This is a sermon that was preached today to the community of St Mary’s Temple Balsall On this Heritage Sunday morning I want to offer you my vision, my working vision, and to encourage you to think about the mission and ministry of this church. I want to do that by way of a […]
Blog
Rain
Posted on by James Woodward
For those of you who have been following our preparations for the Heritage weekend Friday was full of heavy showers which took me to seek refuge in the text books! Here is what they tell us about ….. Rain plays a role in the hydrologic cycle in which moisture from the oceans evaporates, condenses into […]
Temple Balsall Heritage Weekend
Posted on by James Woodward
Well its Friday and a crowd of folks are making havoc on my front lawn putting up tents and tables and chairs. The weather has been somewhat unpredictable ( how about that for an understatement ??) But it is all go for the most significant weekend of the year. I am quite amazed at what […]
9/11
Posted on by James Woodward
I guess that most of us remember where we were when the news of the twin towers reached us. I saw a newsflash on BBC news and moved next door to my home where the pictures were so graphic they seemed quite unreal. These images were replayed so often that they have taken […]
In Praise of…… the Thank You note!
Posted on by James Woodward
In my study in Temple House I have a wonderful large mantlepiece. It is big enough to house a variety of cards and pictures and odd ends that might be useful to keep. A friends’s parents clock marks the hour with beautiful chimes that echo in the room. Of course it needs clearing up from time […]
Roger Hilton
Posted on by James Woodward
A visit to catch up with some friends and be present at a wedding anniversary party gave me an opportunity to see the Roger Hilton exhibition (Swinging out into the void) at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge last week. It lived up to all expectations. Quite a stunning range of abstract paintings and drawings were gathered […]
What was said to the Rose
Posted on by James Woodward
What was said to the Rose what was said to the rose that made it burst into flower was said to me, too; and it was said to my heart Rumi
Ubuntu
Posted on by James Woodward
What is your philosophy? By what values do we live? Does all this Church make a difference? Perhaps in Europe we have come to live by Descartes’s : I think, therefore I am – in Africa being human is expressed as I belong, therefore I am. Desmond Tutu translates the African concept of ubuntu […]
The Daily Grind??
Posted on by James Woodward
Well it’s September and who would know it – where has the summer gone…. if we ever had one? August is over and for many it is back to work and school and the daily grind. For some this is very stressful, added to which is the uncertainty caused by the present economic crisis. […]
An Ageing Church?
Posted on by James Woodward
I gladly spent the last weekend of August, in the Windermere Centre, which is the United Reformed Church residential training centre, set in the Lake District. We gathered to explore some of the questions and issues surrounding age. The group was open, ready to listen and to explore this subject from a number […]
Temple Balsall Heritage Weekend
Posted on by James Woodward
MORE THAN 900 YEARS AFTER KNIGHTS TEMPLAR FIRST MET AT TEMPLE BALSALL – OWNERSHIP OF SITE SETTLED The Foundation of Lady Katherine Leveson, has registered one of Warwickshire’s hidden historical gems, Temple Balsall with Land Registry, thereby confirming ownership after hundreds of years of uncertainty over the site’s ownership. Registration means official […]
The force of Nature
Posted on by James Woodward
I can’t believe that many people need to be convinced that we live in a fragile and unpredictable world. Can any of us have the imagination to enter in to the fears and terror of those two million people who are fleeing their homes as Hurricane Gustav nears New Orleans. And so soon after […]
Holiday Reading Part Three
Posted on by James Woodward
As ever, a mixture of books make up the secret of a good holiday read. My first has been waiting for some time. Richard Hoggart (Promises to keep: Thoughts in Old age) was published by Continuum in 2005. Delightful, modest, engaging and wise are words that most come to mind when considering on […]
God’s Architect
Posted on by James Woodward
What an achievement! This book weighs in at 498 pages of text, plus another 100 with gazetteer and references. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin is best known as the apostle of the Gothic Revival, his polemical books Contrasts and The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture were responsible for the polychrome gothickry that spread over […]
Holiday reading Part Two!
Posted on by James Woodward
Broken Promises is one of the themes in Michael Levy’s fascinating account of his life and fortunes as a friend and fundraiser for Tony Blair. A kind holiday present from my brother, who managed to make a contribution to my expanding collection of political biographies, I have to say that I am glad that […]
Britian from Above
Posted on by James Woodward
Watching Andrew Marr’s Britain from Above (BBC1, Sunday) gives us an extraordinary picture of our country. Clogged roads and railways, the smoking nation’s ageing arteries, run between massive landfill sites and even more massive sewage works. Ships crawl, bumper to bumper, round our shores. Biblical swarms of aeroplanes darken our skies. The ether hums and […]
Ten things you probably didnt know about Temple Balsall
Posted on by James Woodward
Tucked away between Knowle and Balsall Common this cluster of buildings is one of the West Midlands best kept secrets. Here are some things you may like to know? We have one of the countries oldest timber framed buildings which was the preceptory of the Knights Templar We have a thriving Church of […]
In Praise of
Posted on by James Woodward
The Bank Holiday!! First a liitle bit of explanation and history : A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom and also in the Republic of Ireland. There is no right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population not employed in essential services (e.g. utilities, fire, ambulance, […]
In praise of …..
Posted on by James Woodward
Barmouth Beach Let these image speak for themselves…… The space and sea and mountains are breathtaking……. praise be!
An Ageing Mind?
Posted on by James Woodward
Tradition says that as you get older, you gradually lose your marbles as dottiness and dementia take over from the acuity of younger days. In this cogent book, Gene Cohen, director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University, shows that this is just another myth. Quite the reverse, as we […]