Musings
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Morning Prayer
I don’t know why but one of the first things I did when I rediscovered faith at the bedside of my dying friend was to turn to the Church of England prayer book. In the first instance the Daily Prayer App . Perhaps it was because this was what I had grown up with, not…
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Wisdom from Zabaldika
The Sisters of the Sacred Heart who care for the pilgrims who visit the church of San Esteban at Zabaldika share their love and wisdom so freely. Their stamp in my pilgrim’s passport sums it up, the open heart of God surrounding the world. They have written down words of encouragement and challenge for pilgrims…
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A Memorable Visit
After a few weeks of emails I had the opportunity to visit three of their projects and to meet some staff. My hosts were David Smith the CEO and Phil Conn the Director of Chaplaincy. I arrived at the Basis Drop In in Gateshead and I immediately felt like this was a good place. People…
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Oasis Community Housing and me
Who would have thought! Out of the blue re-discovering something I hadn’t thought about in years. I am conscious recently of re-connecting with my past more than I have done for many years but this has turned out to be something special. Several weeks ago their was an anouncement about a suggested lent activity this…
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From Sadness to Hope
Whilst walking through Whitehills Nature Park to Springwell I saw, in the distance, what I initially thought was some fly tipping by the side of the path. It was only when I got closer I realised what it was. It was a memorial to Tomasz Oleszak tragically killed last October. I remembered reading about it…
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A Bus Stop on my Pilgrim Journey
Over the last few weeks my church has been advertising an Alpha Course which begins this week. On the face of it a good thing and for most people a positive step towards a deeper faith in God. I however have a complicated past and my decision whether or not to take part has resulted…
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Retirement Projects
I’ll say it loud and clear – as of now retirement is the best thing that ever happened to me. I am having the time of my life! I had spent quite a lot of time before it happened thinking about what I would do. I was going to do it anyway but you can’t…
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Art Appreciation
This started when I found my way to Windy Nook a local environmental sculpture on one of my local walks. I just love it for the views – yet I recognised from the outset that this sculpture had been altered by the addition of graffiti which at first I thought detracted from it but then…
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Pilgrimage
An unexpected change in my life occured in 2022. I had been living quite contentedly without faith for round about twenty years and I had no plans to change that. I had also made walking the major theme for my retirement. While reading around the subject and dreaming of the walks I could do I…
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My Journey Resumes
I am just remembering now that one of my favourite books as a child was a Sunday School Prize, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan – I am not sure why. I loved the idea of the pilgrim’s journey his adventures and his eventual arrival. I don’t think I was ever concerned with the spiritual significance…
in Musings