Gallery Fairacres Oxford 2025 and 2024
Posted on by James Woodward
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Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer
Posted on by James Woodward
My first experience of silence ( real silence) was with the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God at Fairacres in Oxford in 1979. I was an undergraduate reading theology at Kings College London. I have an abiding memory of the intensity of the silence and worship. I h
Nick Cave : Music, Grief and Church
Posted on by James Woodward
Mobility brings freedom and a certain amount of unpredictability. I spent last weekend in Birmingham engaged in a ministerial project for the Diocese. Travelling back on Sunday morning brought with it clear blue skies
On sorting out Books ! Keeping, Letting Go and Moving On
Posted on by James Woodward
Have you ever gone into someone's home and wandered over their bookshelves to see what they have collected ? We always learn something about them - their personality perhaps, their interests or even their passions. The books we read, the books we collect and the books we return
Making Sense and the ‘Business’ of the Church ?
Posted on by James Woodward
I much enjoyed reading an authorised biography of John Habgood written by David Wilbourne. It is an insightful and wise evaluation of the former Archbishop of York. Here is a link to my reflections commending the insights and wisdom of this biographical reflection. &n
Trees
Posted on by James Woodward
a tree
God
is a tree said Kabir
a tree in the forest; when the woodsmen come
to cut Him down
He will not defend Himself
He will not shame them.
And God, he said,
is the earth
an endless wonder
that allows Himself
to be ruined b
In Praise of George Gently
Posted on by James Woodward
Inspector George Gently is a crime drama that ran over seven series. Set in the North East of England in the 1960s it centres on Newcastle, Northumberland and County Durham. Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby take the lead roles as Inspector and Detective Sergeant suppo
As 2024 closes : make friends with fire
Posted on by James Woodward
Make Friends with Fire as the New Year Opens Up
I look at my heart, such as it is,
so much lower than what language can do; &nb
Reading a Building : Andrew Ziminski on Church Going
Posted on by James Woodward
I am presently in Wales appreciating some rest and space. There are two features of what makes for refreshment here. The first is reading given the gift of uninterrupted time. The second is exploring places and buildings near and far. These often include Churches if I
Christmas : Light on our Lives
Posted on by James Woodward
In years gone by I used to travel to Paris for a few days in Advent. Walking, eating, sightseeing but especially absorbing myself in the sheer wonder of its history and art.
When I think of Christmas this wonderful painting by George de la Tour ‘ the
Adrian Cadbury and his legacy
Posted on by James Woodward
Book tokens are always a welcome opportunity to see what has been recently published and secure an adventure of discovery! Participating in a recent Church Times debate on assisted dying offered me the chance to secure a copy of this biography of Adrian Cadb
What makes a good Church for you ?
Posted on by James Woodward
Perhaps ‘good’ Church has a few essential things in common?
1. They share a deeply incarnational view of the world, the recognition that matter is the scaffolding of spirit, the two deeply entwined; each Church knows that the commonplace, when
In Search of Patience ?
Posted on by James Woodward
patience
An absolute
patience.
Trees stand
up to their knees in
fog. The fog
slowly flows
uphill.
White
cobwebs, the grass
leaning where deer
have looked for apples.
The woods
from brook to where
the top of the hill looks
over the fog, send up
no
The Spanish Gallery and the Auckland Project
Posted on by James Woodward
I am a child of the North born and schooled in County Durham with my roots firmly embedded in the Mining Industry. My Father worked at East Hetton Pit in Kelloe and then was transferred to Easington when the Village pit was closed in 1983. I have vivid memorie
Human Nature Exposed ? Watching Conclave
Posted on by James Woodward
This year have been doing some work in the Diocese of Birmingham on behalf of Sarum College. It is both engaged and fascinating as with my colleagues Keith Elford we have been working with clergy and lay people across Deaneries and Oversight Areas.
I pref
Creative Repair : on empowering care and creativity
Posted on by James Woodward
There can be no doubt that these recent weeks have been traumatic and testing for the Church of England and for the public face of religion. Two things have occurred that that bear upon the shape, processes and content of this book which make it importan
Gifts and Graces
Posted on by James Woodward
I have come to admire the way different individuals function in their professional roles. Yet finally I represent the role my way, in my person, in terms of my gifts and my graces. These “gifts and graces,” as the Methodists put
Retreat Reading – McLaren on Wisdom and Courage
Posted on by James Woodward
One of the more challenging decisions that needs to be made in preparation for a few days away on retreat is what one might read. In the throes of a busy term and new academic year my pile of books waiting to be read sit as an invitation to open, ingest and learn. At th
The Stories we tell ourselves?
Posted on by James Woodward
Keeping tidy has always been an aspiration. One of the downsides of this mild, but I hope, healthy obsession is that on the whole I can find things when I need to but certainly when they go astray mostly they are lost forever.
In recent weeks,
The Shrine of St Melangell – a thin place of pilgrimage
Posted on by James Woodward
A hidden place in Wales, where a Celtic saint gave her protection to the hare, Pennant Melangell is situated at the head of the Tanat Valley, not far from Llangynog on the main Oswestry – Bala road.
This church is the only one which is dedicated to Melangell. It is a