Broomhill Community Church of the Nazarene

Broomhill Community Church of the Nazarene Broomhill Community Church is located in the Broomhill area of Glasgow Scotland.

‘This is so unfair,’ came the woeful cry. ‘I wasn’t doing anything and now look what’s happened.’ This is a lament that ...
13/09/2026

‘This is so unfair,’ came the woeful cry. ‘I wasn’t doing anything and now look what’s happened.’ This is a lament that we have all heard and probably uttered ourselves. It reminds me of a story I heard about a fisherman who took his boat out onto the river for a day’s fishing. The river was wide, but calm, and the gentle rippling had a relaxing effect, and the fisherman became sleepy and soon nodded off. The river was renowned for its good fishing, but also for its strong central undercurrents. The fisherman knew this and usually kept himself in the calmer parts of the river, but his attention was not on the river, he was happily dozing on his comfortable seat. The boat bobbed gently into the centre of the river and eased into the current. There was no sudden snatching or pulling at the boat, in fact at first the boat seemed to be just as calm as it was before. However, despite appearances, the little boat was in the grip of the current and was on its way out to sea. Even at this point, had he been awake, the fisherman could have used his oars to break free of the current, but he was still dozing, oblivious to the danger. On its journey the boat did not encounter any of the many rocks and sandbars that dotted throughout the river. The current avoided these areas and guided the boat out into a wide estuary where the outgoing tide gathered up the little boat and steered it into the shipping lanes, far from the shore. By the time the fisherman woke, and looked around in astonishment, the land was no more than a thin green line far in the distance. The tide was on the turn, and the waves were breaking all around, twisting the little boat every which way. It would be difficult not to feel sorry for the man in the story, after all, all he did was fall asleep while relaxing on the river. Though, it was a river he knew to have strong dangerous currents, a river that could easily take hold of an unguided boat and send it far out to sea. It was the fact that he did ‘nothing’ that caused his problem. Like the sporting idiom warns us, ‘Do not take your eye off the ball.’ In other words, do not become distracted, careless, or lose sight of what really matters. Personally, I have never fallen asleep in a rowing boat on a river, however, I have taken my eye off the ball more times than I care to admit. The ‘ball’ can be many things. A troubled relationship, that may not be of our making, but that we have made no attempt to repair. Ignoring the angry thoughts that nip at our heads and will rob us of our peace if we tolerate them. The thing that really matters is our relationship with God. Let no action or inaction interfere with that peace. ‘A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.’ Proverbs 24:33-34
I borrowed the illustration of the fisherman from a sermon I heard at Kwasizabantu Mission.

Every problem requires a solution, but how can we be sure the solution we opt for is the best one? For instance, the mot...
06/09/2026

Every problem requires a solution, but how can we be sure the solution we opt for is the best one? For instance, the motor industry in the 1920s had a serious problem with ‘engine knock,’ within its petrol-powered engines. This knock was caused by the inefficient ignition of fuel. According to Thomas Midgley Jr. the solution to this problem was lead, and together with General Motors he developed a way to add lead to petrol to create a high-octane fuel. The results were remarkable and the notorious ‘engine knock’ of the day came to an end. Problem solved, but the price to be paid was extremely high. The lead additive in petrol causes toxic particles to be released into the air. It also made its way into the soil and the world’s water supply. This causes widespread harm to human health and cognitive development. The damage to the environment was immeasurable and we are still living with the consequences to this day. Lead was a solution to ‘engine knock’ but it certainly was not the best or right one. Sometimes a problem can seem so large that we grasp at the first solution that presents itself. The relief from our problem is our main consideration and the consequences of our decision is ignored until we can ignore it no longer. For instance, borrowing money to pay off a debt generally results in owning more than the dept paid. Taking a job because it has the highest salary but has neither benefits nor hopes of advancement. What about God? What if He actually exists? That could be a problem if we continue to ignore Him. But wait, what is it the atheists say? There is no god, well that would be the perfect solution. Become an atheist, because other than not believing in God, you can believe whatever you like. You could believe that the universe was formed when the greatest of all imaginary dragons burped and blew it out of its mouth. If there is no God then that’s as good an explanation as any. Adopting atheism has many diverse and far-reaching consequences the greatest of which is not knowing God. I am not talking about just knowing of God or accepting the existence of an all-powerful ever-present Creator. I am talking about having a relationship with God. The same God that knows everything about us, nothing is hidden from Him. God, who has no expectation or makes any demands of us. God, who if we allow Him, can instil within us a desire to do good. God, who can empower us to battle and overcome the things that are eating away at and destroying our peace and wellbeing. God, who we can talk to any time we like about anything we like and the more we talk with God the more our relationship deepens. Anxiety and futility are replaced with calmness and value and no matter what you may face on your journey you will never be alone and hope will be ever-present. Or! You could stick with the burping dragon and live with the consequences of not knowing any of these things. ‘If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.’ Jeremiah 29:13

