I went back to school last week. It was in my role as Chaplain to those training for ordained and lay ministry through the South West Ministry Training Course (SWMTC). A week-long Lent School in the lovely city of Salisbury. It was a privilege. An honour to draw alongside those Read more…
Just over three years ago I had the privilege of being invited to preach at Portsmouth Cathedral. Among those gathered was Angela Tilby, former BBC religious programmes producer and known for being a somewhat provocative columnist for the Church Times. The Cathedral was marking the launch of a ‘Living Well’ Read more…
‘I matter therefore I am.’ One of the highlights of the recent short sabbatical was being in Salisbury to hear and meet Luigi Gioia, former Roman Catholic Benedictine monk turned Anglican priest. In a wonderfully stimulating study day, Luigi talked about how Benedictine spirituality is still very relevant. (He even Read more…
I am indebted to Canon Mark Oakley for inspiring the title of this post. Writing in the Church Times, he describes how during the significant days of Holy Week many (not least clergy) wear themselves out journeying through the emotions of them all and they are ‘wholly weak’ by the Read more…
Sarah Everard is the latest of many, many people whose tragic death has uncovered deep, long-standing issues within society. Think too of others – Sarah Payne. Suzy Lamplugh. Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Emily Davison. You can probably think of others. People who have been more influential in death than Read more…
Pentecost is the time when, a few days after Jesus ascended in to Heaven, we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles. But what of us, moving through all the post-Easter weeks & finding ourselves at Pentecost once again? What place does the Holy Spirit have in Read more…
In comparison to Christmas and Holy Week and Easter, Ascension Day (21 May) often just passes us by. Even if we were able to meet in our churches, because it’s a Thursday, the congregation may be very small and rather like some of the other events in the church year, Read more…
While it will feel strange not being able to mark the most important week in the Christian Year in our churches, we can also know that God can bless us in new ways at this time. Using art, words, music and silence, these two films reflects on some of the Read more…
This video is one of a series of short films for Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Focussing on words from Isaiah 40, we come Out of the Wilderness renewed and enabled to see life from God’s perspective and given strength in times of weakness. Click here to watch. A full Read more…
This video is one of a series of short films called Out of the Wilderness, designed for Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Focussing on Psalm 40, in this film we consider how God restores us and gives us a new song to sing. Recorded before the current difficult times, it’s Read more…