John chapter 16 and verse28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. A man arrives at the gates of heaven. St. Peter asks, “Religion?” The man says, “Methodist.” St. Peter looks down his list, and says, “Go to […]
Contradiction, Collaboration and Comprimise?
Posted on by James Woodward
What a fascinating time and here are some images that sum up what we are all immersed in:
mist
Posted on by James Woodward
I wrote a poem on the mist And a woman asked me what I meant by it. I had thought till then only of the beauty of the mist, how pearl and gray of it mix and reel, And change the drab shanties with lighted lamps at evening into points of mystery quivering with […]
Gods scale of time ?
Posted on by James Woodward
I do not think that the real problem is with time itself, but with the paucity of our imaginations. God’s time-scale is, like God, unimaginably enormous; the mind falters in the face of it, poised on a ghastly chasm of emptiness. It is easier to write off time than to accept the vast vacuity of […]
The College of St George
Posted on by James Woodward
St George’s Windsor has a rich and varied history. Foundation of the College of St George On 6th August 1348 Edward III founded two new colleges, symbols of his devotion and generosity to the church. These institutions, which were essentially communities of priests, were charged with celebrating divine service within the two political nerve centres […]
The Self?
Posted on by James Woodward
The self at any given moment is a made self — it is not a solid independent machine for deciding and acting efficiently or rationally in response to stimuli, but is itself a process, fluid and elusive, whose present range of possible responses is part of a developing story. The self is — […]
Chocolate ‘linked to depression’ ????
Posted on by James Woodward
This is very bad news for me….!!! People who regularly eat chocolate are more depressive, experts have found. Research in Archives of Internal Medicine shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again. Many believe chocolate has the power to lift mood, […]
take me across
Posted on by James Woodward
I can never forget that scrap of a song I once heard in the early dawn in the midst of the din of the crowd that had collected for a festival the night before: “Ferryman, take me across to the other shore!” In the bustle of all our work there comes out this […]
St Helens Cross Kelloe
Posted on by James Woodward
This extraordinary piece of English Romanesque Art played a very significant part of my spiritual nurture. It is located in the Norman Church where my faith was encouraged and sustained. I was gald to have this image sent to me by a local photographer, Trevor Smith. Here is a longer description of the piece: Reliquary […]
The Windsor Wheel
Posted on by James Woodward
From the heights of my bedroom window I can see the Windsor wheel being slowly erected….. it dominates the skyline to the West of the Castle. Here is a quotation from the official publicity: The graceful giant wheel in Alexandra Gardens, Windsor will be returning from 1st May – 30th August 2010 and will […]
Mark the Evangelist
Posted on by James Woodward
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark, said to be the disciple and interpreter of Saint Peter, and the follower and Apostle of Jesus Christ. According to Eusebius]Mark composed a gospel embodying what he had heard Peter preach. Tradition identifies him with John Mark mentioned as a companion of Saint […]
St George
Posted on by James Woodward
The Legend of St. George and the Dragon St. George travelled for many months by land and sea until he came to Libya. Here he met a poor hermit who told him that everyone in that land was in great distress, for a dragon had long ravaged the country. ‘Every day,’ said the old man, […]
Local News?!
Posted on by James Woodward
Well here is a catch up of the news from Windsor: The air traffic has arrived back – will anyone want to get into an areoplane after all this? We celebrate St George on Friday and I mark the end of a fascinating, rewarding and enriching year. We marked the Queens birthday yesterday […]
Why do people leave the Church?
Posted on by James Woodward
I first met Michael Goulder when I was working as a Hospital Chaplain in Birmingham. He was a wonderful and inspiring teacher – I was aware that he had left the Church but unsure quite of the reasons. I was glad to come across his memoirs and in it he sums up his decision: I […]
The Supper at Emmaus, By Caravaggio
Posted on by James Woodward
The moment when the disciples recognize the stranger in the midst as the risen Christ is show in a dramatic way, with arms outstretched and astonished faces. Here as elsewhere Caravaggio achieves part of his effect by the use of brilliantly lit figures against a dark background. The light is coming from behind the viewer, […]
Alphege
Posted on by James Woodward
Archbishop and “the First Martyr of Canterbury.” He was born in 953 and became a monk in the Deerhurst Monastery in Gloucester, England, asking after a few years to become a hermit. He received permission for this vocation and retired to a small hut near Somerset, England. In 984 Alphege assumed the role of abbot […]
longing
Posted on by James Woodward
Love is not condescension, never that, nor books, nor any pencil trace on paper, no; nor in how we talk about each other. Love is a tree with branches reaching out to always with roots that come from everywhere, and no trunk. Have you seen it? No. You can’t. Your deep desire can’t find it. […]
Upton House
Posted on by James Woodward
I enjoyed a very pleasant visit to Upton House recently. The collection of pictures is quite stunning! Upton is a country house in the county of Warwickshire, about seven miles north west of Banbury, Oxfordshire. It is in the care of the National Trust. Built in about 1695 for Sir Rushout Cullen, Upton is a long […]
doubt
Posted on by James Woodward
doubt that the stars are fire doubt that the sun doth move doubt truth to be a liar but never doubt I love Hamlet’s poem, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet
amazement
Posted on by James Woodward
And God is filling me, though there are times of doubt as hollow as the Grand Canyon, still God is filling me. He is giving me the thoughts of dogs, the spider in its intricate web, the sun in all its amazement and my heart, which is very big, I promise it is very large, […]