There is something comforting and stabilising about an ancient Church. We are reminded often that the Church is not about buildings but people although that does not detract from the sense of permanence and calm that radiates from ancient stones. Jude wrote his letter to tackle the problem of false teaching by those who would…

The world of what I originally discovered as ‘talking books’ is one I have enjoyed for several years. When driving or walking the chance to listen to a book being read, sometimes excellently, is a joy. I vary what I listen to but take especial delight in revisiting the old classics. I have just revisited…

Jude:14-16: Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy onesto judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and…

There is nothing quite like a dispute over inheritance to bring out the worst in families or amongst friends or other benefactors if there is perceived unfairness. The deceased may have thought hard about the reasons for the way the estate is to be apportioned, and may have seen the needs or behaviours of others…

There are times when I can be remarkably practised in the art of selective amnesia. It is easy to remember things in the past that were happy or good times or when I did well at something; it is less easy to recall those times when I failed or made a fool of myself. There…

Most of us will have had the experience of being thoroughly uncomfortable when reading or listening to something that seems aimed directly at us. The old idiom, ‘if the cap fits, wear it’ means that if something feels true then take it in good part together with what follows. This verse from Jude is direct,…

You may be aware of the saying ‘people in glass houses should not throw stones’; it is a warning against hypocrisy. When your name is Glasse, it becomes quite personal, particularly if, like me, you went through your school years being called by your last name. Hypocrisy is a trap easily fallen into, something that…

When I was a child, for several years, we spent our family summer holidays at Hope Cove in South Devon. Recently we have returned on several occasions and old loves and fascinations for a delightful village and coastline have been reawakened. The signpost to the Hope Cove car parking arrangements is a wonderful summary of…

The shootings in Plymouth recently will have given rise to many different emotions amongst us. The BBC headline asking the question, ‘Who were the Victims’ is raising an important issue. When acts of violence or terror occur, on any scale, there are direct victims and indirect victims. Beyond these people, others will have felt something…

We were fortunate to have tickets to an open-air performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream staged in Framlingham Castle this week. Doors opened at 6pm for a 7.30 performance to allow time to picnic. I looked at the set for Shakespeare’s well-known play, performed over so many years in all sorts of places. I contemplated…