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Yesterday Rachel and I had a lovely day with Tim and Jill. Friends for about 50 years. They sang at our wedding. ‘When I’m 64’ ‘When I get older losing my hairMany years from nowWill you still be sending me a Valentine?Birthday greetings bottle of wine? If I’d been out till quarter to threeWould youContinue reading “Old Friends – 64, 70 and beyond”

‘I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when he is silent.’ Words written on the wall of a cellar in Germany at the end of the Second World War. Story-summary, Sermon-outline Healing – Jesus is healingContinue reading “The Silent God”

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,Forgive our foolish ways:Re-clothe us in our rightful mind;In purer lives your service find,In deeper reverence praise,In deeper reverence praise. This old hymn is part of a longer poem ‘The Brewing of the Soma’ written by American John Whittier. The Soma was a plant, found in North India, to makeContinue reading “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”

Musing on Les Misérables… Jean Valjean is a convict but a good man in Les Misérables. He’s not perfect but he struggles for the best. He cares about people but carries the burden of his criminal past as a guilty secret. I am Valjean.  My mixture of failures, struggles and desire to do right haveContinue reading “The ‘Misérables’ of life”

The Lion Tamer – Relationships I remember seeing a lion tamer. For centuries circuses ‘tamed’ wild animals using barbaric and brutal means. More recently gentler methods of ‘taming’ required patience and understanding. Now animal acts are illegal. The circus of life involves relationships – schools, police, families… We can use power to try to tameContinue reading “The Circus of Life”

The word ‘drama’ means ‘men in action’. The Greek philosopher Aristotle established ‘drama’ to mean a theatrical performance. A theatre community enables a drama to happen. A team of people work together –actors, technicians, those responsible for costumes, scenery… We live and work in communities, bringing skills and talents to the benefit of all. InContinue reading “The Drama of Life”

I’m a dancer Morris Dancer I’m a Morris dancer, performing on a village green. An ancient routine to an unwritten melody passed from generation to generation. I celebrate the seasons, the harvest, the gifts of nature. I have little finesse; I’m sometimes drunk; my dance may appear comical, but I perform energetically and enthusiastically. TheContinue reading “The Dance of Life”

Christian tradition The Biblical narrative is full of literal and metaphorical journeys. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Jesus, Paul… the Promised Land, Egypt, Exile, Bethlehem, Rome… Three lessons from my journey this week: Travelling companions I have travelled with many. Some have shared my journey over many years, some for short but significant periods ofContinue reading “The Journey of Life”

Last Sunday I mused on ‘Lord of the Dance’: Life’s a journey, a race, a voyage, a battle. Why not a dance?’ Yesterday a friend mused on life as a train journey… Different pictures of life? Here’s 6: Journeys on foot We are pilgrims on a journey: adapting to different terrain, climbing hills, encountering darkContinue reading “Pictures of Life”

I’m only human I’m just a manHelp me to believe in what I could be and all that I amShow me the stairway that I have to climbLord for my sake teach me to take one day at a time Marijohn Melson was born to Christian parents in Texas in 1920. She was brought upContinue reading “One Day at a time”