‘Your future is shaped by the habits you repeat, not the goals you set.’ This is a much-repeated quote, first attribute...
30/08/2026

‘Your future is shaped by the habits you repeat, not the goals you set.’ This is a much-repeated quote, first attributed to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. (President of India 2002 to 2007.) At first reading it seems a little off, surely it must be our goals that shape our future. Of course, setting a goal and achieving a goal can be two very different things. Having a goal is no more than having a good idea, and if we don’t aspire to reach that goal it will play no positive role in our future. I recall a young man who was in my year at theological college. He excelled in many of the subjects except for those he felt were irrelevant to his ‘calling’, which was to be a pastor and preach the gospel. World history, music, psychology, sociology, and philosophy were tedious to him, and he deemed them a complete waste of his time. In these classes he paid no attention to the lecturer and would spend the class drawing structures, like bridges or towers, all of which were built from scraps of broken wood that were held together with bent nails and baled wire. His delinquency was soon noticed, and he was called before the dean to explain his disrespectful behaviour in these classes. The chap explained that he felt called to be a pastor and did not feel that these particular courses would in any way contribute to this end. He took out his notebook and showed the dean the drawings. ‘This is what I do when I am bored,’ he said by way of an explanation. ‘It is a harmless habit of a lifetime; surely the college has no rules forbidding doodling? If my time is being wasted this is what I do.’ Apparently, the dean had no tolerance for the chap’s explanation or dilemma and told him in no uncertain terms that if he hoped to qualify as a pastor in this college, it would require a pass mark in all courses ascribed to him. At first the young man heeded this warning and seemed to be taking proper notes in class, but soon the ‘habit of a lifetime’ returned and the chap’s college career came to an end. The young man was incensed at this outcome and felt that the college authorities had misunderstood and mistreated him. This in time lead to a deep resentment that resulted in a bitterness against all things Church. I lost contact with him over the years until recently I came upon him on social media. He is now an outspoken atheist and his bitterness against the Church seems to have intensified. When I first met this man, his future was clear to him, and his goal was to achieve this future. But the habits of a lifetime got in the way, and he allowed them to direct his future in an entirely different direction.
‘All things are allowed, you say. But not all things are good. All things are allowed. But some things don’t help anyone.’ 1 Corinthians 10:23 ERV.
Just because a behaviour is not strictly prohibited does not mean it is wise or helpful in our quest to fulfil our goals for the future.

Whose responsibility is it to ensure your marriage works?Taking into consideration the latest world-wide divorce statist...
23/08/2026

