Category Archives: Uncategorized

My bike hasn’t been running so smoothly lately. I took it to Duncan, the proprietor of ‘Dunx’, the shop where I bought it five years ago… I value my bike… using it every day. I get on it without a thought… usually taking it for granted… …I was chatting to Steve. Steve was diagnosed withContinue reading “Bicycle Maintenance”

At church yesterday Esther talked about Joshua… The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt… wandering around the desert… were about to settle in their Promised Land. Moses, their leader for 40 years, had died; Joshua was their new leader. Standing in front of the River Jordan the people are in a new situation… new confusions,Continue reading “I’ve Never Been This Way Before”

I don’t see anything wrong with the lights on stagesI even love it when the crowd gets loud singing out God’s praisesBut every now and then it can get a little complicatedSo I remember when I was in that old church basement. Christians have always sung together – from ancient psalms to modern worship songsContinue reading “Old Church Basement”

My Headmaster at school was Mr Soderberg (known to us as ‘Sod’). Always immaculately dressed, he taught me Latin. I wasn’t inspired. Each morning we sung a hymn and he read prayers… One started: ‘Into your hands, O Lord, we commit ourselves this day. Give each of us a watchful, humble and diligent spirit…’ Watchful…Continue reading “Watchful, Humble and Diligent…”

As a young child I learnt: ‘Julius Caesar – That old Geezer – Squashed his nose in a lemon squeezer.’ I hadn’t a clue who ‘that old geezer’ was, but I liked the rhyme. At school I ‘did the Romans’ and learnt about Julius Caesar invading Britain; as a teacher we ‘did the Romans’… theirContinue reading “Julius Caesar”

I’m reading Jeremiah and his ‘Lamentations’. Jeremiah certainly wasn’t a bundle of laughs. He wouldn’t have got on ‘Jerusalem’s Got Talent’ as a comedian… or entertainer of any sort. ‘I am the man who has seen affliction,’ Jeremiah says, lamenting national and personal tragedies… I watch the news – war, refugees, national disasters… Recently I’veContinue reading “Man Of Constant Sorrow”

I thought I knew about Canute… the 11th century king who sat on the seashore on his throne, crown on his head, commanding the tide to stop. Canute got wet and looked foolish… …Apparently the actual legend is that Canute’s seashore exercise was to persuade his flattering courtiers that he wasn’t omnipotent. He knew theContinue reading “Canute, and the Woodbridge Hands”

Dear Dave, I chatted to you yesterday about why I go to church – and you should too… Gardener Rachel De Thame writes: ‘For us, the practical, hands-on, dirt-beneath-the-fingernails horticulture beats everything. Few other activities compare for keeping you physically fit as well as feeding the soul and benefitting our mental health and overall wellbeing.Continue reading “Answering Dave…”

The label of this Australian wine reads: ‘19 Crimes is inspired by those who, beginning in 1788 were transported to Australia, for a life of hard labour…’ Each wine bottle’s cork states one of these ’19 crimes’ for which ‘criminals’ could be deported. Recent corks have revealed three of these crimes: 1. GRAND LARCENY, THEFTContinue reading “Deportation Principle or Marriage Principle?”

He’s turned my mourningInto dancing againHe’s lifted my sorrowsI can’t stay silentI must sing for His joy has come There’s so much bad stuff going on in the world. I turn on the news and see wars, famines, refugees, suffering… In my own world I see people living with pain and disappointments. In times ofContinue reading “Mourning Into Dancing”