Quartz
The most common comments I receive about creative worship fall into two categories. “How can I be more creative?” and “That must take a long time to do”. I think both observations are true, so here are some thoughts from a lifetime based on reflecting about them. From the beginning God is described as creator. […]
A spirituality of making The scars on the Ruthwell cross are witness to the troubled relationship Christians have with art. We are physical beings who need a world of sensations, we are also spiritual beings who can sense a realm that is more than simply physical. The Bible is filled with references to God crafting, […]
What does it mean to “Find Jesus in the trees”, or in daily life, or a shared bite to eat and drink? Jesus himself is recorded as talking about people “finding” the Kingdom of heaven while doing ordinary task like grinding grain. Perhaps you are someone who catches a glimpse of the Rule of God […]
Alison has sent in this reflection from a quiet morning at Elsieshields. Rabbi Yehoshua was once asked “Why did God appear to Moses in such a lowly bush?”The Rabbi answered “Why in a thorn bush? I’ll tell you: To teach there is no place where the Divine Presence is not found, even in a lowly […]
“Light” is used frequently in the Gospels, especially in the good news as told by John. I chose this theme for my final assembly with the Dumfries High School year group I have been chaplain to since they started secondary school during lockdown. As they gather I usually run a video which introduces the theme […]
The Holy Spirit is described as a comforter. This is a short video with a collection of images to remind us of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives. These pictures are particularly effective when they pop up on Facebook and other feeds like “The Unvirtuous Abbey” which peppers digital diet with […]
Creative Church Building Our gathering on Saturday the 18th was uplifting. Members of St Johns were joined by people from around Dumfries and Galloway. Participants described it as “encouraging”, “insightful”, and are planning events to build up the Body of Christ as we move onwards after Pentecost. This post will have a few images from […]
Fish on coals by the water Inspired by the story of Jesus meeting his disciples on the beach we meet up by the river and eat together on Easter Sunday. We practice #SensingMeaningfulness and reflect on the experiences of Lent leading to Easter Sunday. We started by simply walking out along the river bank after […]
This Easter Quartz explored the spiritual landscape near St Johns. Seven of us, and a dog, from within St Johns and the wider community visited Lincluden Abbey, and the 12 Apostles stone circle. The day was set up to allow people to drop in for activities and to travel by car, or on foot. Some […]
Where do you find value and joy in life? Christians sometimes talk of being “born again” or “Metanoia” moments. The examples used of this are often ones where a persons life is caught up in extreme behaviour. It was, however, when someone so concerned about preserving his good reputation that he chose to visit Jesus […]