Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

Yesterday, in her ‘Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’ framework, Princess Kate says: ‘Modern society is complex. At times, it can feel like the world is filled with mistrust and misunderstanding, leaving many people feeling isolated and vulnerable during difficult times.’ ‘…We must invest in humankind. As human beings, we are at our best whenContinue reading “Restore, Reset, Rebalance.”

I love many of the modern worship songs. We sing them each week in our church. I also love ‘old hymns’… like this Isaac Watts hymn written in 1708. It’s a paraphrase of Psalm 90, that, together with a few friends, we were thinking about last week. O God, our help in ages past,Our hopeContinue reading “O God our Help in Ages Past”

Yesterday morning, in my Lowestoft Journal, I read ‘Woodland project makes school a ‘treemendous’ place to learn and grow’. The mayor of Lowestoft was planting a tree with Elm Tree Primary School pupils – the first of a thousand trees for a school woodland project. One sapling… a thousand saplings… a woodland… a legacy forContinue reading “Little Acorns to Mighty Oaks”

This morning…It’s seven-thirty; the sun’s rising over the sea; there are dog-walkers, joggers, folks cycling to work along the promenade, a few seagulls circling overhead, the cleaning-lady’s busy in ‘The Jolly Sailors’… Suddenly the peace is shattered. Hundreds of seagulls appear overhead, squawking at full volume. Seagull Man has arrived. I’ve seen him before. TheContinue reading “Seagull Man and Piano Man”

Running: I’m taking part in the human race. Life’s competitive. The pace is set by those living in the fast lane. I must keep up with them… technology, car, home-improvements, recognition, popularity… I’m running through life. I’m not an ‘also ran’; certainly not a loser! Winning may take time, effort, stamina… There may be aContinue reading “Running, Dancing, Stopping, Walking”

We always eat cereal for breakfast… always choosing from the same four. Nothing changes. We are contented creatures of habit. Yesterday Rachel returned from the supermarket with ‘Jordans Country Crisp’. We never buy it, we’ve never eaten it – but it was reduced from £3.59 to £0.36. Price changes… purchasing changes… eating habits change. YesterdayContinue reading “Country Crisp, Bubble Cars and Change”

Yesterday was the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. We reflected on four repeated themes Remember: The story… elderly survivors reminded us of the horror, the suffering, the gas chambers, the systematic murder of six million Jews, together with disabled people, L.G.B.T. folks, political prisoners, Roma… Re-member – again-memory… It’s not a single commemorationContinue reading “Auschwitz… Four Thoughts and a Response”

Yesterday minister-Lou talked about Jesus’ story that starts, ‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed…’ He describes how seed fell on the path, in rocky places, in the weeds and on good earth… Jesus says it’s four different pictures of the way we ‘hear the Word’… When my wife Rachel speaks to me…Continue reading “Listening in Three Dimensions”

‘This Little Light of Mine’ was written a hundred years ago as an African-American children’s song. It’s a simple tune, easy words that children in churches and schools continue to enjoy. It gained new meaning in the 1960s as a traditional folk song, recorded by many artists as a song of joy and hope. ItContinue reading “This Little Light Of Mine”

Dan Snow tells me that today, 25th January, is the anniversary of the death of Al Capone, a gangster famed for his violence in the world of organised crime. He died in 1947 when he was just forty-eight. ‘Capone’s rise as a gangster in the United States coincided with the era of Prohibition, in whichContinue reading “Bootlegging”