Psalm 37 v 3. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture My elder son, James, was born eight and a half weeks prematurely. He weighed 3 pounds and 6 ounces. He spent the first 3 weeks of his life in the Special Care Baby Unit as he needed help with…

In 1991 the United Reformed Church published a new hymn book; Rejoice and Sing was welcomed by many and criticised by many too for all the hymns that had been ‘left out’. I soon found that there was new hymnody there, or new to me anyway, that broadened my mind. Early on I came across…

One of the greatest prayers ever written is St. Patrick’s Breastplate.   It is an old prayer which we used translated from the original Irish.  We used to sing it regularly during the season of Trinity but somehow, it’s been forgotten, perhaps because it is quite long and the musical setting is quite complicated.  It’s…

I am waiting for an appointment at the Eye Clinic. Having already had cataracts removed from both eyes, I find that one has clouded over and as the weeks and months have gone by it has got much worse and now I can only see vague images with that eye.  Thankfully the other eye is…

On holiday recently, we travelled to Scotland and back with my brother and sister in law to visit their two sons, one who lives in Cowdenbeath and the other in South Shields on the way back to York, where we were staying for our holiday.  The journey to Scotland involved crossing the recently opened Queensferry…

On Tuesday the 6th July our reading was Exodus 2 v 1-10 and this passage encouraged me to read Exodus 1 v 15-21 as well. I’m sure the names of these two women may be unfamiliar or forgotten by many. You may ask, “Who are they?”  They were midwives who saved the lives of many newborn boys,…

This morning I am grateful for an image posted on my Facebook page by Rachael Wainwright. It shows an ordinary coffee mug that has probably been dropped on the floor and lays smashed into pieces. The image beside it is the mug transformed into a fun plant pot. There are times in our lives, or…

In the 16ty century a movement arose which blossomed more fully in the 17th century with the flourishing of the Age of Reason. The movement, and the people who espoused it, became known as ‘deists’. The core of their belief was that a Supreme Being (God) had indeed created the world but, after doing so,…

I will never forget returning from a short break in Guernsey early in 2001. We drove off the ferry in Weymouth and on the car radio I heard about an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. Some of you may remember the things that followed. Farmed and hobby livestock, wild animals and domesticated; anything with…

It’s a wonderful time of year to wander in the garden in the early morning.  Yesterday it was particularly still and, even early on the sun had a rich warmth.  But what really struck me as I opened the back door was the smell.  It was as if it had been waiting for me as…