Richardl

LATEST ARTICLES ( 623 )

• Welcome to …

  

  That is not something I ever thought I would say. Then again, I never thought I would find myself talking on BBC radio all about gardening either. These past... Read more

  Posted on 20 November 2021 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• God’s Autograph?

  

  Many years ago, when I was at Primary school in fact, we had a hobbies' exhibition. A friend of mine had a collection of autographs, and I was rather jealous. H... Read more

  Posted on 18 October 2021 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Puzzled but Hopeful

  

  Preached at Newbury Baptist Church April 4th 2021 ___ The edge of the sky is showing the faintest hint of pinky light against the purple, as if the night is... Read more

  Posted on 04 April 2021 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• The Christmas Stone

  

  There is a tree on Greenham Common which has inspired me in many of the hardest moments in recent years. At some point it has been all but blown flat by a... Read more

  Posted on 19 December 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Virtual Immanence

  

  When I first started studying theology, I was very confused by the word 'immanent'. Whenever it was spoken in a lecture, I heard it as 'imminent' and could... Read more

  Posted on 20 November 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• A Perfect Book for Jolabokaflod

  

  In case you don't know what Jolabokaflod is, let me tell you. It is a tradition which started in Iceland during the Second World War. At the time, paper was... Read more

  Posted on 20 November 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Introducing …The Negativity

  

  It will be no secret to many that I am a fan of nativity scenes. Earlier this year my book, '37 kings and a budgerigar' was published, featuring 25 of the sets... Read more

  Posted on 14 November 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Images of Church (II)

  

  More than meets the eye Last week I posted some initial thoughts on here r egarding different historic images of church, and how they relate to the way we see i... Read more

  Posted on 26 October 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• In Pursuit of Church

  

  Church is not what it was. Then again, life is not what it was either. There are flickering glimpses of church right now which flash past like the images on a... Read more

  Posted on 19 October 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• A Book of Delights

  

  I have been reading the Bible regularly since I first received a Gideon New Testament at the age of 12 in Secondary school. That little book started a... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• There is No ‘just’ to Just Looking

  

  As a writer, I am never overly comfortable with people 'summing up' the books I have written. After all that thinking, writing, editing and re-writing, it seem... Read more

  Posted on 16 June 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Less Than Blissful Ignorance

  

  Why ever do we need a dying awareness week? We are all aware of that other great certainty, taxation - but we don't have to chat about it! The thing is, when i... Read more

  Posted on 11 May 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• A Small Thing of Beauty

  

  Just before I picked this book up to review it, I read a message from somebody in lock-down urging people to share some small thing which lifted their spirits i... Read more

  Posted on 29 April 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Marvin the Maple

  

  In the past few days, I have been in conversation with one of those people whose blend of compassion and skill makes the NHS the wonder that it is. Kath is the... Read more

  Posted on 26 April 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• A Love Song…

  

  Yesterday I attended a seminar on 'spiritual abuse' - something about which I knew very little. One of the key hosts, Professor Lisa Oakley, opened my eyes to... Read more

  Posted on 01 March 2020 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• A Blaze of Light

  (Preached at Newbury Baptist Church on December 22nd 2019) I want you to imagine, if you can, a dark hillside. At first - it looks uniformly dark but as your... Read more

  Posted on 23 December 2019 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• A Dog’s View of Loyalty

  

  Readers of this blog who preach will be familiar with the sermon-put-to-bed-but-what-about-the-children feeling. I was struck by exactly that feeling as I... Read more

  Posted on 17 November 2019 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• On Sacred Space

  

  Yesterday, I visited a cathedral of sorts. Like most of its kind, the soaring height and sweeping beams seemed to engulf the visitor - turning them into a... Read more

  Posted on 06 November 2019 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Growing Here…and There

  

  Those of you who have read 'postcards ' will know quite how important trees are to my particular story. As a Christian, I believe strongly that those which are... Read more

  Posted on 27 September 2019 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Seventy-one and Counting

  For the past two years, I have published a list of reasons to be thankful for the NHS on the occasion of its birthday. This year, to my great embarrassment, I... Read more

  Posted on 07 July 2019 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY