John – Page 8 – The Reflectionary

The Joy of Exploring- Look, See, Pray

February 10, 2022

The adult in me immediately worries about losing the littl’un, her having an accident, maybe a rampaging fire-breathing dragon leaping from behind the beech trees, or simply risking sensitising Mary-Jane to pollen and a lifetime of hayfever. I’m a RESPONSIBLE person (who worries too much). My inner child-self says “Go for it, kid! Run, explore, discover bees and bluebells, birdsong and trees to play in!” … More The Joy of Exploring- Look, See, Pray

Christ the King + competition winner

November 15, 2021

Forgive me, gentle reader, it has been a long and frazzling week. All good stuff, but hard work and I’m afraid I’ve not been able to write this week’s Reflectionary in time. It was going to be something along these lines: Not Christmas yes, not even Advent, but blink and we’ll be watching those end-of … More Christ the King + competition winner

Recorded Light- Look, See, Pray

October 21, 2021

Memories made of recorded light… I re-live the holiday, remember the heat of the sun, stony path, the sound of the rushing mountain torrent taking water back to the distant sea. Glorious… and freshly laid down again in my brain by the repetition. … More Recorded Light- Look, See, Pray

A Different Way of Life- Look, See, Pray

August 26, 2021

Canals run through beautiful English countryside, up Welsh valleys, and link Scottish lochs. Ingenious engineering has survived and still works, carefully maintained, and the whole experience has changed from hard labour to gentle leisure. It’s a grand way to holiday! … More A Different Way of Life- Look, See, Pray

1 Kings 19:4-8 & John 6:35, 41-51

August 2, 2021

This afternoon, in a rare moment of domesticity, I made bread. I’m about as effective in the kitchen as a butterfly in a sumo match, but technology helps me cheat, so the house has been filled for hours with the drool-worthy scent of warm D’oh. Sorry, dough. It came out of the bread maker 20 … More 1 Kings 19:4-8 & John 6:35, 41-51

My way home- Look, See, Pray

June 4, 2021

guides” are untrustworthy and divisive. (Greed and self-interested ambition are not characteristics that make wise guides or leaders.) … More My way home- Look, See, Pray

A Splash is Enough- Look, See, Pray

May 27, 2021

When I was about 10 or 11, our teacher told us to paint the scariest “monster” we could imagine. I went in full technicolour! Garish and somehow less scary than the art “swot” who produced a truly terrifying picture using only two well-chosen colours. You can tell how disappointed I was by the fact I still remember the incident… … More A Splash is Enough- Look, See, Pray

What has the Trinity ever done for us?

May 24, 2021

John 3:1-17, Romans 8:12-17 To slightly mis-quote Monty Python, ‘What has the Trinity ever done for us?’ Well, maybe not aqueducts, roads or public baths, but in today’s passages we find probably the biggest and best thing that anyone ever did for someone else. God adopted us into his family, and by doing that gave … More What has the Trinity ever done for us?

John 15:9-17, Eph 1:4 – ” I Chose You”

May 3, 2021

This is a fun trick to illustrate how we may think that we have chosen God, but in fact, he chose us, before the creation of the world. It’s great as an attention-grabber for a sermon, youth groups, All-Age Worship, Messy church or school assembly. Prepare this trick by writing a large 9 on a … More John 15:9-17, Eph 1:4 – ” I Chose You”

Sad Trumpet- Look, See, Pray

April 30, 2021

I have mixed feelings as April ends. It happens every year when the daffs in the garden finally finish their cheery display; there is usually a bit of a break between their passing and the next influx of colour. This year I have marked it by photographing the “Last Trumpet of Spring.” The trumpet is still big, brassy and bold but the other petals are fading fast. Yet the warm spring sunshine glows through it- at first glance it is still gorgeous. But change is coming and the daffodils are departing. … More Sad Trumpet- Look, See, Pray