What does 'Sin' have to do with 'Archery', and what happens when we 'Miss the mark'? Why should Sermons and Christians not just 'comfort the afflicted' but also 'afflict the comfortable'? Where are Heaven and Hell located, and when is the 'Word of the Lord' not the 'Word of the Lord'? How is it that we are actually wishing others 'Wholeness' or 'Holiness' when we say 'Hello', and would it be better if NHS stood for National Holiness Service?, Deliberations and ponderings on these and many other fascinating ideas can be found in this collection of articles which aim to both challenge and inspire. Martin Tunnicliffe is not afraid to tackle issues such as why a loving God allows pain and suffering, why He/She should "lead us into temptation", or why Western society should accept its share of responsibility for acts of terrorism. At the same time, he constantly invites his readers to look beyond the obvious, to peer beneath the surface, and to be aware of their "Sense of more than" just their usual perception of the world. , All this is delivered within a framework of strong and uncompromising faith, with manifest erudition and more than a dollop of humour. Oh yes, and a few whimsical, largely unrelated sketches by the author, just to break it up!

Table of Contents:
Foreword ix, Introduction xi, Part One Medley 1, Common Prayer: Common Worship 2, Do Dogs Have Souls? 6, Exclusive or Inclusive? 9, Firm foundations for ministry 14, God Speed 15, Heaven and Hell 16, Fire down below? I don't think so 19, Hi! 22, Missing the mark 24, Psychic Fairs 28, Swords and ploughshares 32, The miracle of feeding 34, The Prodigal Son: new light on an old story 37, The Psalms: personal view 45, The Sermon 48, The Sorcerer's Apprentice 51, The spiritual health service 55, Violence: civil disorder from a Biblical perspective 57, Word of the Lord 60, You, me, and John the Baptist 62, Part Two Themes and Variations 67, Chapter 1 Resurrection 68, Alive, Alive, O! 68, Death is ... 71, Resurrection and Life 74, Chapter 2 Lent to the Lord 77, Borrowed Time 77, Giving it up 79, Freedom and Challenge: God for Lent 81, Chapter 3 Waiting Time 85, A Pregnant Pause 85, Happy Christmas? 86, Wartime Christmas 87, Chapter 4 Time and Eternity 91, The Time Capsule 91, Time and Eternity (1) 93, Time and Eternity (2) 96, Chapter 5 Ministry and Ministers 101, A New Ministry 101, The Alphabet of Ministry 102, The Sacred Ministry 106, Chapter 6 Jerusalem 111, Jerusalem the Golden 111, God the Geometer 113, Jerusalem the Hymn 115, Chapter 7 Holy Geography 119, Promised Land 119, Sacred Geography 122, Politics and Religion 124, Chapter 8 Jesus, man and boy 130, Jesus and Politics 130, Jesus the Adolescent 133, Here is a man 136, Chapter 9 Some people 141, Brother Edward 141, The story of John Shirley 143, Seasick to Nova Scotia 145, Father Benson - a remarkable priest 149, Chapter 10 Ouch! 153, Is God fair? 153, Why did God make wasps? 155, The problem of pain 157, The unpalatable truth 158, Chapter 11 You 162, Circles without Centres 162, Are you talented? 164, My Baptism 167, Being a Rep 170, Chapter 12 The Lord's Prayer 172, Daily Bread 1 172, Daily Bread 2 174, Lead us not into temptation 1 177, Lead us not into temptation 2 179, Acknowledgements 184, The Author 185,