That was a blast
We knew it was coming. The forecast was for a strong gale force wind but we had experienced such a gale before in our new rural location. This would ‘blow...
They’d sell everything to get what they want
Of all the days, this is it. When the media will fawn over a certain individual, hang on their every word: how are you doing? Yes, there will be those...
Don’t let the light go out
All I got for Christmas was…some lickelix. Now, if you are unaware, this is like clotted cream to you. I can smell it a mile away, cresting on top of...
The Tattered Star…
Hung from a dusty crevice.In a gleaming cupboard white.Reflecting on its distant memories.Amidst the frozen, frosty night. 2000 years had passed,Since that baby was born.The world had changed dramatically.Since that...
Cost of moving
I was listening to Americast, the BBC podcast which tries to explore what may be happening in America. They were saying that the increase in tariffs will, as has been...
Water, Wifi and Fire
With Storm Bert rapidly approaching our shores, we noticed that the roof had started to let in water, yet again today. It wasn’t much, given the news around the world,...
Our Ts and Cs
I was researching how to reduce my electricity bill - who isn't? I went to various online forums to discuss the various ways people had used and was often...
Hospice or Renewal #Discussion
Spoiler alert = there is no easy answer to this one. I recently looked at the church congregation around me, and did the 'grey vote'. Have you ever done this?...
err, what happened
Awaking early, I stumbled to the kitchen, to grab a coffee and check up on the overnight election results. There was an expectation of good news, that joy would overcome...
A new year – 1st Sep
So, it’s arrived. The start of September. Whether you are looking forward to the new Methodist Connexional year, the start of another year of ministry for many; or possibly the...
Why didn’t I see it coming
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DB6DLYJ3?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520 I’d like you to imagine a rock face. We are looking up towards the very top. If a rock were to fall over the edge, it would initially be...
Legacy
When you started to learn to ride a bike, it was hard work pushing those legs to turn the wheels, to gain some speed. After a while, with longer legs,...
A step further
As you step off the world, you enter an ever changing landscape of different vistas, all operating in slower time. Firstly, it is the noise. The birds chirping as they...
How do you trust in God
I hear this a lot when I struggle with one of life's many events. "Just trust in God" they say, highly suggestive that I don't in some way. So, what...
Externalise
I think it sounds a bit like something a Dalek might say. I recently spoke about the welcome I receive at a community which I try to get to each...
Legacy
For some it is the thought of a priceless heirloom, or an object which they might covet; however, for some, these days, the legacy we might offer to our family...
Who doesn’t like a story?
At our Death Cafe today we spoke of life beyond today. We considered, whilst eating coffin shaped biscuits - why not? - what some might call their bucket list. We...
Are memories so valuable?
At The Death Cafe today, we spoke of our thoughts following last Saturday and Sunday, the Armistice and Remembrance Day respectively. Well, it was for the UK, but what about...
EASEing into Death
This has been a week of death cafes, and it's not even Halloween or our annual time of Remembrance. We met on the Tuesday to listen to a presentation from...
Why so much stress?
Had a super stressful morning. The mobile phone wouldn't switch on, for the fourth time. That feeling of being disconnected, unable to contact others. What to do? Why so much...
Should the Church follow Anonymous?
Have you heard of the various Anonymous support groups that are across the world, facilitating the needs of alcoholics, narcotics, gamblers and overeaters? They have frameworks that support those who...
The last breath
What might you expect if you were to attend a death cafe? Our death cafe today started with a joke about a mother-in-law, who had been on holiday in the...
Death Cleaning
The Swedish term "döstädning" means 'death cleaning'. Before you prepare the swabs and disinfectant, it is more about the graceful art of decluttering the house...before someone else needs to do...
Keep it real
Do you know Psalm 23? Albeit written 1000 BC, it is still so familiar to many. But do we let the words to flow by us, mutter them at a...
Hope when facing death
The death of George Alagiah, the BBC newsreader and journalist, made front page headlines, whilst also receiving emotional coverage across the main media broadcasts. But in the words from this...
What does a ‘good death’ mean for a church?
We might possibly engage in a discussion about what is a good death for an individual, but a church? In Paula Gooder's book called 'Heaven', she explains that in the...
A ‘Good Death’?
<Trigger alert: this post deals with the history of society considering assisted suicide - please be careful with your own wellbeing. Call the Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org...
How is will doing?
When at the Death Cafe, we might wonder about whether cremation or burial is the 'way to go', but the legal stuff also might make us worried. So what's the...
When death is merely a comma
As I sat at a bedside of someone in their last days, we were listening to some classical music. I sat bathed in the music that she so loved. I...
The questions will never stop
When we start to talk about death and dying, there are so many questions. Perhaps, once we start to engage with death in a positive way, the questions will never...
Death Cafe
What might be the reason behind a death cafe? What questions might be asked? Does it have any humour? Our next one is at Pollokshaws G431LH on Tuesday 9th May...
A two-way swing bridge
This is so different to the Easter message of last week. We celebrate Easter with eggs, daffodils, cheers and songs of praise, and don't forget those wonderful Marmite flavoured Hot...
Beyond the Cremation?
Sanctuary There is one way which we can decide 'how to go'. Yes, there is burial - both in a coffin or natural; there is aquamation or terramation - neither...
A life size Cow
Not this large though... When people celebrate the life of a loved one, we may wish for a visible sign. We heard today of a motorbike laying next to the...
Terramation is natural
What is so toxic about the dead that we desire such separation? Where there was life, it goes on. Here, we might see what composting actually means. Human composting, also...
Death Cafe 10 Jan 23
When you attend a meeting there is normally an agenda, something to look to agree upon. Today, everyone brought their own personal agenda, they sought to find understanding, perhaps a...
What to expect at the Death Café
The skeleton is listening! Atmosphere If you are expecting a foreboding venue with spiders webs, open coffins and a bit of dampness thrown in, sorry to disappoint. How about a...
Composting is good for us
In a recent blog they announced that only 5 States in the USA have legally accepted human decomposting. In the UK it is legal already. So what is this? "The...
Where are we going?
So much to think about when confronted with death. And after the service all the people scatter. What do we do after the service? Where are we going? If we...
How many deaths?
At last week's Death Cafe there was a surprising comment - there were many in fact - but this one stood out to me. How many deaths do we have?...
Words, Poems and the Eulogy
According to the Economist (paywall), the percentage of funerals led by Christian ministers (in England) had dropped to just over 20%. The significant increase in the number of civil celebrants...
Hallo-death
Today is Halloween, also known as All Hallow's Eve, the day before All Hallow's or All Saint's Day. So Halloween precedes the day that some in the Church might commemorate...
Funerals have been a-changing
When we contemplate the end for us we typically may think of cremation. But things have for a long time been a-changing. The first crematorium was legally allowed and opened...
So what about death?
This week we launch the Death Café. It sounds a bit strange launching a café in October, let alone one that focusses upon Death. One person said that the advertising...
You’ll get over this
Why not listen to this classic track https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FgDles4xq8 from Boney M. This passage of Psalm 137 probably originates from the period 587-539 BCE. Their captors are pleading for them to...
Saying it as it is
Possibly it is a better description of Testimony than the church prefers. It's telling of a journey - not all, as there's more to come - and explaining what it...
Convocation
Do you find meetings, especially large ones, life draining or life affirming? What is it? The action of calling people together for a large formal assembly, yes that’s what a...
Melchior
Alleged homelands and arms of the three wise men/kings and their arms That's not my real name. I was given this in the 4th C by some story writers. They...
It could all start with a cuppa
It’s so beautiful, but also so complicated. No, I'm not talking about with a cuppa. That's always welcoming. In our New Testament passage this Sunday, we are talking about John...
The Stable leads us outwards
Wise folk following yonder Star? from An Unexpected Christmas These Christmas Carols, the readings may seem to re-tell a story of old. A story woven into the history of the...
The smelly Shepherds?
Shepherds always get a prominent role in the Nativity Plays. They get to clutch those wooly sheep, and they are always clean. They wear tea towels on their head, with...
being real is an amazing evangelism
It has been wonderful as we have created so many angels for those who might struggle with celebrations such as Christmas following the death of a loved one. It has...
Blue Angels
Why have a time reflecting upon Blue Angels when we are all gearing up for a wonderful #partytime? Well, for some, Christmas is a time when anniversaries appear on our...
