QuartzDo you remember when John Bell came to talk with us at St Johns? We had to change venue to down the street so that there would be enough seats for everyone to fit in. Follow the link to watch him chatting with Ricky Ross about a wide range of topics which affect the whole […]
The other Wordsmith Crafts project is Cluaran. While Quartz explores the spiritual heritage, using the arts to help people learn #SensingSpirituality, Cluaran concentrates material culture and history. These two are, of course, closely linked. Recently, summerhill community centre held a mediaeval feast. This was an all age event, led by the young people who have […]
This week much of Scotland will be awash in the discarded plastic left over from a commercialised Halloween. How many of us are wrapped in misinformation about the roots and current experience of this Holy time? This article discusses the history of the festival we have inherited, and some of the misinformation surrounding it. https://www.premierunbelievable.com/articles/was-halloween-originally-a-christian-festival/16648.article […]
I was asked where the space for public lamenting in church gathering can be found. I’m not sure. Perhaps this post is in someways a lament in itself. Laments are both an expression of grief and longing. An exploration of loss coupled with a hope that things could – should – better. There are psalms […]
Yesterday was the autumn equinox. Day and night balance each other. It is celebrated in many ways. Some of these are flourishings from Christendom, some look for earlier roots and others might just be instinctive urges to drink something special and warming. At the contemporary service in St John’s we built a machine. The processes […]
When words run out. Can we pray in colours? If God is Love, and we are Loves children, then when we are caught up in moments of immersion in beauty and the experience of Love are we praying? The sunset over an ocean. A moment of noticing the character of light on the leaves of […]
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 time scale measures your life? In an age of 24/7/265 with ultrafast connectivity young people are still searching for rivers and lochs to swim in. This is the time of year to pick brambles from the hedgerows and enjoy the occasional day when the summer lingers. If you want your dream to beTake your […]
Dumfries may seem far removed from the recent rioting in England, but did you know that there have been people delivering far right anti-immigration leaflets through doors in the area? This article in Christianity Today ask some questions about the practice of Churches in the UK sending missionaries abroad. They also highlight some of the […]
What makes you feel at home? Jesus says that there are many rooms in his fathers house, I’m hoping that in some of them I’ll be able to settle down and listen to sludge metal and let the deep peace of the soundscape wash over me. Here is a welcome from the Metal Methodist Church […]