Whose responsibility is it to ensure your marriage works?
Taking into consideration the latest world-wide divorce statistics which state that approximately 42% of all marriages will end in divorce, and this does not include the unhappy marriages where circumstances make divorce impossible, can Christians get married and hope that God will ensure that theirs will be happy until death do us part? Unfortunately, according to statistics, the divorce rate among Christians falls under the same 42%.
The thing is, to expect God to retro-fix an unhappy marriage is akin to setting out on a journey in your car with an empty fuel tank and expecting God to miraculously make it full. If you don’t have enough fuel for a journey, then don’t go. And the same applies if you are not sure about getting married, don’t do it. God won’t just fix all the things you are unsure or unhappy about. If you struggle to deal with an issue before you get married, you will certainly struggle with it all the more after you are married.
I believe marriage is an adventure designed by God. First and foremost, for the joy and happiness of the couple. If we get married because it’s a convenience, or to further our ministries or our acceptability and usefulness to the Church, we have taken the wrong road.
In these, ‘enlightened,’ times the idea that God could guide us to our perfect partner is viewed with ridicule and written off as archaic nonsense, or simply never considered. As was the case with Carol and I, we consulted no one, least of all God, and our marriage quickly dissolved into a complete disaster of bitterness, deceit and unhappiness. Ours was quite an extreme case, and of course not all poor marriages implode, some just become a coexistence of reluctant tolerance for the sake of convenience.
Recently I had occasion to think of the story of the wedding at Cana where Jesus turned the water into w**e. The wedding had been going along alright, not the best, but okay. The w**e, which was a very important factor in a wedding at this time, was passable, but again not the best, just alright.
Then Jesus came along and turned water into w**e. Now this w**e was an altogether different thing, compared to this w**e the other was no more than vinegar. Even although everything before had seemed alright, even tolerable, compared to what God can do it was poor, so very poor. Don’t settle for the old w**e of ‘it’s good enough’, rather look for that awesome new w**e from Jesus which can bring beauty out of ashes.
I do not believe that God expects anyone to live in an unhappy marriage. However, divorce is not the answer. Running away from the issue only exacerbates it and creates more problems to deal with. I understand and accept that I have no idea what your marriage may be like. I do not know how your partner behaves or the levels of stress and unhappiness you may be enduring. But I can tell you this, our marriage was a complete fallacy, the depth of my unhappiness caused me to wish that Carol would disappear out of my life, so that I no longer had to contend with her or consider her in anything. I had gown to hate the decisions she was making and pretty much everything about her. Yet into this tangled web of bitterness and loathing we asked God to bring His new w**e, and we listened to what He had to say. It was not complicated or deep, it was simple. To me he said, ‘treat Carol better than you would treat yourself,’ and to Carol he said the same. That was the beginning of what was to become the greatest adventure of our lives, an adventure that continues yet.
‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, Philippians 2:3

‘Doomscrolling’, did you know that was a word? I certainly didn’t, not until quite recently that is. Apparently, it is d...
16/08/2026

‘Doomscrolling’, did you know that was a word? I certainly didn’t, not until quite recently that is. Apparently, it is describing people who scroll constantly through social media because all their friends do the same, and they are scared they might miss something. This caused me to consider just how many things people do, not because it causes them to prosper or is in any way good for them, but because everyone else is doing it. Like drinking multiple cups of coffee or energy drinks because it is very much the trend, even, half-jokingly, stating that they cannot function without them. Buying top of the range cars and replacing them every time a new model comes out, simply to keep ones place in the social circle. Working long, often unpaid, hours, as everyone else is doing it, so you must if you are to keep your hopes of advancement alive. None of these things are healthy, neither mentally nor physically. Why are people so scared to be themselves or even have thoughts of their own? Recently I had occasion to spend some time with a group of young people, and where they certainly had opinions, the opinions did not seem like their own, but more like what was trending at that moment. Basically, previous generations were to blame for everything, especially the climate issues. Though it should be stressed that these twenty somethings drove cars, travelled on aircraft and pulled the caps off cold drink bottles because it was annoying to leave them attached. ‘And what role does God play in all this?’ I asked. My question was met by silence, it seemed like everyone was waiting for someone else to speak first. After a longish pause someone said. ‘To tell you the truth I don’t really think about God very much, but I suppose I would agree with …… She then went on to quote a well-know and outspoken atheist comedian who claims that religion belongs only to the weak and narrow minded. Now that one of them had spoken, the others looked up and nodded their agreement and some even expounded on the idea. However, I did wonder if these thoughts were actually their own or had they just adopted them at that moment because someone famous had said them? If the young woman had quoted something positive about God, I wonder how the others would have responded. Of course, this is not restricted to the younger generation, there seems to be a growing trend in all age groups just to go along with whoever has the loudest voice or most popular platform. One day people are clamouring for such and such a thing to happen, but within a short time they can be demanding the exact opposite. The whole situation reminded me of a quote by C.S. Lewis. ‘When the whole world is running towards a cliff he who is running in the opposed direction appears to have lost his mind.’ It seems like an obvious thing to say, the type of thing our parents told us when we were children. ‘Just because everyone else is doing it does not mean that you should do it too.’
‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.’ Romans 12:2

