Well, yes, we do don't we? Whether or not this a good thing is all a matter of opinion. What has been shown is that girls develop the right side of their brains faster than boys and this leads to talking earlier. Little girls also prefer toys with faces, boys prefer brightly coloured blocks. Far be... Continue Reading →
Learning to Breathe
I've been working on my breathing... You'd think that after a near half century of breathing, I'd have mastered it by now. Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale... exhale. The tricky bit is synchronising this action with the necessary front crawl actions of 'face in the water - exhale', then 'face out the water- inhale'. It's much... Continue Reading →
Does anyone else think New Year is an odd thing to celebrate?
Before it's way too late to make a final comment on New Year: I just need to get this off my chest. I think New Year is a really odd thing to celebrate! I simply don't get it. Why do we stay up to midnight to celebrate one day turning into another, one year into... Continue Reading →
New Year’s Day… and I’ve ‘lost’ Jesus
We stayed up to see the New Year in. My final thought before falling asleep was 'where is Baby Jesus? I haven't seen him since Christmas Day'. I was not having a profound religious musing in the early hours (although the clock was telling me it was 11 minutes past 1 on the 1/1/11 - so... Continue Reading →
Alarming Advent Experiences
Anyone else struggling to get up in these dark mornings? I suffer from the 'day off' rule: when it's my (one) day off a week, I'm awake at 5 am, the rest of the time I can barely heave myself out of bed 10 minutes after the alarm has gone off. But this morning wasn't... Continue Reading →
Why forgetting might not be the best idea
There is a poignant scene near the beginning of the recent Harry Potter film. Having decided that her 'muggle' (non magical) parents are at risk from the forces of evil and that they would be safer without her in their life, Hermione casts a spell over them to erase from them all memory of her ever being their... Continue Reading →
Letting Things Lapse … or ‘does God ever give up on us?’
Last night I dreamt I was in prison again. No, this is not another confessional blog. I am not about to reveal a criminal past. I used to work in a prison as a prison chaplain and last night I was on D wing again. I heard the gates clanging, felt the weight of the... Continue Reading →
‘Echoes of a Voice’ – experiences that point us to God
I have just watched an extraordinary film. Moving, beautiful and life-affirming; at one moment hilariously funny and at the next acutely uncomfortable: extraordinary is the only word that will cover it. Departures is a Japanese film directed by Yojiro Takhita, an Oscar bid in 2008. It tells the story of a young man who looses his job as an... Continue Reading →
Missing for a month
Sorry I've gone AWOL from the blog for the whole of September. Just a really busy time plus a holiday AND a retreat :-)and followed rapidly by a return to college so not much time to write. Here's a visual update: Views of Lock Eck and Glencoe and discovering the secret valley on holiday in... Continue Reading →
Loving God more than you love your kids?
I found myself reading Matthew chapter 10 this week. As chapters go it has more than it's fair share of challenging verses. Jesus sends his disciples out telling them to take no bag for their journey, no money, no extra clothes. He warns them they'll be hated and chased from city to city. He tells... Continue Reading →
Live Life Loved 