Read more
Posted on 04 December 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
It’s All About Time
Busy churchLast week at Teddington Baptist Church we celebrated #open10 – our 10th anniversary of opening our redeveloped buildings to the local community. Read more
Posted on 28 November 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY -
A Wooden Tale
The man who carved ChristmasI love to collect nativity sets: big ones;small ones; funny ones and strange ones. I bought a new one last week, and out of it fell ... Read more
Posted on 26 November 2014 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY