Article in Stretton Focus, October 2013 Any sentence with the word ‘God’ in it, should carry a health warning – be careful with this word because nobody really knows what it means. Religions generally think that they have access to the meaning of the word ‘God’, and they have made far-fetched, and often contradictory, claims […]
Who do you think you are ?
Article in Stretton Focus, November 2013 That’s the catchy title of a popular television programme. People are helped to look at their family tree and discover connections with distant relatives, whom they didn’t even know existed. The result of this discovery could be both surprising and shocking. It might also come as a surprise, or […]
Know Thyself
Article in Stretton Focus, December 2013 In training for the ministry many years ago I had to read books on theology and philosophy, which I did whenever I could tear myself away from the table-tennis room! The purpose of the study was to pass my exams, and most of the stuff I learned I’ve now […]
Terminal 23
From ‘Focus on Faith’, Stretton Focus, December 2013 Being diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness is a shock. Education does not prepare us and culturally it is not a conversation topic. The message can come when you least expect it, sometimes at an age when lifestyle changes are bringing a whole new vista of life’s […]
Focus on Faith
From ‘Focus on Faith’, Stretton Focus, November 2011 If we’re going to focus on faith, we’d better know what faith is. Some would say that faith is the same as belief. But that’s a mistake. It’s a mistake the church has made, along with other religions. It led to a situation where belief became a […]
Christmas comes but once a year ….
Article in Stretton Focus, December 2011 . . . . . . and when it comes, it always brings the usual headaches. What do you buy for people who already have more than enough? Will it be turkey again or shall we have roast beef, or even go vegetarian? Shall I actually read all those […]
“Then t’was the Roman . .”
Article in Stretton Focus, January 2012 Those who know their ‘Shropshire Lad’ will recognise the words in my title. They are from the poem ‘On Wenlock Edge’ where Housman is looking back to the times of the Roman occupation. He was saying “Once the Romans were here, and now I am; they are now ‘ashes […]
The Poet, the Poem and the Poetry
Article in Stretton Focus, February 2012 A poet is someone who puts words together with a creative imagination. Words are assembled in a way that is designed to stimulate the thoughts and stir up the emotions of any reader. The names of Wordsworth, Tennyson and Browning will spring to mind as being poets whose words […]
Is God Nowhere or Now Here?
From ‘Focus on Faith’, in Stretton Focus, April 2012 The evolution of Homo sapiens in an evolving universe is the context in which we find ourselves. This is where we live and ensure the survival of our species. Humans have developed brain power and self consciousness, which has given an added dimension to our lives. […]
The Elephant in the Room
Article in Stretton Focus, May 2012 You may have heard people referring to ‘the elephant in the room’, and, like me, wondered what it meant. So I’ve given it some thought. If there was an elephant in your room, it would be fairly obvious, wouldn’t it! But the phrase is used to refer to something […]