I stood at the front of the church, alone and feeling a little vulnerable, it was my first Sunday morning as pastor in m...
09/08/2026

I stood at the front of the church, alone and feeling a little vulnerable, it was my first Sunday morning as pastor in my first church. It had been a long road that led me to this point, and I was very anxious and excited to begin this new adventure. Once the congregation were seated, I stood to announce the first hymn, and almost immediately two elderly ladies started talking to each other in rather loud voices. I peered in their direction trying to catch their eye, in the hope that my raised eyebrows might quieten them, but they paid me no mind whatsoever. Their chattering stopped during the singing but once seated their heads were again together talking to each other like two teenagers. Then it came time for the sermon. I announced my scripture reading and the two ladies once again started talking together. I could not quite make out what they were saying but it was loud enough for me to think they might be heckling me. Once the scripture was read they seemed to quiet down, but throughout the entire sermon they were continuously whispering to each other. As this was my first sermon in my first church I had gone to some considerable length to ensure my presentation was flawless. I made sure I had three distinct points. I had a poignant, yet amusing anecdote and a clear and meaningful conclusion. However, the two murmuring old ladies so distracted me that I lost my place several times and I fear my first sermon was a rather rambling one and its conclusion somewhat vague. As I stood at the door of the church to greet the people as they left, I was determined to have a word with the two ladies to point out their rudeness. I saw them approach and reached to shake their hand but before I could speak the first lady grabbed my hand in both of hers and with a beaming smile thanked me for a wonderful service, the second lady did the same. I was left dumfounded as the two ladies walked off together. Still indignant I sought out the church secretary and members of the church board, demanding to know why this kind of behaviour was tolerated. They all looked at me bemused for a moment and then one said. ‘Oh, you must mean Betty and Margaret?’ The others nodded, ‘We should have mentioned them to you.’ Now it was my turn to be bemused. ‘Mentioned that we have rude people in the congregation?’ I asked. ‘Of course not,’ they said in unison. ‘Both ladies have very poor hearing and are always asking each other what is being said.’ My embarrassment silenced me. ‘We hardly notice it anymore,’ continued the church secretary. It was my first service as a pastor and it took the chattering of two elderly ladies to remind me that church is not about the pastor or even what he has to say, but the people he is placed there to serve. I don’t know how much of that service, or the many future services, these ladies heard, but there are few better tonics for a pastor than a smile and a few words of encouragement at the end of each service. Both ladies have long ago gone onto glory, but even now when I recall them I am encouraged by their remembered smiles.
‘A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.’ Proverbs 15:30

The story goes, a long time ago when people still roamed over the world, even before crops were planted or animal were h...
02/08/2026