Engaging with Glass
OK I may know how to check the fuse box under the stairs but how do we fuse bits of glass together? Additionally, how do we do this creatively, with...
Zech & Liz
To initiate thought and discussion; drawn from Stephen Cottrell's Walking Backwards to Christmas: Elizabeth is speaking :"I have always been waiting. My friends were always far more cleverer, more confident...
Jesus Saves, We spend
Storm Arwen has been and left a frosty covering everywhere. I wonder what might have happened to those glass slippers that Cinderella wore? I doubt there was much of a...
TDOR 2021
This year we have worked collaboratively with the University of Glasgow, as well as the Iona Community, members of the Woodlands Methodist Church, included a special message of hope from...
A New World dawns?
Protests up and off to the right Local Methodist Protesters including the Vice President of the Methodist Conference, a District Chair and our own Superintendent Revd Andrew Baker The Circuit...
It’s not what a Church would do
It’s not what a Church would do, is it? There was quite a hullabulloo years gone back when Sunday trading arrived in England – I wonder whether it had the...
Rules Rules!
We have seen many Government signs over the past nigh on 2 years. That of Stay alert (never sure we could control a virus), and Hands Face Space, amongst others....
Freedom Day
It is said that: "Introversion is a personality trait characterized by a focus on internal feelings rather than on external sources of stimulation. Introverts and extroverts are often viewed in terms...
Anyone for sausage?
The Strathclyde Knit & Knatter group have met again - and what might they talk about? Complicated programming? In this past few weeks of heat gardening has been the most...
The alternative is now ok
Prior to March 2020, the wearing of a face covering would have been unthinkable for most of us. If you did mention it, we might think of Muslims wearing the...
Reorientation
PPL at 17 years of age I was never a pilot for long; however, my love of aviation still remains four decades later. In those days we had to learn...
What does this mean?
As wend our way back from the recently opened shops, we may weave past the discarded fast food containers, glance up at the traffic as we cross the road and...
Untangling a knot
This Pandemic lockdown has been for many a bit like a knot - restricting our movement. Today we find that those restrictions may have been lessened. Here in Glasgow, there's...
Connections
I am pondering whether after dinner, Jesus has surprised many – well all really – with the washing of their feet, then he has given them a new commandment, and...
Amidst the fields of gold
As I reflect upon the Good Shepherd passage (John 10:11-18) I imagine that I am walking amidst the fields, possibly not yet of gold, but of new shoots. The soil...
Knit-a-Blob
How are you feeling? Sometimes we use our hobbies to take ourselves away from the thick of it - it's a distraction. We can lose ourselves for a wee while...
Walking in the Darkness
This post and resulting Church service was all due to the impact of reading Barbara Brown Taylor's 'Learning to Walk in the Dark'. Without extracting swathes of text, I wanted...
Is this prayer as well?
We all have an understanding of prayer - or do we? There's a great perspective upon prayer by George Lings entitled 'Seven Sacred Spaces'. I wouldn't wanted to remove the...
Prayer Exploration #1
We have started to explore prayer. We could spend longer in what we already deem to know as prayer or pause - as is the thing in Lent - and...
Hands together, eyes closed…
I always used to add "Don't forget to blow your nose"... The traditional form of prayer is one that is led from the front, but where today 'the front' is...
Can Ctrl Alt Delete be a new start for us?
The National Lockdown has started...again. At least there is some certainty beyond the tiers. Nevertheless, all these restrictions do also bring more human tears, tears from misunderstanding, that burden we...
Keep it Simple
Advent - a time of waiting: ours or God? The word Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus which does mean coming. It was understood that in the 4th and...
Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020
This has been a strange year, of the pandemic, of restrictions but also of a backlash towards those who identify as transgender or non-binary. Across the world, on this day,...
Where can we find peace?
2020 has been quite a year. We may have hoped that when the clocks went back last Sunday, we could go back to March. Those with computers may have asked...
Who is their anger against?
It seems that we are in a bit of a rut. This week's lectionary reading (Matthew 21:33-36 : Proper 22A or OT27) contains yet another parable about a vineyard. What...
Which Liquorice Allsorts are you?
There was a strong wind whistling through the garden and a dishevelled cat lay peacefully sleeping having burst through the door minutes earlier excited to be back. I wonder is...
