Well three months later and I actually finished it - though some chapters were given more attention that others. A kind present from a friend following a bereavement this heavyweight acted as a kind of self improving distraction for which in the end I
Back to my Roots? The legacy of Brooke Foss Westcott
Posted on by James Woodward
I finished reading Isabel Hardman on turned to thoroughly researched life of Westcott. There were many resonances and connections. As the son of a miner the title was arresting. Ordained in Durham after theological studies at Westcott House Cambridge there were further
Christmas Reading – what kind of politicians do we have or need?
Posted on by James Woodward
I wonder what you will dip into over this holiday season by way of escape or relaxation?
I took a risk with this book. The title was arresting and the author the recognisable voice of BBC Radio 4s Westminster Hour. Of course we live in a complex and contested world and
Christmas 2018
Posted on by James Woodward
I wonder what kind of year that you have had? What do we bring into the coming days - our memories, our hopes, our frustrations and disappointments? The picture of the Quaker tapestry reflects the fragmentedness, richness and complexity of all of our lives.
When we turn to t
Getting Ready for Christmas ? Gratitude and Light !
Posted on by James Woodward
Last week I travelled to the Midlands for meetings in Birmingham. Walking through the centre later in the day I appreciated the lights and colour and smell of the German market. It was great to see families browsing, eating, drinking and laughing. It was also very good to hear G
A Shaking Reality – a new book for Advent from Peter Price
Posted on by James Woodward
A Shaking Reality : Daily Reflections for Advent
Peter B Price
DLT 2018
Sometimes even the the most faithful of hearts might wonder how our religious words, images and metaphors make a difference. How do they shape our understanding of the worl
Spirituality in Hospice Care
Posted on by James Woodward
Spirituality in Hospice Care
How Staff and Volunteers Can Support the Dying and Their Families
Edited by Andrew Goodhead and Nigel Hartley Jessica Kingsley Publishers
2017, 240pp (pbk) ISBN: 9781785921025 £19.99
The concepts of spirituality and spiritual care a
In a Glass Darkly: The Bible, Refection and Everyday Life
Posted on by James Woodward
In a Glass Darkly: The Bible, Reflection and Everyday Life
Zoe Bennett, Christopher Rowland SCM Press £25
(978-0-334-05422-1)
Moments of honesty and candour can be both refreshing and threatening in equal measure. I recently heard an intelligent and energetic paris
Still Growing : The Creative Self in Older Age
Posted on by James Woodward
Still Growing
The Creative Self in Older Adulthood
Donald Capps
The Lutterworth press 2015, PB 208pp, 9780718893910, £16.50.
This is the most delightful of books in its thoroughness, scholarship and creativity. It has all the potential to transform the readers
What are older People for ? Reflecting on Care
Posted on by James Woodward
‘It’s no fun getting older – just you wait’ was the challenge posed by a woman who in her 80s was embracing some slowing up and her need for help. She had spent four decades teaching children and now felt vulnerable and marginalised. ‘I feel invisible, overlooked an
Chaplaincy in the Workplace
Posted on by James Woodward
Fiona Stewart-Darling, Multifaith Chaplaincy in the Workplace: How Chaplains Can Support Organizations and their Employees (London: Jessica Kingsley, 2017);
As we continue to debate the effects of secularism on the life of faith with, at least, statistical evidence to sugg
Not for Profit – what kind of education will equip us for the future ?
Posted on by James Woodward
Looking backwards and wondering ‘what if’ is an exercise that requires care and some measure of wisdom. However, we need to engage in the ‘what if’ questions to nurture reflexivity and so challenge ourselves to be energised by the possibilities of change.
So here is
Reminiscence Work with Older Adults
Posted on by James Woodward
The Multi-Sensory Reminiscence Activity Book
52 Weekly Group Session Plans for Working with Older Adults
Sophie Jopling and Sarah Mousley
Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2017 ISBN: 9781785922398
There are few of us in early middle age who do not know someone who is l
Poetry and Dementia
Posted on by James Woodward
Poetry and Dementia: A Practical Guide
John Killick
Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2017 ISBN: 9781785921766 £16.99
I wonder what your relationship to poetry is? I have met some people that simply do not get this way of expression; others who simply have
A crisis of Care ?
Posted on by James Woodward
Contrast two scenes. The first is a restaurant – where the food is carefully prepared and warmly served in an atmosphere which seeks to delight its customers. The second is a hospital. Parking the car is nearly impossible – the long impersonal corridors where people a
Holiday reading (1) Gordon Brown My life, Our Times Bodley Head 2017.
Posted on by James Woodward
Having successfully downsized my living and therefore 'storage' arrangements I think twice about buying a book! I was, however, immediately drawn to this political autobiography, not least because on the two occasions I met Gordon Brown I found
Bradbury on Practical theology and Pierre-Andre Liege : Book Review
Posted on by James Woodward
Practical theology and Pierre-Andre Liege : Radical Dominican and Vatican II Pioneer
Nicholas Bradbury
AshGate 2015 £65.00 ISBN 9781472418708
This is giant of a text from the priest with long experience of ministry, learning, leadership and reflective practice.
Conundrums in Practical Theology : Book Review
Posted on by James Woodward
Conundrums in Practical Theology. By Joyce Ann Mercer and Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, Boston: Brill, 2016. 320 pages. $76. (PBK). ISBN 978-90-04-32423-7.
Reviewed by: James Woodward, Principal of Sarum College, Salisbury and Visiting Professor of Theology, t
Advent Offers an Invitation to Wait and Hope
Posted on by James Woodward
We are midway through the season running up to Christmas, which is called Advent. One of its key themes is the importance for us to see the possibilities that waiting might bring or us.
I overheard a child in Tesco this week say to her brother, "I can't wait for
Please pray for me
Posted on by James Woodward
As a priest, I should not be surprised at how often sometimes perfect strangers ask me to pray for them. Sometimes it is related to a specific difficulty or crisis – more often than not people understandably take comfort from the reality of being prayed for.