The story goes, a long time ago when people still roamed over the world, even before crops were planted or animal were herded, they wandered from place to place hunting the animals and grinding the seeds from the wild grasses that grew abundantly. Then one day someone said, ‘Instead of hunting animals why don’t we gather them together and why don’t we plant the seeds of the wild grasses so we will always have food and we will not constantly have to be wandering?’ Many people embraced the idea, but some were against it. ‘This is not right,’ they warned. ‘God gave us the whole world to wander on and to take what we need from it. He will not bless us if we change this.’ But the people were tired of wandering, so they decided to settle in one place. At first they lived in caves and rock overhangs, but the caves were few and the people many. One day a young man contemplated that caves were made of rock and all around him there was an abundance of rocks. He began to pile the rocks on top of each other, but this was a time before iron or even bronze, so the only tools he had were those fashioned from the forest or the ground, therefore the wall was somewhat precarious. Others from the community came to watch what the man was doing and soon the elders, attracted by the commotion, arrived and immediately ordered the young man to stop. ‘What you are doing is unnatural,’ they proclaimed, pointing to the caves in the mountains. ‘That is what God has given us, what you are doing is an abomination.’ The young man ignored the elders and continued to build. But having no understanding of foundations, and the rocks being uneven, the structure collapse crushing the unfortunate man. As a result, the elders issued a decree banning any construction using rocks as unsafe and immoral. However, there was another in the community who thought that the rock dwelling had real potential. This man had discovered that some rocks were harder than others and by rubbing them together he could flatten the surface of softer rocks. Using the cave as his guide he built a half dome entirely out of the rocks he had painstakingly shaped to fit with each other. On discovering its existence, the elders came to destroy the ‘evil’ dwelling and attacked it with sticks and stones, but it remained firm and undamaged. The battle was won, or lost, depending on your prospective, and soon the entire village consisted of similar rock dwellings. Rock walls soon followed penning their animals and protecting their crops. The humble rock was changing the world. This story caused me to consider many of the things I look at with distain and suspicion, just as the elders looked upon the rock houses. I came upon an article in a church magazine recently titled ‘Unconventional formats replacing traditional church.’ Amongst others there was Dinner Church, where rather than listening to a spiritual talk everyone sits down to a full meal and discusses faith in a casual manner. Livingroom Church, where small groups share open dialogue. Community Aid Church, where the traditional service is dropped altogether and the focus moved to acts of service in the local community. Each of these examples completely replace church as many of us understand it. No hymns or choruses, no testimonies and no sermon. When I first read this article I wrote it off as some modern preposterous nonsense. Then again, I am of a generation that has little tolerance for the new and innovative, especially where Church is concerned. But I do not want to be like the elders in the story. I do not want to oppose these new formats of church just because it appears to be unstructured and somewhat unstable to me. Could this be the fledgling beginnings of a mighty work of God, or will it peter away just like so many other fads? What was it Gamaliel said? ‘Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’ Acts 5:38-39. I have no idea what the Church of the future will look like, but actually it doesn’t matter, the only important thing is our relationship with God. No matter where we are or what type of church we may attend, if all is well between us and God, then He will continue to change the world through his people.

Carol and I were on holiday, and we were enjoying a relaxed afternoon on our balcony. The view was subline with the sea ...
26/07/2026

Carol and I were on holiday, and we were enjoying a relaxed afternoon on our balcony. The view was subline with the sea on our right, and the nearby mountains to our left. As we sat there, sipping ice cream floats, we noticed some hang gliders soaring gracefully in circles as they eased their way down to the sea. As I watched them I contemplated how the hang glider pilot must feel. They had the whole sky to twist and turn in like an eagle floating on warm air currents, with a birds eye view of the land and sea below. Watching them from afar it seemed like the epitome of freedom, but actually this fleeting freedom did not come without costs or restrictions. The whole experience began at the base of the mountain where you parked your vehicle, at a cost of course. Then you had to get yourself and your equipment to the top of the mountain. For this there was a cable car available, which of course also came at a price. On reaching the launch area you had to show your ticket, that you previously purchased on-line, and then there is a compulsory safety lecture to sit through before taking your place in the queue. By this time, you have invested a significant amount of time and money, but you are about to experience the ultimate in freedom. Well, not entirely free, part of the safety lecture had pointed out landmarks visible from the air with the instruction that it was forbidden to glide beyond those points. But at last, you launch yourself from the platform and for the next twenty minutes or so, you are almost as free as a bird. Once touching down on the landing field, you become aware that this is not where you parked your vehicle, so arrangements had to be made to return there. A great deal of organising is required to enjoy these few minutes of freedom. Of course this is not restricted to hang gliding, almost any activity, or time off, requires planning and coordinating that can invariably cause some stress and worry. A day away from our workplace often compels us to work later the evening before to ensure that everything is completed. And, as often as not, the day off we have taken such pains to arrange, can be marred when worry creeps in over what is going on in our absence. We worry about our children, are they being looked after properly, are they behaving themselves while you are away? We fret over our job, wondering if it’s getting done properly or will you return to a mess to clean up. Will the house be okay, did we lock it up properly, and so the list goes on. The thing is, when we find ourselves in eternity none of us are going to be thinking, ‘I wish I had worried more when I was on Earth.’ Worry is our main source of stress and the single biggest thief of our joy. And yet we tolerate it in our lives, we listen to it and even allow it to direct our actions, sometimes with disastrous outcomes. In the Bible, Jesus asks, if any amount of worry can add a single hour to a person’s life? The answer, is of course, that it cannot. I know it is easy to say don’t worry, as it seems to be built into the human condition and is always there, always waiting to pounce. As for me, worry still lurks, waiting to find me at weak moment. However, at such times I try to remember what Paul said to the Philippians. ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.’ ‘Easy for you to say’, some of you may be thinking. No, it is not easy, but it is possible. Try it for yourself and I am sure you will find the peace and freedom you are seeking.

