Author: stuart

  • Itchy feet

    No, not athletes foot… We all went off to North Wales last week to see a possible place for a title parish. I had already visited the vicar to see if it would be possible, but this was a longer visit with time to reflect on the town. A small place, much like Caernarfon, a…

  • A Thin Place

    While shopping and walking, listening to some music I got this Christmas, (thanks Kathryn!!) I was kind of struck by how much many people I know regard Iona as a thin place, a place where the separation between Heaven and Earth is 'thin'. Why it struck me was because while walking and listening to beautiful…

  • Credo in Deum

    The most simplistic of statements. I would probably want to go on to say, Credo ergo sum… this has been an influence from both Hans Kung – minus his mathematical language which I am at a loss to even fathom the grammatical structure! and an influence of a phrase which cropped up in a lecture…

  • Cantemus

    Cantemus is a chamber choir, they are based in Wales and sang in the college chapel at the end of term. The music they produced was fantastic, it really touched the soul. Something about unaccompanied voices is so enchanting it grips the imagination and forces you out of yourself. This was especially evident in one…

  • End of term … again!

    Well, the end of term is nigh, one more college Eucharist, one more set of ye olde hymns, oh and one carol service taken largely from Candles and Conifers This morning I had that parents doting dream, the nativity play. Although it was in Welsh (obviously!) I didn’t understand the majority of it, now you…

  • Eucharist

    I was at St Luke’s yesterday morning. It is quite an Anglo-catholic church and so I was part of the altar party being a sub-deacon or something wearing more robes than I ever thought possible! Anyway, that is not the important part. At the distribution of the elements, I was to give out the bread…

  • Beauty in simplicity

    It would be so easy to reflect on the difficulties this week, so I won’t! I remember a poem, It is called, If I had my life over. Although I don’t remember all of it, it speaks of taking more risks, going bare foot earlier, having more actual problems, but less imaginary ones! and picking…

  • Art & Sandwiches

    Firstly Sandwiches, not that the food theme is anything surprising for me, but I had a distinct thought for sandwiches during tonights service… Secondly, Art. In two parts, the first is about a Welsh Sculptor, John Meirion Morris www.johnmeirionmorris.org/ His art is inspirational, and I wrote a reflection on this a few years ago during…

  • Slow

    Why is it that the church moves so slowly. So slowly that the most interesting and inspirational things pass it by in the night. Indeed those people who put their heart and soul into the church being passionate and engaged end up cynical about the whole process simply because nothing seems to change. You think…

  • Handle

    There is a door handle, on the wall, in our lecture room. There is no door attached to it!! So far the comments have been, ‘well at least we’ve got a handle on this lecture’ and ‘if we open that does the lecturer go away?’ and ‘that is one big door’ and ‘we’ve got a…