It takes courage to speak in public. Some people become nervous, even in small gatherings, even among friends. This nervousness is often driven by a lack of certainty in what we are saying, to develop an opinion by thinking aloud makes us vulnerable. I am writing this on the day of the funeral, in a…

War memorials are always hard places for me. When there are a lot of names the feeling grows; I cannot but feel for all the different families and how it would have felt as the loss linked with every name was realised. In 1953 there was a massacre on the island of Sao Tome, which…

When I was young, I remember my parents watching a mysterious TV drama called the Forsyte Saga. On checking, I see that the series was a 1967 BBC release, so it is no small wonder that I was a little young for it. Recently I have been listening to the trilogy as recorded books while…

We travelled recently to the African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe. To go on holiday somewhere that most people have never heard of, let alone found on a map is a fantastic privilege and humbling as well. More of that in weeks to come, sorry. Today’s reading is Isaiah 60:1-7, a passage about…

I recently reached one of those points that will be familiar to many of you. The daily juggling act of work priorities (for which I am paid), and volunteering (for which I pay) is usually manageable. Then along comes a whole new list of demands in the latter category and I have had to say,…

Years ago, before computers were commonly owned and used regularly by most of us, I remember my first lesson on the shared machine in the office. The software concerned was Lotus 1-2-3, a spreadsheet programme. I had been taught that this wonder device could help me with costings for the transport fleet I was running…

Many years ago, one night I found myself staying in a remote hotel in Lincolnshire, surrounded by reed beds. It was wintertime and the place was quite eerie; the only sound outside was the music of wind in the reeds and lapping water. Reading through today’s gospel reading (Luke 7:24:30) I was reminded of that…

By Peter Paul Rubens – Art UK, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91917906 It is likely that at some time you will have heard the phrase, ‘A Damascus Road experience.’ In everyday usage this means a crucial point in life where ‘a profound change or reversal of ideas or beliefs occurs.’ There are few of us who can…

Reading through today’s gospel passage (Luke 5:12-16) I remembered that when I was younger I was infuriated by the comment, ‘I won’t bother’. I knew someone who used it a lot. At the time I thought he was very lazy, but it was only years later that I realised he lacked confidence and may often…

Our holiday in the Lake District in the Autumn of 2020 was memorable. It was very wet. While we were there the Prime Minister announced the second lockdown which started. But we were heartily thankful to be able to get away at all. On a walk up the Copper Mines Valley to Levers Water we…