‘Oh, for goodness sake Robert, you can’t seriously still believe in God in this day and age?’ asked my somewhat frustrat...
19/07/2026

‘Oh, for goodness sake Robert, you can’t seriously still believe in God in this day and age?’ asked my somewhat frustrated friend. ‘I mean,’ he continued. ‘there must be a million reasons why not to believe in God.’ Which he then began to count off on his fingers. ‘Cruelty, poverty, famine and starvation, debilitating diseases, earthquakes, floods, just to mention a few.’
I nodded thoughtfully before replying. ‘So, the foundation of your argument is that because these things exist then God cannot?’
My friended nodded confidently. ‘Exactly, and it’s not just me, practically everyone I know thinks that.’
‘Then who is to blame,’ I asked. ‘if, as you say, there is no God. Who is to blame for all these terrible things you mentioned?’
My friend just shrugged, ‘No one is to blame, bad things just happen.’
‘I am not sure I can agree with you there.’ I replied. ‘Is nature flawed, is that why we have eruptions and earthquakes? Take Globel warming, for instance, that is entirely down to humans, and as for cruelty that certainly doesn’t just happen, it is caused by people. Poverty, famine and starvation are the same, they can be alleviated by people. I read recently that there is more than enough food and resources in the world to feed everyone, and yet so many are allowed to starve. Don’t you think a five-thousand-year-old civilisation should have found a way to distribute the world’s resources to everyone by now? As for debilitating illnesses, in the Third World, many such ailments are routinely curable with Weatern medicines and procedures.’ I was on a roll now. ‘We live in a world where our television subscription or internet connection is massively more important than the child, in a some far of part of the world, who is dying for want of a little porridge.’
My friend accused me of oversimplifying everything and he was right. ‘But why,’ I asked him, ‘are people so appalled that God would allow these things to exist all the while negating their own culpability. No one is postulating that because mankind allows these awful things to exist then mankind cannot exist and yet it is given as a prime reason for God’s nonexistence.
‘Now you really are being ridiculous,’ my friend exclaimed. ‘How can you not believe in people when they are everywhere and all around us.’
My friend was right; it is preposterous to suggest that people can’t exist on the Earth because they allow bad things to exist here.
As for me I have no doubt about God’s existence and it’s for the same reason that my friend does not doubt the existence of people. Because He is everywhere, He is in my world, in my life and in my daily thoughts. Ironically the god that my friend doesn’t believe in, I don’t believe in either. That god is a, ‘what’s in it for me if I believe in you’ kind of God. If he does magical stuff then he is believed in but if he doesn’t do magic then obviously he does not exist.
If you are mainly looking for a God who can do things for you, your expectations are unlikely to be met. If you feel that God’s main purpose is to turn the world into a wonderland of peace and tranquillity, then you are very likely to be disappointed. It is not for us to give instruction to God but rather to be instructed by Him. If we stop making lists of all the things we expect God to do and instead ask God what He wants of us, we can become part of a whole new adventure where God makes Himself known to us and any scepticism, uncertainties or hopelessness will all ease away.
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT.

Address

1 Norby Road
Glasgow
G117BL

Opening Hours

11am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441413341013

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Broomhill Community Church of the Nazarene posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Broomhill Community Church of the Nazarene:

Shortcuts

Share

Category