Is ‘worship’ a thing of the past?
What were you called when you were young? Did you have a Sunday name, one that shook you to the core when it was spoken? Perhaps over time the name...
Queer Prophets – Fascinating
I often read a book to gain a specific understanding: this book it was cover to cover. This book is different. It fascinates, it seeks to push boundaries, and it...
![What shall we miss? [Part 2]](https://i0.wp.com/dbobstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/A6A19D94-896A-49E3-8351-CCDE0631F908-9398037.jpeg?fit=768%2C902&ssl=1)
What shall we miss? [Part 2]
Despite many holding traditional views, we felt an alternative and radical approach may connect with people. Here, I describe the way we have linked with contrasting communities, often not seen...
![What shall we miss? [Part 1]](https://i0.wp.com/dbobstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Screenshot-2020-01-18-14.07.00-1312719.png?fit=768%2C765&ssl=1)
What shall we miss? [Part 1]
As we prepare to leave Todmorden, I wanted to express what exactly we will miss. This is a town we didn't even know of its location before being sent here....
Where did you put….?
Yes we are at that stage yet again. Our 3rd move in 4 years, which can be beaten by our youngest who claims 9 moves in 9 years! The boxes...
Do you remember the arrival of FM radio?
As aircrew I have spent many hours listening to HF radio, where the background hiss was nearly always present. You couldn't listen to it for very long - bit like...
To infinity and beyond
Society constantly seeks to push back boundaries. We hear of ground breaking discoveries, especially with living longer, as we constantly desire to go further than ever before. We want always...
Inclusivity…really?
"...[A] riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear?...it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned...
A-bun-dance
What did you think first? I was imagining such a myriad of cakes whizzing around having so much fun, more fun that they could imagine! How does this relate to...
Anxiety on the footpath
But this is just the start - where we continue this and - to use the Government phrase - "ramp it up" after lockdown - to make it 'normal'. There...
BetaMax: What Is Life?
Today, we are looking to explore what is the meaning of Life. We can search for that illusive meaning of life, not in the Life of Brian, nor Hitchhikers Guide...
Interfaith dialogue to build a stronger community
Today will be the first of four online sessions where we discuss #Hardstuff. Not 'who is eventually going to win the Premier League'; or 'when will we see yeast or...
Anxiety throughout our time
Is there a link between our past, the present and the future? I was reading the part when Jesus has come out of the tomb (or grave according to Bond...
Aisle Anxiety
I survived. Venturing into the supermarket, after queueing in the rain for a while, I surveyed the supermarket I was once familiar with but now appeared so distant. We walk...
Where do ‘we’ go from lockdown?
What are the things we need to learn from this lockdown situation? How do we support the return to normality? Currently our buildings are locked, people are not permitted to...
This Easter is so different
Welcome to this, a framework for a Reflective Zoom service, as we consider what Maundy Thursday might mean to us today. We will hear some words, take time to ponder...
Living it not just talking it
This post was originally written prior to the #CoronaVirus Crisis. Hence consideration should be given to how we might consider this in the future, rather than in the here and...
Listening to the silence beyond
The rhythmic two-tone notes of the passing train is replaced by the heavy trundling of the lorries along the Halifax Road, where I live in Todmorden. The cat, awakened by...
Choppy water anyone?
I recall, back in 1989, flying from Mount Pleasant airport to the South Georgia as a navigator in the Hercules C-130 to drop airmail. As we descended into the bay...
It was never about fear and shame
Do you remember playing in the street? In my childhood, a few years ago, I recall playing cricket with my best friend, Paul. We played every day. The wicket was...
I am ready to go…
Are we ready to go? When we speak of death we talk in hushed tones, or do we look at our feet not wishing to engage eye-to-eye with the one...
Are we ready for Foreigners?
From this morning's service at Todmorden: Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.For darkness shall cover the earth,...
The Source for 2020
I was driving through the Derbyshire Dales recently. The road snaked through the valleys, perhaps not as pronounced as the ones near to where I live in West Yorkshire; nevertheless,...
What story might we tell?
This was today's Christmas Day service at Todmorden. We welcome you all here today to celebrate Christ’s birth. At the end of this service we will depart to tell others...
