I was delighted to see that Channel 5 were screening a new TV series of what has become a twentieth century classic, penned by Yorkshire vet Alf Wight better know to the world as James Herriot. I thoroughly enjoyed episode one and loved seeing placed that hold dear to my heart. I will be watching…

Following on from Breaking and Mending 2, we need to accept, of course, that   a time may come when, as Rev Patrick McCluskey, (an inspiration for the healing ministry of Jesus), said, ‘the prayers have to change’. There may come a time in a person’s illness when all medical options have been exhausted, and there…

I was recently troubled by a water leak in my garden, which not only affected me but also others in the village as the water was flowing into the road. Anglia Water were not interested or able to help and I was left wondering what to do next. Paul unexpectedly called in and was able…

“Ride upon the storm” is a Danish drama translated into English and shown recently on Channel four. It is about a family of priests who can trace their roots back in the Dutch  Lutheran  Church for 250 years. It is full of drama and crisis and individuals who struggle and fall.  It is also fall…

From a Poem by Thomas Moors When we visited family in Southern Ireland a few years ago, we visited thevillage of Avoca which is where Ballykissangel was filmed. You can still see thepub, church and many other places which were in the television programmeand, in fact, it is now a tourist attraction. Just outside the…

In his book “A Priest to the Temple”  George Herbert is saddened that so few people greet each other or say goodbye with a blessing.  In his letters, Paul is consistently blessing the people he writes to and urges them to bless each other.  When did you last bless someone? Considering our garden, I come…

I always liked to see what the Sunday School pupils had put on to the notice board. Looking at one on a Church I was visiting I gathered that the children had been asked to draw their favourite Bible Character. All of those that you would suspect were there, Peter, Mary, Paul and so on…

Some Churches have been dipping a toe in the water over the last few weeks to re-imagine what Church might look like in the coming weeks and over the next few weeks increasing numbers of Churches are opening with a variety of different expressions of what Church might look like.  I have spoken to several…

Some of you who read my previous piece, Breaking and Mending 1, may be thinking that what I wrote was too simplistic and naive. After all, if someone is ill physically or mentally, or broken in some way, and medical support has not been of much benefit, then putting your faith or trust in someone…

The above is the title of this year’s Methodist Prayer Handbook 2020/2021. In the introduction Richard Teal, President of Conference and Carolyn Lawrence, Vice-Presidentprovide us with a challenging reflection on our Christian stewardship, in particular our call to care forpeople and planet. “ All of us are called to be good stewards of the Planet…