Articles written for The Link, a local community magazine published each month for the villages served by the Corby Glen Group of Churches and beyond
When I am helping couples to put together their wedding services we always arrive at the tricky issue of choosing the hymns. My advice is always the same: ‘Make sure the tunes are well-known.’ Because of a very different engagement with the singing of hymns, most young couples draw from the same limited repertoire. So…Continue readingLove divine, all loves excelling
One of the most beautiful and best-loved prayers of the Church of England can be found in the service of Evensong. The prayer is headed: for Aid against all Perils. It is a prayer that many people know, even though they do not engage with the service of Evensong on a regular basis. As I…Continue readingLighten our darkness
So … what sort of person are you? Are you a ‘glass half full’ person or a ‘glass half empty’ person? Do you journey through this life in a spirit of optimistic hope, or is every day overshadowed by a cloud of all-consuming pessimism? As I talk with people of different ages and life experiences…Continue readingWe are lucky to have a glass…!
As you begin to read these few thoughts, I wonder what is going through your mind? Are you reading this because you wonder what I have to say about The Parish Churches of England, or are you just whiling away a few idle moments? Do you have a specific connection to your parish church or…Continue readingThe Parish Churches of England…
Have you ever visited a restaurant, ordered your favourite dish, and then come away disappointed because the balance of ingredients wasn’t quite right? Have you ever sat through a film, play or concert and then come away disappointed because one little piece of the ‘magic’ was misplaced, mistimed or missing altogether? Have you ever experienced…Continue readingThe missing ingredient…?
What is your first thought every morning? Do you wake up with a sense of eager expectation, longing to find out what the day ahead has in store for you? Or, do you reluctantly drag yourself from sleep full of doom and gloom? Do you spring from your bed early, making sure you don’t waste…Continue readingNew every morning…
On 4th May something very significant happened in the history of the Church of England. On that day all Marriage Registers were permanently closed and an entirely new system of registering marriages came into force. The centuries old right of every Rector or Vicar to hold his or her own Marriage Register came to an…Continue readingCome to a wedding…
In the 1970s the American author, Richard Bach, wrote two short books that attained great popularity amongst a younger generation that was seeking to make some sort of sense out of the world they were growing up in: Jonathan Livngston Seagull and Illusion: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. His semi-autobiographical writings encapsulated a philosophy…Continue readingWith wonder, Lord, we see your works…
As this article is being published the Church is entering the most holy time in its calendar of celebrations and commemorations: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Day. These great moments, which recall the end of Jesus’ earthly life and the beginning of the new resurrection hope of Easter, coincide with the new…Continue readingEngland’s green and pleasant land…
What does the word Zoom mean to you? Do you, like me, remember when its only consistent use was as a visual sound effect for something moving at great speed in comics and cartoons? Then came the zoom lens for cameras. The lens that is much favoured by professional photographers as they seek to acquire…Continue readingJesus calls us o’er the tumult…
For almost a year I have spent much time offering comfort and consolation to people who have felt a profound sense of loss and disappointment. Sometimes that loss and disappointment has manifested itself in anger and resentment, at other times it has led to sadness and the shedding of bitter tears. The rule of law…Continue readingAnd God saw that it was good…
In times to come, how do you think you will remember the year that has just passed? No matter what our age or how broad our experiences of life, 2020 was a year like no other. In my article for The Link in January 2020 I spent some time reflecting on the famous reading from…Continue readingFast away the old year passes…
As I write this month’s article for The Link, I am very aware that none of us knows what Christmas is going to look like this year. My first five Christmases in the Corby Glen Group of Parishes have brought an increasingly exciting level of engagement with an ever-broadening circle of people. Last year we…Continue readingOn the first day of Christmas…
In recent weeks I have found myself very occupied in funeral ministry. That may not sound surprising as we continue to journey through the Covid 19 pandemic, but not one of the funerals I have conducted in recent days has had its origins in the coronavirus. Each funeral has marked the drawing to a close…Continue readingThrough all the changing scenes of life…