Nelson’s Prayer Dear friends, We live in unstable times, with enemies within, and without, seen and unseen, threats abroad and threats at home. Some would build walls, others are content to bed hop in their allegiances. Yet others wonder at the hidden costs of economic vassalage. Doom mongers shout “disaster!” and still others take the Hezekiah position – go back to bed…

The Bronze Collapse Dear friends, Most of us are aware of the Romans. Those who are interested in history know about their roads, towns, villas and legions. Hadrian’s Wall still impresses in the Borders, and many great churches (Dorchester Abbey being one such) sit atop Roman foundations or were built with Roman cut stone. Our faith was born in the Roman period.…

The Yearning Dear friends, A good friend kindly sent me this last week. In the context of the bloodied and broken world in which we cling to existence, I offer it to you, a prayer of hope, and light, for every single one of us, sickened by the polarisation, tired of the posturing, and longing for the salvation that the love of…

A partial diagnosis Dear friends, I’ve been trying for a while to get some kind of comprehension of our national condition. What is the matter with us? The symptoms are many and varied, but the overall malaise and sense of unease seems to be all pervading. It is cheap and convenient to list the external global factors, but I am coming to…

A new name Dear friends, This week we honour and give thanks for those who gave their lives in two world wars for our freedom. We are fortunate to live in communities that are small enough to have recorded every loss, every sacrifice. Or so we thought. Continuing historical research has in the last few years brought more names into the light…