This is Oscarina, one of my favourite childhood toys. I found her when clearing out Mum’s loft! She was a gift from Dad’s cousins. She looks a bit dusty now but I played with and cherished her as a child. So why did she accompany me to church on Sunday? I was encouraging people both to share what their favourite toys were but also to consider what they could learn from the way they cared about their favourite childhood toy to caring about creation now. Do we cherish creation – an amazing gift from God – with that passion and attention Oscarina got!
I encouraged us all to focus on one particular aspect of creation care this week, mine is to buy fairly trades goods for our harvest hamper and festival…
The poet Wendell Berry died this week and I was grateful to those who shared some of his work in SM posts. I don’t recall reading this poem before this week, which is surprising given how profound it is in the context of a part of my ministry. I think I would remember reading it because I was so taken back by how I had never thought of us, those currently living on planet Earth, as the absent ones from the permanent reality.
If you are bereaved and missing someone this week, I hope you find some comfort in this gift from Wendell, as he moves to his permanent reality.
I play with fluorescent golf balls in the hope that they are easier to find. Over the Bank Holiday weekend we played 36 holes of golf at Burnham and Berrow golf club. I came home with less balls than I arrived with!
The wind was quite strong and some of the balls I lost were because I didn’t take enough account of it! Aiming way left because the wind will take the ball right didn’t feel right. I wrote about prevailing winds last week and again I was reminded of how invisible forces can change an anticipated outcome if you don’t take them into account. Another reason I lost balls was because I didn’t follow through well on my swing. It is another lesson for life too – start fine but don’t see it through and you don’t end up where you hoped!
I enjoy golf because it is uninterrupted time in nature with a challenge!
Many of us have been shocked and heartbroken by the news of the death and injured at the Big Church festival this weekend, when a sign fell on them. Stories are being shared about fellow festival goers offering first aid to those hurt and emotional support to who observed the accident. The festival was appropriately cancelled with ongoing local support for festival goers.
What I was struck by was many SM posts about pockets of worship happening around the site when uncertainty was happening, news shared and new plans were in process. I was not at the festival and obviously not aware when these worship responses happened. These worship times were endorsed by many who were there. Obviously, solidarity and support was needed at such a sad time and were reactive during uncertainty, shock and trauma. I am sure so much support was given and received behind the scenes and our Christian faith was beautifully expressed during the aftermath.
My reflection pondering is; what was the most instinctive response out of people’s theology, church and lived experience? Many of these reports were singing worship songs to Jesus rather than lament. One must endorse the sense of trusting God at such times but what does it suggest that the words in many of these songs were praising and worshiping God? I am not suggesting this praise was for what happened.
But I am left with the question of what resources do we have or even want, to mourn, grieve, express bewilderment in and for corporate spiritual responses? The psalms have historically given us a model for such questioning, processing losses and sadnesses. To sit in silence, weeping not rushing to make premature sense of what has happened are also mature Godly liturgical pastoral responses to be accessed and endorsed. Singing can be done in this spirit and contexts.
Our prayers, heart and love go out from all of us and God for all those affected. We mourn with and for eachother.
One of the things I love about driving and walking on moors is seeing trees which have been shaped by the prevailing wind like this one on Dartmoor where we were walking on Sunday. It helps me to see how hard it can be to resist what is the equivalent of prevailing winds in our lives. I am spending time at the moment reflecting on where I am and what the next phase of life looks like. I spent Wednesday morning thinking about a new book. Towards the beginning of a new academic year – I still work in those – I am reflecting on work patterns and rhythms having lost one significant piece of work in that the PGCert in Paediatric and Maternity Chaplaincy is sadly no longer running. I am also aware of trying to resist the prevailing wind of culture that is dissonant to my faith and wondering how I can speak up more. What are the prevailing winds you need to resist or go with?
A while back I read a book by Soto about Parker J Palmer who writes: “He asserts that to live a divided life means to live according to someone else’s rules, standards, ideals, and expectations. In living this way, in losing the connection with the self, we begin to lose our unique identity”. I don’t have the full reference as it was on Kindle Soto, E. (2024) – one of those on special offer take a punt books – The Spiritual and Educational Vision of Parker J Palmer. Eugene: Pickwick.
