iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Just Jack @just-jack-1.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

With this regime anything is possible…

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RG Poulussen @rgpoulussen.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

#OTD in 1941, Thetford in Norfolk. Large-scale army maneuvers. #WW2 #HISTORY

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RG Poulussen @rgpoulussen.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

#OTD, 0214 British Time in 1945, Mosquito XVI ML929 from 109 Squadron, dropped the last RAF bombs on Berlin. (The Russians were about to enter the city). The crew were Flying Officer A.C. Austin, pilot, and Flying Officer P. Moorhead, navigator. #WW2 #HISTORY

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Britain's wrongest man rides again.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

The best book on leading a church that you’ve never heard of? Small Church Essentials by Karl Vaters. Generous. Optimistic. Relentlessly practical. Buy it by the bucket load and read it with your leadership teams. uk.10ofthose.com/product/9780...

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Small Church Essentials (Paperback) by

Do you lead a small church? Big churches get all the love. Articles, books, conferences—they mostly feature leaders of large con... (Paperback)

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Dr Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

The thing is, while the UK is not that wide, England, in particular, slants. Edinburgh is actually West of Liverpool and, even more startlingly, Bristol.

Snippet of a UK map demonstrating that Edinburgh is west of most of England, which is a fact that tends to boggle people.

(Edinburgh is also north of Moscow, but you can't tell that from this map)

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

As a church minister, I approve this message:

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

As a protestant Pastor there's a particularly childish delight in seeing Facebook continually shovelling Catholic adverts into my feed.

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George Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

A remarkable stat: Heidi Alexander’s appointment as Transport Secretary means the cabinet is now 100% state-educated for the first time in history.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

I’ve sadly come to the conclusion that the vast majority of “Christian” biographies are unreliable hagiographies of figures who often ought not to be held up as a model to follow.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

the man tried to stab himself to death. And seeing as the hymn is about God always doing good from awful events, it seems essentially contradicted by Cowpers subsequent life experience. A cruel slap in the face. Not in doubt that the man was ultimately saved inspite of his MH. But he didn’t know it.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

I don’t hold Newton especially responsible, but am uneasy about usage of Cowper hymns. The Olney hymnal was a pre-existing project that Cowper had contributed to enthusiastically, after his breakdown on NYD 1773 he ceased contributing. GMIMW is esp. problematic inclusion as within 4-5 hours…

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Cowper much, much, worse than Spurgeon. Would have been sectioned today for a considerable period of time. He entered a psychotic state that he didn’t exit for 3 years after writing GMIMW, and then into a higher functioning depression with further episodes of psychosis for the next 30+ years.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Yes. That’s broadly right. Newton published the hymns anyway, partially as a coping mechanism for himself, partially in hope that continuing the hymn work would snap Cowper out of his malaise.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

It’s exploiting the work of someone in a mental health crisis. For Cowper there was no happy ending. We wouldn’t do similar for someone living.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

And lastly, Thomas Hardy lived opposite TRC when he wrote Tess of the D’Urbevilles.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Most of the current late Victorian building was financed by writing weekly to all the homes in the neighbourhood and shaming them into funding the new building despite not attending themselves(!). Records still exist of this campaign.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

They don’t make intimidating Pastors like they used to…

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

A few Spurgeon photos from the building of the foundation stone and the trowel(!) used to lay it.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

They’ll still have records. Or at least there used to be a book recording the membership details of every member since the churches founding.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

My controversial hymn-take (I wrote dissertation on Cowper & Newton) is that it’s inappropriate to use most of Cowpers hymns. Especially God Moves in a Mysterious Way, considering the fact that he then attempted suicide almost immediately afterwards and then never went to church again.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Yes. The history of TRC is quite funny. Anglo-Catholic church founded on Trinity Rd. Spurgeon not having it. So stumps up half the cash for a Baptist church opposite. Baptist church grew rapidly. Spurgeon preached first sermon there, his son was a life long member too.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

I vividly remember @philipjcowley.bsky.social getting us to read the Hansard debates for **every** parliamentary free moral issue free vote from 1900-2007. A wild ride.

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Scott Bryan @scottygb.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

The Traitors (UK) will return on New Year's Day at 8pm on BBC One.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Two separate festivals happening on the same date, with the same name. Simples.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Nightingale Lane? I was Assistant Pastor at Trinity Road Chapel the church he helped to found round the corner from there.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

You could always get a pastorate in the UK instead?

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Fun fact: Mrs Johnson organised the amazing catering for my wedding, many, many, years ago.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

When our Lord and Saviour Nigel Farage comes he will save us from our olives and avocados

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Do let me know of any others, you come across, to add to the list as other Twitter refugees cross the great electronic divide.

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Trying to put together a starter pack of UK based evangelicals making the switch from Twitter: go.bsky.app/PU8MaKb

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Gareth Russell @garethtrussell.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

When I left theological college, I was horrified/proud to discover that my books managed to put the moving lorry over its legal weight limit.

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