Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

This morning I read Acts 10. Peter, an unknown, uneducated Jewish fisherman, who’s followed Jesus for three years, is gaining influence as a church leader. Cornelius, a Roman Captain in the Italian regiment, has power and influence in military circles. As an Israeli Jew, Peter has established opinions and prejudices about Gentiles and invading RomanContinue reading “To Change or Not to Change”

Battle Hymn of the Republic was written in 1861 in the American Civil War. Then it was a rallying call for the Union army; now it’s seen by many as a patriotic anthem: Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrathContinue reading “Your Peace Will Make Us One”

In ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ the Caterpillar askes Alice to recite a poem. Alice starts: “You are old, father William,” the young man said,“And your hair has become very white;And yet you incessantly stand on your head,Do you think, at your age, it is right? The poem’s a conversation between a son and his oldContinue reading “Older People and Remarkable Achievements”

Late Wednesday night… there was the sound of a helicopter overhead… Apparently, just after 10pm, there’d been reports of shouting and screaming near the rocks on north Lowestoft beach. Fearing that someone had fallen into the sea, emergency services were alerted. The Lowestoft lifeboat, HM Coastguard rescue team, and police all responded. A coastguard helicopterContinue reading “Missing? Nothing There”

Yesterday evening I was doing a sudoku, listening to the evening news, reflecting on the day’s conversations… four friends I know well… a redundancy after twenty-five years… counselling following a stressful time at work… returning home after difficult days in hospital… preparing to start a course of radiotherapy… I’m aware… a child’s being interviewed onContinue reading “Only A Ten-Year-Old”

We recently went to see ‘Hamilton’; I came out singing: ‘I’m not throwing away my shot.’ Alexander Hamilton has just one shot at life. Ambitious and resilient, he’s determined to seize opportunities and not let chances slip away; he’ll make best use of his potential and circumstances. I was reminded of two people yesterday whoContinue reading “Throwing Away My Shot”

Yesterday’s news was dominated by scenes of celebration in the Middle East. Israeli hostages returned home from Gaza; Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released. US President Donald Trump took centre stage as the first phase of his peace plan was acted out. Critics and doubters speak of issues of trust with Trump, Hamas and Netanyahu;Continue reading “Critics and Doubters.”

On Thursday in Lincoln, returning from the castle to the bus station, we saw important-looking smart-suited men, posh cars, men in military uniforms, photographers, a crowd… ‘What’s going on?’ I asked a young photographer. ‘Prince Edward’s visiting the ‘Crooked House’. I didn’t know that there was a ‘Crooked House’ or that Prince Edward was visitingContinue reading “When? Don’t Know. So What?”

We’ve spent the last couple of days with the Yorkshire part of our family. It’s been great to catch up with news and re-establish relationships with my brother Bryan and his family. We reflected on stories from our shared past… nieces Catherine and Virginia were bridesmaids at our wedding. We’ve seen pictures, heard news ofContinue reading “The Family of Man”

Reading Richard Coles’ ‘A Death in the Parish’… Canon Daniel Clement thinks: ‘There is a peculiar forgetfulness of our age… so enchanted with the novelty and the extraordinary success of science and technology, that the longer story of the evolution of the values and institutions and virtues that have long shaped our lives gets lost.’Continue reading “Values, Institutions and Virtues”