QuartzTwo thoughts from Alison arising from the Lent course… I was struck by the way in which Jesus responsed to the grieving women in the family of Lazerus. He didn’t try to make them look on the bright side. “At least we know that he is happy in heaven now”. He didn’t avoid their raw […]
From the resident Quartz weaving specialist – Alison Fair Bixler Continuing my ongoing pondering of the BBC radio 4 Daily Service, (about the gifts of talents) I reread the 9th century poem a monk wrote about his cat Pangur Bán in the margins of the page in the book he was working on. In it […]
#SensingSpirituality is a theme which runs through Quartz activates. This is based on the idea that humans are made of more than just flesh and bones. The activities are often designed to help participants use visual arts, or the physicality of crafts to explore, understand and express intangible feelings like meaningfulness. But do you ever […]
In 2019 we spent time every Sunday walking, watching, #SensingSpirituality and noticing the changes in ourselves and environment. For Easter Sunday we had a BBQ on a beach by the river. In 2020 during lockdown we did something similar, but with a few adjustments to be covid safe. This video is probably a good way […]
#SensingSpirituality is not restricted to religon or religious people. There are places which draw you in. ‘Most people, when they stand in an ancient stone circle, can sense the timeless presence of the place… …There is a temptation to be still and to ponder what surrounds you…. …There are ties and bonds between all people […]
You think you know water. But how well do you know water? We experience snow, ice, steam, fresh and salt, different tastes. Water can be moving or still. Our experience can be of a silent, but very present mass, or a rapidly changing and noisy waterfall. Water is essential to life on earth, but there […]
Telling stories at the start of February, and thinking about the story of St Brigid. What was the King of Leinster thinking when he was offered the gift of a bride by one of his chieftains? How did he react then she gave away the chieftains sword to a leper in an act of heroic […]
As people send things in to Quartz I’ll be posting them on this blog from time to time. Here are a couple from the first week. More to follow! “The few snowdrops look so small and vulnerable in a threatening world, but they will survive.” Winifred Wilson Alison is working with paper made from recycled […]
We are wrapped in mirk, drenched in the spent blood of politics. But today, on my table, while it sleets outside, I have an orange with a green leaf on it. By the grace of God we can achieve wonderful things, and we should not forget that while we seek to reveal the potential the […]
Our stewardship course met on Burns night this recently. The text we looked at was about bickering pharisees and a man who tried to hoard his wealth rather than share his windfall. (read it here) It seems that if Burns invested in anything it was in experiences, and the words to describe them. His sponsors […]