Gratitude
In his book, No Man Is an Island, the monk and spiritual writer Thomas Merton says: “If we are not grateful to God, we cannot taste the joy of finding him in creation…unless we are grateful for our own existence, we do not know who we are, and have not discovered what it really means […]
All Things Must Pass
The sermon was finished – the first draft, at any rate – and my head was spinning. In need of air and sunshine, I stepped outside on a hot July afternoon and walked to the garden behind the house, where the bees were pollinating the flowers and herbs. I stood watching them for a while, […]
Amazing Grace
The words to the hymn, “Amazing Grace”, were written by John Newton, a Church of England priest who was ordained in 1764. Long before ordination however, Newton saw service in the Royal Navy, where he gained a reputation for profanity and blasphemy. After deserting the Royal Navy, he found new work on board the slave […]
Translation Service
This week I stayed a few nights in a rented house in Selbyville DE. The town has a very different vibe to Bethany Beach. It’s a lot quieter, especially at this time of year. In the morning, more people are heading out to work, so I am guessing it has a smaller retirement age population. […]
Advice on Prayer
While journeying on horseback one day, St Benedict met a peasant walking along the road. “You’ve got an easy job,” said the peasant, “Why don’t I become a man of prayer? Then I too would be traveling on horseback.” “You think praying is easy,” replied the Saint. “If you can say one ‘Our Father’ without […]
St Richard of Chichester
Among the family of the faithful, the Church has always marked out certain individuals for special attention: these are known as the “saints”. They are men and women who have shown their devotion and loyalty to God in both ordinary and extraordinary ways, and who serve as examples of holy living to new Christians in […]
No Shirts, No Shoes, No Problem
In the Sunrise Restaurant at Dewey Beach, there is sign displayed which reads, “No shirts, no shoes, no problem”. I had to read it twice, because I am used to signs which tell you what you aren’t allowed to do, such as smoke cigarettes, or park in a residential bay. I looked around at my […]
The Holy Trinity
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” This is how the world begins, as described in the book of Genesis. God makes the world in […]
The Life Not Taken
Have you ever imagined yourself living a different life to the one you have, or even being someone else? In his book, On Not Being Someone Else, Professor Andrew Miller ruminates on our “lives unled”, the lives we would have lived if things had worked out differently. He asks himself, “what if I hadn’t gone […]
The Power of Love
On a visit to New Jersey, Ruth and I passed a billboard which read, “You can win this billboard.” Unfortunately, by the time I started reading how, we had driven past. The words stuck, however, and I began to wonder what message I would want to share with the rest of the world (or at […]