Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,Look full in His wonderful face,And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,In the light of His glory and grace. I first sung ‘Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus’ as a child in Sunday School. I’ve been familiar with it all my life. It’s often returned to me – sometimes asContinue reading “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”

Yesterday we drove to St Neots to attend the funeral of our good friend John. John had been a teacher and church leader in St Neots before retiring to Lowestoft in 1997.  Together with his wife Jean he joined our church; he became part of our church leadership team. In more recent years Jean died,Continue reading “Flying Elephants and Cake”

On Wednesday I attended an online seminar entitled ‘The Difference Theology Makes to Autism Diagnoses and Neurodiversity’, led by Christian theologian Joanna Deidenhag. Having spent many years in school engaged with children’s special and additional needs, it was good to approach autism from a different perspective. We considered the characteristics of autism, particularly the challengesContinue reading “Towards Understanding”

Today is May Day. In ancient Rome the festival of Floralia, honoured Flora, the goddess of flowers and fertility. Celtic Britain celebrated Beltane, a fire festival midway between spring equinox and summer solstice. In medieval Europe, dancing and rituals encouraged fertility and a good harvest. From the late 19th century May Day parades remembered pastContinue reading “Optimistic, Rebellious, Confident Hope”

Yesterday I heard three quotes about serving… …Listening to Bob Dylan songs including ‘You’ve got to serve somebody’: You may be an ambassador to England or FranceYou may like to gamble, you might like to danceYou may be the heavyweight champion of the worldYou might be a socialite with a long string of pearls ButContinue reading “Serving, Serving, Serving.”

Yesterday morning something was on the pavement outside our house. I inspected further. A shopping trolley was padlocked to a lamppost. I resisted the temptation to look inside the bag. Later in the day it had gone. I made up my own stories involving old ladies without the strength to get home but resourceful enoughContinue reading “Life’s Unanswered Questions”

Tina Turner famously sung: You’re simply the bestBetter than all the restBetter than anyoneAnyone I’ve ever met. This weekend seems to have been about being ‘Simply the Best’… Saturday was the first semi-final of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. We watched singers, dancers, illusionists and entertainers attempting to show the judges and the voting public that theyContinue reading “Simply the Best”

Last weekend was Easter weekend. We thought about life and death, blood and tears, despair and hope, life on earth and the life to come. Yesterday was Pope Francis’ funeral attended by more than 250,000. There were world leaders in black, cardinals in red, bishops in purple, priests in white. Choirs sang Latin hymns andContinue reading “Peace in the Valley (2)”

In yesterday’s news… Lowestoft Journal… Daniel Jillings has won the prestigious Rotary Young Citizen Award 2025 and received the award in London. Daniel’s profoundly deaf and a British Sign Language user. He’s been actively campaigning since 2018 for all students to be able to study BSL as a GCSE. Daniel’s efforts have resulted in extensiveContinue reading “Quota Quickies and Apples”

My ‘New International Version’ Bible has been an old friend for many years. The more I read it the more familiar it becomes. I recognise recurring themes, spot repeated phrases. This morning I read Psalm 14. It’s familiar. It starts: ‘The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’’ I’ve heard sermons preached onContinue reading “From Eating Burgers to Joining Hands”