Rev Claire - Bobbie

03/06/2026

When God calls you out of the nest !!!! He’s going to make a great lil’ preacher!!! 🤣🙏

Love this fella in the garden - God’s beautiful Creatures! ☺️

🤣🤣🤣🙏🙏🙏


Diocese of Blackburn

03/06/2026

Oh come on!!!!! How AMAZING is God’s Creation!!! Look at this lil’ chappie with attitude in our garden!!!!

03/06/2026

CARE GIVING 💕💕- as life draws to a close💕

Giving care to another at the end of life, I think, is one of the most difficult, yet selfless tasks .
Your own life is on hold , and helplessness is never far away .

I am praying for several people at present who find themselves in this unenviable position with loved ones. They also recognise the privilege in it .

A hospice chaplain , Shawn.L.Jegede recently wrote this:

I sat with a caregiver who was struggling under the weight of a truth he could no longer ignore: there is nothing he can do to stop the progression of his wife’s illness. She is dying, and what pained him most was not her decline, but his own inability to do something; to fix, to cure, to save.

As his hospice chaplain, I listened as he named his grief out loud. And even in that sacred space, I felt my own instinct rise; the urge to offer a solution, to point him toward a resource, to find the perfect words that might soften the blow. The urge to do something.

It made me wonder, when exactly do we begin to believe that our worth is measured by our actions? We enter this world as infants, offering nothing but our presence, and somehow that is enough. But, as we grow, we learn to define ourselves by productivity, by usefulness, by what we can accomplish. We drift from being human beings to human doings, forgetting that the most profound gift we offer others, especially those in pain, is not our ability to fix anything, but our willingness to be with them in the unfixable. Be present. Be compassionate. Be nonjudgemental. Be courageous enough to sit in discomfort rather than rush to escape it or rescue others from it.

My response to this caregiver was simple and heartfelt: "You are enough. Be present for her, and we will be present for you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🙏🙏

Creator Father ; Great Physician

Draw close we pray to caregivers, and those in their care.

Be the Light Eternal and bring peace and patience in the troubled seasons being navigated

Give resilience and calm to loved ones, and grace to the vulnerable in their care.

May your angels stand guard and may our prayers be heard

And may the Lord Jesus, no stranger to suffering , walk each step of the journey by their side

Amen 🙏

02/06/2026

Psalm 141:2 "Let my prayer be set before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice".

Beautiful painting by Evonne corvin

01/06/2026

RADIO INTERVIEW…

Press link below for today’s radio interview on police to priest journey and police chaplaincy role☺️

Never a dull day!

Today I was interviewed by Matt Brown on the “My Story” programme about all things Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Police Chaplaincy ! Lovely prayer’s said together before we began 🙏🙏🙏
Gave the Diocese and our Bishop’s a mention, and Emmanuel College!
Was good fun !

https://www.ucb.co.uk/presenter/matt-brown

01/06/2026

Supper out at our lovely neighbour’s house last night - Thankyou Sue and Brian for delicious food and great company as always, together with Cheryl and Craig , long term friend’s and neighbours x
Loyal friendships and good times!
All present are also a real ongoing support to my vocation , which means a great deal to me 🙏

31/05/2026

Real honour today to deacon for Father Alex at Holy Communion on the last day of my secondment at St Matthew’s Church Burnley .
Been great to see this inclusive and welcoming church close up and meet the fabulous congregations ( especially the youth group crew! 🤣🤣)…

I’ve learnt a lot to take forward in my ministry from Rev Kat and Father Alex , and from Mother Enid’s wise words and Rev Rod , and have really enjoyed every minute ! Thankyou so much!
Inspiring Church with strong traditions and a community focus.

If you haven’t read “from Argos to Altar” ( father Alex’s book ) do get a copy it’s really raw, honest and inspiring ….Alex leads his ministry from a heart of love for Burnley folk which is vibrant in all he does, and Rev Kat is a dynamic , inspiring and organised leader that is his perfect compliment - lovely to see !

