One of the elements of living in a new place is finding the right place to do your shopping! Thankfully I have found a wonderful vegetable supplier who delivers a box of fruit and veg. I never know what is in the box - and was surprised to find corn last week! It reminded me of t
Blog: Pictures-Books-Reflections
Invitation and not Intimidation
Posted on by James Woodward
Ignatius begins as any good psychologist (or wise father or mother or pastoral minister) does, with invitation.
Adults know that the opposite-intimidation-never really works. It threatens and frightens, but after the alarm is over nothing much changes except that we (or thos
Fountain
Posted on by James Woodward
fountain
Up from the bronze, I saw
Water without a flaw
Rush to its rest in air,
Reach to its rest, and fall.
From Louise Brogan, Roman fountain
Aliens?
Posted on by James Woodward
A spirituality that takes seriously the kind and extent of alienation – are we not all aliens today? … that has prevailed with increasing power during the past three hundred years must needs pay greater attention than has been out custom to what von Hügel called ‘the life
Changing the Guard
Posted on by James Woodward
There are many interesting features of living in a castle - and one of them is the guard change!
Changing the Guard or Guard Mounting is the process involving a new guard exchanging duty with the old guard.
The Guard which mounts at Buckingham Palace is called The
Tension
Posted on by James Woodward
Tension, then, is an inescapable feature of our spirituality and no one was more insistent upon this that von Hügel. ‘Christianity’, he wrote, ‘can and does develop in man a temper, a state of soul, which so deeply and delicately, so sharply and steadily perceives and fee
Michael and All Angels
Posted on by James Woodward
O everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the ministries of angels and men in a wonderful order: Mercifully grant that, as thy holy angels always serve and worship thee in heaven, so by thy appointment they may help and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord
Temple Balsall
Posted on by James Woodward
For those of you unfamiliar with this special place visit www.leveson.org.uk
Today a new chapter in the life a place that is very important to me begins - a new Vicar of the Parish and Master for the Foundation of Lady Katherine Leveson - the Reverend Kathy Lloyd Roberts. The
Silence
Posted on by James Woodward
Silence is living, dynamic, and liberating.
The practice of silence nourishes vigilance, self-knowledge, letting go, and the compassionate embrace of all whom we would otherwise be quick to condemn. Gradually we realize that whatever it is in us that sees the mind games we pla
Can we free ourselves?
Posted on by James Woodward
Now I am disarmed.. I have waged this war against myself for many years. It was terrible. But now I am disarmed. I am no longer frightened of anything because love banishes fear. I am disarmed of the need to be right and to justify myself by disqualifying others. I am no long
Lancelot Andrewes
Posted on by James Woodward
Today we commorate Andrewes
Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626) was born at Allhallows, Barking, in 1555. He was an excellent scholar at Merchant Tailor's School, and gained a fellowship at Pembroke College, Cambridge. When Jesus College, Oxford, was founded, young Andrewes was invi
The Sky
Posted on by James Woodward
From my bedroom in a tower of the castle I can see for miles -
the space and wonder of the sky is extraordinary...
it reminds me of this piece:
sunset
Then new events said to me,
‘Don’t move. A sublime generosity is
coming towards you.’
You are the fountain of th
Ember Day
Posted on by James Woodward
Today the Church prays for those in ministry.
I give thanks for the priviledge of my own ministry and those who support my life and work.
In the liturgical calendar of the Western Christian churches, Ember days are four separate sets of three days within the same week—spe
the genius of Angelou
Posted on by James Woodward
temple
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we se
Disappointment?
Posted on by James Woodward
Here is a short piece published in Fridays' Church Times
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.’ (Martin Luther King)
One of the more disturbing pastoral conversations that rather shocked me was with parents who expressed their profound disappoin
pointing heavenward
Posted on by James Woodward
You observe the carven hand
With the index finger pointing heavenward.
That is the direction, no doubt.
But how shall one follow it?
It is well to abstain from murder and lust,
To forgive, do good to others, worship God
Without graven images.
But these are external means
Silence
Posted on by James Woodward
Silence is living, dynamic, and liberating.
The practice of silence nourishes vigilance, self-knowledge, letting go, and the compassionate embrace of all whom we would otherwise be quick to condemn.
Gradually we realize that whatever it is in us that sees the mind games w
Hildegard
Posted on by James Woodward
Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a remarkable woman, a "first" in many fields. At a time when few women wrote, Hildegard, known as "Sybil of the Rhine", produced major works of theology and visionary writings. When few women were accorded respect
Christian Aid
Posted on by James Woodward
Travelling in and out of London has given me the time to look and see the power and possibility of advertising!
I have been particularly impressed with Christian Aid and its campaigns - have you seen their work that directly challenges us to change the world!
How often do we thi
Holy Cross Day
Posted on by James Woodward
This feast is called in Greek Ὕψωσις τοῦ Τιμίου Σταυροῦ (literally, "Raising Aloft of the Precious Cross"). In Latin it is called Exaltatio Sanctae Crucis (literally, "Raising Aloft of the Holy Cross". (The word "Exaltatio" is sometimes translated as "E