I have come to admire the way different individuals function in their professional roles. Yet finally I repre
Retreat Reading – McLaren on Wisdom and Courage
Posted on by James Woodward
One of the more challenging decisions that needs to be made in preparation for a few days away on retreat is what one might read. In the thr
The Stories we tell ourselves?
Posted on by James Woodward
Keeping tidy has always been an aspiration. One of the downsides of this mild, but I hope, healthy obsession is that on the whole I can
The Shrine of St Melangell – a thin place of pilgrimage
Posted on by James Woodward
A hidden place in Wales, where a Celtic saint gave her protection to the hare, Pennant Melangell is situated at the head of the Tanat Valley,
And so the season changes
Posted on by James Woodward
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I
Prayer and Intercession ( Mother Mary Clare)
Posted on by James Woodward
These words from Mother Mary Clare SLG are worth pondering as we enter into a new season
PRAYER in its wholeness is relations
Forming a new generation of Ministers : On reading Reverence
Posted on by James Woodward
Some of my readers will know that at Sarum College we form and train women and men for authorised lay and ordained ministry for the Church o
A Man Called Otto: Grief, Society and Kindness
Posted on by James Woodward
Netflix doesn't always yield the browsing results that it claims! That is partly dependant on its view of the subscribers viewing hi
How to write History ? On watching Firebrand
Posted on by James Woodward
I first came across the Midland Art Centre in 1987 through my Birmingham MPhil supervisor, Professor Stephen Pattison, who lived
All Christians are Monks – Parish and the Religious life on Renewal
Posted on by James Woodward
I was recently engaged in a fascinating conversation about the prospects for the church in the West. My conversation partner wonde
And into the next decade ? On finding independence and purpose in age
Posted on by James Woodward
A short reflection on reading Dr Angela Robertson's book 'Changing Gears: Entrepreneurs @ 50+'
I thin
Mark Santer : Bishop, Theologian, Pastor 1936-2024
Posted on by James Woodward
This week, the family of Mark Santer, announced his death
Our beloved father, Mark Santer, died at home on Wednesday 14th August. Over
Reading Keir Starmer : Reform, Politics and Power
Posted on by James Woodward
I first met Kier Starmer in 2011 when he offered advice to Lord Falcolners Commission of Assisted Dying supported by Demos - see: https://de
The invitation to be surprised? Art that touches the pulse.
Posted on by James Woodward
I first came across the work of Barbara Hepworth in 1980 during a visit to Aldeburgh. I had gone on a weekend party to a friend’s house on C
In praise of Anne Lamott ( Somehow: Thoughts on Love)
Posted on by James Woodward
I wish I could remember who it was who recommended the work of Anne Lamott ! I may have picked up a quotation from a website, a colleagu
Inhabiting RS Thomas on his own soil
Posted on by James Woodward
It is a long way from Salisbury to the Llyn Peninsula. This was a pilgrimage of sorts to the RS Thomas Poetry Festival.
The White Road: a pilgrimage of sorts by Edmund de Waal
Posted on by James Woodward
After an unexpected day of sun over a bank holiday weekend the rain has returned. Deciding to do some thinning of shelves for
Our complicated love affair with Work ? Reading Changing Gear by Hall and Stokes
Posted on by James Woodward
I wish that booksellers wouldn't tempt their readers to a three for the price of two offer especially while waiting for another delayed trai
In the midst of death, life persists –
Posted on by James Woodward
"In the midst of death, life persists. In the midst of untruth, truth persists. In the midst of darkness, light persists.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Nothing is Secure, Except God : visiting the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God
Posted on by James Woodward
I was first introduced to the Sisters of the Love of God by Geoffrey Connor, the Vocations advisor in the diocese of Durham in the late 1970s.