Many of us will know how easy it is to feel pressured to live to someone else’s rules, standards, ideals and expectations. We cannot completely ignore these as some of them are attached to roles we inhabit and we need to work out what is realistic and appropriate and what is inappropriate pressure or misuse of power. I am still pondering my unique identity in a new season and as I have aged it has become easier to live it. How about you?
This apparently was written shortly before his death in 2011. Given all he had achieved in his life, this is an interesting perspective of looking back on a life of significant achievement.
It is an inspiration to be able to be able to acknowledge our own achievements in the light of others contributions and be able to celebrate both. This is a place to aspire to be in. To grow into this level of virtuousness is a challenge for any disciple. This is a sign of the highest level of human and spiritual development. Gratitude and self understanding in mutual partnership, without battling insecurities, and if we did need to, they didn’t win. Oh to be that kind of person to celebrate others achievements without having to mention my own. One thing I have noticed I am doing more of is enjoying seeing others enjoying themselves.
I take full responsibility for my own happiness, peace and contentment but I acknowledge the contributions of all those who gifts and abilities enhance my life without detracting from my own. True humility has nothing to do with virtue signalling but signposting to others as worthy destinations.
‘What happens when home isn’t really there anymore? This question is from a Living on the edge Radio 4 episode about Downderry, a place we visit sometimes (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001nvxm). I am trying to answer that question now that Mum’s house is finally sold, 10 months after she died. The programme also talks about how home is a malleable idea… for some it’s wherever a particular person happens to be. I have places that I call home but they are somehow different to the house that I thought of as home for over 60 years – I would say I was going home to see Mum and the person and the place were tied up. I am still grieving the loss of Mum and now also grieving the loss of a childhood home. So this has just happened and I can’t really answer the question yet of what happens when home isn’t there anymore but I imagine it’s part of the processing journey of loss and grief which has been particularly acute in recent years for many reasons. The photograph is the last day I was there – taking the final boxes to the charity shop, filling the bin, taking one or two more final bits and pieces… I didn’t go back home after University so it’s many, many years since I lived there but a part of my history and connectedness is no longer physically accessible to me and that feels a little weird. I still picture the house with Mum in it and several times a week I think Mum will be pleased when I tell her about that… I am not sure how long that thought takes to fade but it’s still very present. I am crying as I write this which is probably a good thing!
I appreciate the summer as time to do a little more ministry related reading than I usually get to do in term time (my work still follows termly patterns largely). This week I have read Jody Stowell’s short but very insightful book Bruised Reeds and Mustard Seeds about small churches (Canterbury Press 2026) and was particularly struck by this text:
But it is important not to rush to make this text [Isaiah 42:3] one in which the bruised reed stands tall and the dimly burning wick becomes a raging fire. In the text it simply says that bruising does not mean broken, and small fires are not snuffed out. Sitting with God in our woundedness, in our lack of resource, in our insufficiency, in our inadequacy, is not just a place of comfort for us, but is a mark of spiritual maturity p48
It is an immensely helpful passage to ponder on both in the light of only ever having worshipped in small churches which is what I feel called to do as well as thinking of personal circumstances where God has spoken to me individually through this text. I appreciate the importance of sitting with God in personal, cultural and structural woundedness and recommend the book for many insights and encouragements for those of us in small churches as well as her prophetic words to the wider institution.
Today we launched a small, yet significant new group in our village church in Cornwall. After some reflective discernment times, we thought a foundational building block would be to start a prayer request group using an online SM platform. This is something that is common in many churches to various degrees of effectiveness. Asking for prayer can be both profound and vulnerable as well as glib. We hope our group will encourage prayer for both others and ourselves for a multi faceted benefits.
For us, this is the beginning of us being more missional in our village, as one member said, we need to model loving and caring for each other first. This can be a delay tactic or as I believe in our case, a profound truth, because “by this will they know that you are my disciples, that you love one another”. For the past few services, we have had new visitors or folks returning after a long absence. Our prayers to become more Christ like will shape our welcome and hospitality.
This was the prayer that launched our group today shared by someone who uses 365 for their daily spiritual nourishment and communing with our God and our world. Such desires reflect Kingdom values and will hopefully be contagious.
Marker Posts and Shelters 