asadmin Recently I watched the Sound of Music for the first time in many years. I’ll always remember my first viewing of the film – after Charles and Di’s wedding in July 1981. We watched the ‘wedding of the century’ then all sat and watched The Sound of Music as a family. Perfect. And it’s hard … Read more
Remember, remember, the 5th of November…. so the old nursery rhyme goes, and one that we learned at school. I imagine you may have done too! Today’s passage is another trip down memory lane: in this case prophetic memory lane. About 250 years previously, God had promised King David – son of Jesse – that … Read more
I suspect many of us at present find it hard to watch the news – you may, indeed, have given up on it altogether. There seems to be so much violence, so much instability, so many reminders that peace in this world is fragile and hard to maintain, however sophisticated we consider ourselves to be. … Read more
A few years ago, at the All-Age service for Remembrance at All Saints, I showed the congregation a paper clip, and asked them to come up with as many creative alternative uses for this simple object as possible. We had about 75 young people there, representing the uniformed organisations, and they weren’t short of ideas! … Read more
We’re blessed to have some apple trees in our back garden, and – despite my total lack of gardening skills – these trees have proved very fruitful (pardon the pun) over the years. Nowadays we turn most of them straightaway into juice (and you’ll see why in the next paragraph) – but in years gone … Read more
I wondered if you’ve tried an ‘Escape Room’. They’re all the rage at the moment – you can either do them in person or online, and the idea is that you are ‘trapped’ in a room, but by solving clues and puzzles, you find a way out. We bought one for our daughter’s birthday a … Read more
When I was a curate, I needed to gain experience of leading worship at other churches. One local church offered me a memorable such experience! The motto on their news sheet was ‘proudly using only the Book of Common Prayer since 1798’, and before I was able to take a service there, the minister met … Read more
Many years ago, I heard a story which I think relates to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the courageous leader of the Confessing Church which opposed the Nazis in Germany, and who suffered greatly for his resistance. He was once invited to speak to a gathering of students, during which event one particularly cocky young chap got up … Read more
It must have been quite a sight to see Jesus walking across the lake that night. If I had been one of the disciples, I think I would have been terrified, too! It’s hard to know their state of mind after the extraordinary day they’d had, watching Jesus feed thousands of people – elated? Exhilarated? … Read more
Sometimes it’s the little details that matter. When I was licensed by the bishop to this parish, I had to affirm in his presence that I would render him due obedience ‘in all things lawful and honest’. Unfortunately, on the printed licence what he and I actually signed was that I would obey him in … Read more