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My yesterday seemed to be about focus, purpose and dreams… …Presenter Sara Cox… starting her BBC Children in Need ‘Great Northern Marathon Challenge’… running, jogging, and walking 135 miles in five days – the equivalent of five marathons. Beginning yesterday in Kielder Forest on the Scottish border, she’ll continue through Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire, finishingContinue reading “Focus, Purpose, Dreams”

Yesterday, Remembrance Sunday… standing silently for two minutes in church remembering… watching King Charles lay a wreath at the Cenotaph, remembering those who died in conflict… chatting to my friend Roy remembering his grandfather who died in The Second World War, planning to visit his grave in France. On Thursday the stage production of WarContinue reading “Only Remembered”

Last night we watched the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance from London’s Royal Albert Hall. Senior members of the Royal Family were present, as we marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 25th anniversary of lifting the UK’s ban LGBT+ personnel serving in the armed forces. Veterans,Continue reading “Abide With Me”

Wayward: Difficult to control or predict… Yesterday… …We watched the Celebrity Traitors final. Nineteen contestants had started; just five remained – traitors Cat and Alan, and faithfuls Joe, Nick, and David. In the end, comedian Alan Carr was crowned the winner, winning £87,500 for chosen charity, Neuroblastoma UK. He admitted to the ‘deceit, the lyingContinue reading “Our Wayward Minds”

At our local Men’s Shed, men with different backgrounds, family situations, opinions, life-skills… do stuff, talk, drink tea, eat bacon rolls… Yesterday I read a brief Men’s Shed history… 30+ years ago some guys came together in an old garage in Australia. A crazy experiment! ‘…When they arrived there were mowers to fix, lots ofContinue reading “A Crazy Experiment!”

I’ve heard the story of David and Goliath many times – a shepherd boy faces a giant and kills him with a sling and a handful of stones. Some folks emphasise David’s example – his courage or trust in God; some speak of God preparing us for the dangerous and unexpected; some say that weContinue reading “Facing Matt’s, Brian’s and Carrie’s Giants”

Today is November 5th, the day when we remember the Gunpowder Plot; in 1605 Guy Fawkes, on behalf of English Catholics tried to blow up the House of Lords and assassinate James I, the protestant king of England. Many will ‘remember, remember, the 5th of November’  tonight with bonfires and fireworks. Last week was HalloweenContinue reading “Remembering, Rejoicing, Retaining, Reflecting”

Huntingdon Stabbing: On Saturday night there was news of a train in Huntingdon station, stabbing, emergency services… the details were unclear. All Bad: This morning I read Romans chapter 3. I’m drawn to verse 23: ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ I learnt it as a teenager… that it’sContinue reading “All Bad, All Good, Or What?”

On Saturday I went to our Seagull Theatre to see the Halloween Show ‘The Gory Laboratory’. The theatre had been full of parents and young children for performances on Thursday and Friday… There were jokes, songs, slapstick, magic tricks… audience participation, children on stage, pantomime traditions… excellent scenery, music, sound-effects… a mad professor and hisContinue reading “Home, Sweet Home”

Yesterday afternoon I was out in the garage tidying up, putting stuff away on long, high up shelves. Without warning three six-foot shelves came away from the wall. Cans of paint, electric leads, random tools and various items that ‘might come in useful one day’, together with the shelves, all fell towards me. I foundContinue reading “A Living Prayer”