On the pilgrim way: Sprits high

27/01/2014 | Reform

I have been surprised by how some kinds of good news can lift my spirits sky-high. I don’t mean the sigh of relief when a medical investigation reports nothing untoward, or when a friend’s son, undertaking a dangerous long-distance cycle … Read More

On the pigrim way: Confronting family history

21/11/2013 | Reform

Our eldest, Peter, is 50 this December and our present to him is a little book of photos from his boyhood. Our annual Christmas letters provide a contemporary comment on Peter’s development to accompany the photos. My research for the … Read More

On the pilgrim way: Not all change is decay

25/09/2013 | Reform

“Change and decay in all around I see,” says the old hymn; and although the sentiment rings some bells for me, I am not happy lumping “change” automatically with “decay”. Certainly I am conscious of bodily decay – especially first … Read More

On the pilgrim way: The ghosts of Berlin’s past

01/09/2013 | Reform

We spent five hot days in Berlin this summer, and I am still trying to sift through the experience – the layers of history, the various perspectives and my own reactions.

My mother came from south Germany; she never visited … Read More

On the pilgrim way: Prayer and pain

15/07/2013 | Reform

I treasure my early morning prayer time – when I shut my study door, light a candle and just sit/kneel quietly. When I choose a holiday cottage I look for a good view so that I can get up a … Read More

On the pilgrim way: Yearning for normality

22/05/2013 | Reform

My heart sank as I walked into church this morning: the chairs were all back to normal. The old straight lines had replaced our semi-circle, carefully arranged to improve the singing and bring the thinly scattered congregation closer together. “Back … Read More