Times and Seasons - Agony
Times and Seasons - Agony
by Marjorie Dobson
Agony Agony etched on faces. Pain screaming from tortured limbs. Blood running from open wounds, mingling with sweat, diluted by tears. Victims dying. Soldiers doing their duty. Enemies looking on with hatred blazing. Mothers weeping inconsolably. Friends standing, lost and helpl…
Times and Seasons - Confusion
Times and Seasons - Confusion
by Marjorie Dobson
Confusion Overwhelmed by things we cannot explain and questions for which we have no answers, we struggle to make sense of anything we thought we understood. Along the way, we lose sight of truths that once formed the bedrock of our faith. Continues... ©Marjorie Dobson
Recovering from Depression - What are we recovering from?
Recovering from Depression - What are we recovering from?
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
What are we recovering from? One of the most surprising things for me about recovering from depression is that for a lot of the time I can’t actually remember just how dreadful it was to be under such a dark and heavy cloud. It is, of course, wonderful and hugely encouraging to h…
Recovering from Depression - Days of resurrection
Recovering from Depression - Days of resurrection
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Days of resurrection - Part 1 Introduction Easter Day begins in darkness. It begins with the grief and fear, loneliness and despair of two women, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James. They think they have lost everything that gave their lives meaning and direction. They f…
Recovering from Depression - Foreword
Recovering from Depression - Foreword
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Foreword This is a resurrection book. As Christians, we know that, through his death and resurrection, God in Christ has achieved everything necessary for our salvation. The New Testament piles up image after image to help us understand what has been done for us, but at the heart…
Recovering from Depression - Prologue: A meditation on approaching Easter
Recovering from Depression - Prologue: A meditation on approaching Easter
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Prologue: A meditation on approaching Easter Morning has broken like the first morning. And as on that first morning, light blazes out into a new world, driving back the darkness and chaos, rolling away the stone of death...
Recovering from Depression - Acknowledgements
Recovering from Depression - Acknowledgements
by SPCK - Katharine Smith
Acknowledgements I’m very grateful to all the people who have supported me with love and prayer while I’ve been writing this book, and I’d also like to thank those who have shared with me some of their experiences of suffering from depression and recovering from that illness. Nam…
The Gate
The Gate
by Paul Glass
A meditation on John 10:1-10 Fourth Sunday of Easter The Gate Gates are important aren’t they? The slats of wood, the moss, their very existence points to mystery. Because in fact it’s not so much the gate as what it leads to. The new places. The possibilities. The change in life…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - If You Build It, He Will Come
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - If You Build It, He Will Come
by SPCK - John Goldingay
If You Build It, He Will Come Psalm 132 In an hour’s time, I am off to our diocesan convention, where clergy and laypeople will make decisions about policies and initiatives for the coming year. We will begin by asking for God’s guidance and wisdom in connection with our discussi…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Reason to Believe
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Reason to Believe
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Reason to Believe Psalm 116 Last night I had dinner with a young man who is a faithful church worshiper. He has been so for most of his life, but he isn’t sure whether the worship in which he takes part is real in the sense of corresponding to the truth. As he put it, he isn’t su…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - On Being Open to the Unexpected
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - On Being Open to the Unexpected
by SPCK - John Goldingay
On Being Open to the Unexpected Psalm 113-114 In commenting on Psalm 108, I spoke of a friend’s Pentecostal church that seemed to have no more expectation of God’s acting than evangelical or mainline churches do. But yesterday I sat in the ophthalmologist’s waiting room reading a…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - The Prosperity Gospel Redefined
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - The Prosperity Gospel Redefined
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Prosperity Gospel Redefined Psalm 112 My wife used to work for one of the most successful and wealthy people in the United States (this did not mean she brought a wonderful dowry into our marriage). Her job was to help him do something with his money, and the projects she was…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Trust or Control
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Trust or Control
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Trust or Control Psalm 115 Today I received a much-forwarded e-mail with a moving story about a woman showing a caring attitude to a homeless guy and his mentally challenged friend who showed up in a fast-food restaurant. The e-mail promised that if in turn I forward the e-mail t…
Rocky Road through Holy Week
Rocky Road through Holy Week
by catherine beane
Rocky Road Recipe exploring the events of Holy Week / Easter This 'Rocky Road through Holy Week' recipe is a great way to explore the events of Holy Week with children of all ages. Ingredients: 1 Drop of orange oil / flavouring 2 Handfuls of raisins 12 Glace cherries 1 Bag of Min…
Imagining the Lectionary: Preserving the positive image (Easter Day)
Imagining the Lectionary: Preserving the positive image (Easter Day)
by David Perry
Imagining the Lectionary: Preserving the positive image (Easter Day) Reflection accompanying images “Sinnington anglo saxon cross embedded in wall of parish church” and “Christ crucified built into fabric of the church at Sinnington.” Rumaging through the dusty old attic storeroo…
Ashes to Joy
Ashes to Joy
by Maureen Spinks
Easter Poem - Discovery of resurrection Ashes to Joy! Bereft and desolate, Grief’s weariness slowing steps, Faces wan, eyes red rimmed but now dry. In quiet emptiness and numb distress They come. To fulfil last rites Final duty, care and personal goodbyes; In ordinary memorial ho…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - God Redeems Now