Blue Christmas 2019
What if the Christmas celebrations are not 'for you' this year? The anniversary of a loved one passing on still brings tears, or that it is so difficult to keep...
What Christmas are you looking for this year?
It's Christmas time when the churches are bedecked with tinsel on Christmas Trees, oranges with cloves poking from every side and candles adorning, and a myriad of different Carol services...
TDOR 2019
"The Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. With so many seeking to erase transgender people - sometimes in the...
Remembrance 2019
If you can imagine what it is like to be flying during war, to be on an aircraft with 18 others, watching over the skies electronically, directing ‘our’ aircraft towards...
What’s next for the Methodist Church?
On Saturday 19th October, 250+ members of the Methodist Church travelled to Westminster Church House, adjacent to the Houses of Parliament, to consult on the latest policy document from the...
Our Echo Chamber : Who hears us, can we silence ourselves?
Have you ever been in a cave or a tunnel and tried to shout out and then hear the echoes? We hear the reverberations of our voice, perhaps not so...
When did Cheerful mean Hilarious?
Have you been to Baitings Reservoir? I have mentioned it before: it’s my thin place, where I am so close to God. I love the water lapping at the edges...
CND – 4 August 2019
Today we mark yet another anniversary, the 74th, of the Little Boy nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945; one that brings great sadness, that still today we...
Do we need a building anymore?
I have been struck recently by the tension facing the church today: does it focus upon buildings or the people? Financially, our buildings have become a significant issue for us...
Where to go? Walk on by?
I'm on holiday. The weather is fair, the people wonderful and the language very confusing. I have learnt the word pansement this year, as it has been useful to help...
A Good Send Off
We often hear that "we should give <person's name> a good send off..."Why exactly? If we don't manage to give them a 'good send off' will that affect their departure?...
Where next?
I'm often perplexed by the question "After we die, what's next, or where's next?" What's your answer to that question? Some answers relate to living in a mansion, or a...
Going on Holiday?
As we possibly consider a ‘staycation’ or ‘vacation’ this Summer, I wonder how we see ourselves. The English are often known for grasping the finest intricacies of the foreign language,...
Mother’s Day because we all have mothers….
It's that time of the year, well for the UK, just after Valentine's Day when we look to buy lots of cards, chocolates and flowers to celebrate our Mum. Yes,...
Fasting: from what?
For some, as we approach the period of Lent, people can decide to fast, to abstain from food and/or drink – but why?
I want Lent .. to affect not only the next 40 days
but also the next 40 years
Rachel Held-Evans
In my younger days (!) I have given up chocolate, sweets and/or alcohol. But now I look back and wonder to what benefit, and to whom? Therefore, in our second meeting of the Faith group, 
where we … Read the remainder
Todmorden Faith : Same Sex Marriage
Welcome to the first meeting of the monthly 'Faith' group where we look to establish a way to become an even stronger community in Todmorden, willing to engage constructively with...
Death Café
What a liberating time! To talk openly about death, those issues which are generally taboo. How times have changed. Why are we so reticent to talk about death? Here are...
What is Yorkshire saying to us?
We have arrived in a market town in West Yorkshire: Lancashire bounds its western boundary and the River Calder and Rochdale Canal sweep through the town centre. The hills, mainly...
Pride afterthoughts
It was an incredible day, one we will remember for a long, long time. We go to Pride each year to celebrate the diversity in people’s lives, to show that...
London Pride 2018
Someone turned up the heat, added an alternative such as #SweEng and STILL the people, possibly a million, thronged London's streets to celebrate humanities diversity...and with so much joy. Here...
What can change in 2 years?
I have come to the end of my time at The Queen's Foundation in Birmingham. To explain, this is the college where Methodists receive pre-ordination training prior to being sent...
What time is it?
Kneeling down, I reached down to put my hand on his, to comfort him, to link my fingers in his, like we did years ago. I felt a response, a...
What is ‘end of life’ like?
"Does it hurt?" is a question I have recently heard. My generation might have considered our lives to last 3 score years and ten. Today, with an increasing proportion of...
Three letters…
The TLA was common in the military : the three letter abbreviation (TLA) overly populated the literature and vernacular. NFF, DNF and TBD are some I can instantly recall. We even...