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A Bit Like Jesus - Family Stories
A Bit Like Jesus - Family Stories
by SPCK - Robin Gill
WEEK 1 Stories We Value Family Stories Stories are particularly important for families. We tell and retell stories about where and when we were born, about holidays shared, about birthday and Christmas parties enjoyed long ago, about grandparents and great-grandparents no longer …
Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation
Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation
by Peter Cross
Prayers for Peace and Reconciliation Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Lord we ask for the grace to be peacemakers. We know it won’t be easy because hurt runs deep and memories are long, forgiveness is hard and costly, but we long for the real …
GOD's rich Pattern - The peace of acceptance
GOD's rich Pattern - The peace of acceptance
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
The peace of acceptance Four years on life had taken on a more peaceful turn. Ralph was not kicking quite so hard. There was more a sense of resignation and acceptance of his situation. Life had more or less returned to normal, whatever that might mean. I was picking up the piece…
GOD's rich Pattern - A painful parting
GOD's rich Pattern - A painful parting
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A painful parting Ralph’s deterioration, both mentally and physically, took a huge downturn. He was constantly falling, finding himself in a totally agitated state, unable to stand. After two falls in the middle of the night, which my carer and I had to cope with, it was time to …
GOD's rich Pattern - The final walk
GOD's rich Pattern - The final walk
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
The final walk In my last meditation I spoke of the unity within my family: Ralph, myself and Harvey, our dog, who meant so much to Ralph. Ralph had had a very difficult year, with lots of bouts of infection and trips to hospital, becoming more and more fatigued and weakened by t…
GOD's rich Pattern - My best friend
GOD's rich Pattern - My best friend
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
My best friend It was Princess Diana who famously once said, ‘There were three of us in this marriage.’ In our case there certainly were – namely, Ralph, myself and Harvey, our chocolate English Cocker Spaniel. He came into our life when he was eleven weeks old. Ralph and I had a…
Monologue/Drama: Look at Peter!
Monologue/Drama: Look at Peter!
by Marjorie Dobson
Monologue/Drama: Look at Peter! It’s the same man! It really is! Although you wouldn’t believe it, if you remembered his past behaviour. Remember he was the coward who denied that he knew Jesus when he was challenged by that girl in the courtyard while Jesus was standing trial. H…
Drama/Monologue: Why am I here?
Drama/Monologue: Why am I here?
by Marjorie Dobson
Drama/Monologue: Why am I here? Ooh! Hey! Look at that! Isn’t it amazing? I never thought I’d ever get into a place like this. Not me. I mean, I’ve been in places like this before, but only through the back door and only when no one important was around. When you work the way I h…
GOD's rich Pattern - Patience through the chaos
GOD's rich Pattern - Patience through the chaos
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Patience through the chaos Living with Parkinson’s (I use that phrase deliberately due to the fact that Parkinson’s took over our lives) is no joke, particularly when the person suffering from it is angry, but will not express his anger. The way it manifested itself was to come o…
GOD's rich Pattern - A trip that would make a difference
GOD's rich Pattern - A trip that would make a difference
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A trip that would make a difference Throughout all our struggle, the work of The Lin Berwick Trust continued. We had our first cottage in East Harling, Norfolk. We were then looking for a second site. Where it would come from, I had no idea. I knew we just had to go forward in fa…
GOD's rich Pattern - A reason for living
GOD's rich Pattern - A reason for living
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A reason for living Ralph hated the term Parkinson’s disease. He felt he was somehow contagious, and didn’t want anyone to know that he had it. He behaved as though he were ashamed. When tragedy strikes, our first reaction is that we don’t want to go on. Life has no meaning. For …
GOD's rich Pattern - Personal cost
GOD's rich Pattern - Personal cost
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Personal cost The success of our second holiday home was at a personal cost. Ralph became increasingly anxious, never wanting to socialize. My home was becoming more and more of a prison, as I hardly went outside the door. I tried to motivate Ralph, but to no avail. All he was in…
Drama: Ananias
Drama: Ananias
by Marjorie Dobson
Drama: Ananias Hello! My name is Ananias. You’ve probably never heard of me, although my name does crop up from time to time. But I’m just an ordinary Christian believer, so no one would ever have known about me at all, if it hadn’t been for one extraordinary incident in my life.…
Responsive Prayer: Prayer: When life is steeped in despair
Responsive Prayer: Prayer: When life is steeped in despair
by Marjorie Dobson
Psalm 30 Responsive Prayer: When life is steeped in despair When life is steeped in despair and there appears to be no hope: God, be our help When those around are hostile and aggressive and it seems that there is no defence against them: God, be our help When pain and sickness o…
GOD's rich Pattern - A window on the world
GOD's rich Pattern - A window on the world
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A window on the world The joy of discovering that I had a brain soaking up English literature, music and choral singing was fantastic. I’d had, until blindness struck, only a very basic education. It was really only occupation of the mind, rather than learning life skills. Now, a…
Poem: If he had come …
Poem: If he had come …
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: If he had come … If he had come as a king with a robe and jewels and a crown of gold, he would have been impressive. But there would have been those who envied him his wealth, tried to steal his jewels, or attempted to rob him of his crown. If he had come with a sword and s…
Prayer: Psalm 31 – A responsive prayer