If I had taken any notice of the reviews then I should certainly not have parted with £12 for a cinema ticket to see this film. Based on the play by Alan Bennett, this slow, intentional and warm the film explores age and care and human nature in the face of pandemic, N
‘Bedtime’ Reading : Super- Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne
Posted on by James Woodward
Being confined to quarters while a bout of flu ( or something - I have never been very good at diagnosis ) and amidst cancelling appointments ( sorry ) and searching for paracetemol brings some gifts. Determined to leave the e mails to answer themselves ( wouldn't th
In Praise of Living
Posted on by James Woodward
From time to time most of us, wonder how our lives might be brought to an end. This isn't morbid or odd, but part of what it means to think about being human and reflecting on the shape and possible end of this one life of ours. Of course, I don'
Listening to your Soul Julia Mourant
Posted on by James Woodward
Canterbury Press 2022 ISBN-13 9781786223364 Pb 144pp
In these strange and unpredictable post lockdown days of uncertainty and weariness who do you turn to for support? Who listens to us ? How do we listen to ourselves ? At any point on our life journ
Leslie Houlden 1929- 2022 : Sacerdos, amator Dei, Quaerēns
Posted on by James Woodward
A Sermon delivered at the Funeral Eucharist of Leslie Houlden at the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin Temple Balsall
21st December 2022 at 12.30pm
Leslie left clear and detailed instructions for his funeral. From time to time, they were updated - always
The abiding significance of sacred space
Posted on by James Woodward
I wonder where your favourite space is in Salisbury? A visitor said to me recently – ‘I love Sarum College – it is a space where I can breathe and relax and think’. We all need space. Some spaces can feel like a home from home.
I wonder which place gives your pre
PRACTICES FOR THE SOUL : FINDING MEANING IN OUR STRANGE NEW WORLD ?
Posted on by James Woodward
The Power of Ritual : Turning Everyday Activities Into Soulful Practices Casper Ter Kuile William Collins 2020
reposted from 6th April 2021
I am indebted to my friend Jane Shaw for pointing me in the direction of this rather stimulating and wonderful book. It came out
A Day that left its imprint on us all – The Funeral of HM The Queen
Posted on by James Woodward
On the day after the funeral I write this feeling a certain kind of disorientation. Bank Holidays often bring that disruption to the week that leaves one wondering what day it is but this ‘day after’, might we experience a deeper shift that brings some quest
Waking up to God – Exploring faith by asking the right questions?
Posted on by James Woodward
Waking Up to God:
Rediscovering Faith in Post-Pandemic Times by Neil Richardson
Sacristy Press 2022
Neil Richardson has had a long and distinguished ministry as a Methodist theologian. This has included serving as the British Methodist Presid
Coping with the Uncertainty of these Present Times
Posted on by James Woodward
I have just returned for leading a retreat for twenty women and men supporting them as they prepare for their life as clergy. They talked about their communities and families. They shared the stress and strain and anxiety that many are feeling in their families and commun
ON FAILURE – HOW TO SUCCEED AT DEFEAT
Posted on by James Woodward
(The School of Life 2022)
A hopeful and encouraging book that is gentle on its reader!
In 2008, Alain de Botton was one of a team of writers and educators who founded The School of Life. Based in centres across the World, The School of Life , offers an emotional educa
DIPPING INTO THE MIDDLE AGES
Posted on by James Woodward
Hidden Hands : The Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers by Mary Wellesley ( RiverRun 2021)
At Sarum College we have offered an MA in Christian Spirituality for many years – it continues to attract a wide variety of people supported as they are by our brillia
IN PRAISE OF THE CATHOLIC HERITAGE OF ANGLICANISM
Posted on by James Woodward
On Reading
A Life-Long Springtime: The Life and Teaching of Fr George Congreve SSJE by Luke Miller (Sacristy Press 2022)
Alfred Hope Patten and the Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham by Michael Yelton
(Sacristy Press 2022)
I remember my first encounter w
What does it mean to Journey? Reading Crossroad by Moseley
Posted on by James Woodward
Charles Moseley is a Cambridge scholar, teacher and English writer. I took this book with me to the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales last weekend while present at a conference exploring the poetry of RS Thomas. This book was a perfect accompaniment in my lodgings in
In memory of Ruth Innes
Posted on by James Woodward
I first came across Ruth at St George's, Windsor, when she came one year on a clergy conference. It was an intensive 10 days of learning, reflecting and getting to know the ups and downs of ministry across the church.
I was getting ready for the consultation and wa
Finding hope in the eternal values of truth and justice
Posted on by James Woodward
The situation in Ukraine makes us feel so helpless. What can we do? Add this to our weariness and anxiety about the pandemic, climate change and the economy and we are left wondering what the future looks like for us and future generations.
These images of warfare haunt
Sunday Afternoon Cinema – The Duke
Posted on by James Woodward
I wonder where you consider home to be? And if you are a long way away from that place do you ever feel homesick? That strange longing for the places, the people, the language and particularities that formed you ?
Home for me is the north-east – so I should a
Hearing God in Poetry by Richard Harries
Posted on by James Woodward
Hearing God in Poetry
Fifty Poems for Lent and Easter
Richard Harries SPCK 2022
This is the time of the year when some turn to the possibility of taking something up for the season of Lent as part of a pilgrimage of disciplined and intentional spiritual learn
Befriending the elderly stranger in us
Posted on by James Woodward
The Three Ages of Man or Reading a Song is a 1500-1501 is a painting by Giorgione which is presently displayed in the Galleria Palatina in Florence. It has stimulated some further thoughts especially around a recurring comment that has found expression in recent conve