31/05/2026

Let us never ‘ normalise’ the Supernatural power available EVEN TODAY for believers from the HOLY SPIRIT. Knowing that, let us keep on praying 🙏, at all times, for further annointing of those gifts, for the greater good 😊 🕊️💦🔥

Here is what the Bible says about it to members of the very early Corinthian Church members , according to St.Paul -

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues and to still another the interpretation of tongues.11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
***********

My Facebook friend Dennis Nolan ( well worth a follow) reflects on this as follows :

In these verses the apostle Paul reminds the church that the Holy Spirit does not work in just one way or through just one kind of person.

The Holy Spirit is the author of a wide variety of supernatural gifts. Yet behind every gift is the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God at work in His people.

These verses are a beautiful picture of how a Spirit-filled 🕊️🔥church can be alive with the presence and power of God.

The gifts of the Spirit were never meant to draw attention to individuals, create spiritual pride or give the impression of first and second class Christianity.

They are freely available to all believers who will receive them and are given “for the common good.” That means they are given to strengthen, encourage and build up the body of Christ.

Some believers may be used in prophecy, others in healing, wisdom, faith or discernment. Some bring a tongue in an unknown language and others will explain what has been said.

( from Rev Claire-Bobbie, I know several close friends who pray and speak in tongues. They do not do this publicly or overtly as others cannot understand the words, but the Spirit speaking through them can really assist their connection with the Lord in prayer. It’s a beautiful thing . I do not have that particular gift myself)

Some with gifts from the Spirit may quietly serve behind the scenes while others minister publicly.
The important thing is that every gift matters for everyone has a part to play in building up the body of Christ.

The Holy Spirit knows exactly what the church needs and faithfully distributes His gifts according to His purpose.

This also reminds us that no Christian is without value to God and every believer can be used by God.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit 🕊️🔥and available to Him, He works through ordinary people in extraordinary ways.
A gentle word spoken at the right moment can bring comfort.
A prayer offered in faith can bring healing.
A Spirit-led act of service can refresh a weary heart.
God delights in working through His people.
In a world that often celebrates talent and personality, the church must remember that real spiritual power comes only from the Holy Spirit.
We do not need to compete with one another or compare ourselves. Instead, we can rejoice that God uses different people in different ways to reveal Jesus to the world.

Today, ask the Lord not only to fill you afresh with His Spirit 🕊️🔥, but also to make you willing and ready to be used for the strengthening of His church.

🙏🙏🙏🙏

Father,
thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit working among Your people.

Thank You that You still speak, heal, empower and move through believers today.
Stir up every gift You have placed within us and help us to serve with humility, faith and love.

Use our words, prayers, actions and obedience to strengthen Your church and point people to Jesus.

Fill us afresh with Your power and let Your Spirit move freely through our lives for the glory of God.

Amen

30/05/2026

One of the brightest minds alive today, and how he became a Christian …

I’ve just been listening to Francis Collins speaking on a podcast and found his story fascinating.

Collins is one of the world’s most respected geneticists and medical researchers.
He actually led the Human Genome Project, (the international effort that mapped all human genes, one of the greatest scientific achievements of modern times ).

His work has helped scientists better understand the genetic causes of disease and has contributed to advances in diagnosing and treating many serious illnesses.

He later became Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, overseeing some of the world’s most important medical research.

What surprised me most was that he wasn’t always a Christian. As a young doctor and scientist, he considered himself an atheist.

However, while caring for seriously ill patients, he was deeply affected by the faith many of them showed in the face of suffering. He realised that although he had spent years studying science, he had never seriously examined the case for belief in God.

( don’t you just love how many open minded evidence hungry atheists decide to look for evidence to disprove Christianity , and they all become Christians along the way!!! 🫣🤣🤣🤣🙏)

This led him to read widely, including the writings of C.S. Lewis. In particular, Lewis’s book “Mere Christianity” had a profound impact on him and helped him move from atheism towards Christian faith.

Collins eventually came to believe that science and faith were not enemies. He accepts evolution and modern science while also believing in God. His view is that evolution helps explain how life developed, while faith addresses deeper questions about why the universe exists and whether life has meaning and purpose.

Whether you agree with him or not, I think his story is a fascinating example of how one of the world’s leading scientists came to see scientific discovery and belief in God as compatible rather than contradictory.

For anyone interested, I found this podcast episode a very accessible introduction to his story and views:

Collins sat down with us at his home to talk about his own journey in finding a harmony between faith and science and he shares stories of some of the people in his life who were influential in his conversion from atheism to Christianity.