After a little over a month I received Frank Viola’s book which may have come by ship as it took that long! The book came out about March 3 2025. The book in question is a complete rewrite of an old one and has been many years in the making.…
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Pay attention to the time!
Does God speak today? Are the seemingly random coincidences and events just that or is something more going on in our lives? Does His Spirit intersect and cross into our lives pointing things out, bringing things to remembrance that he’s said from of old? I woke up and saw the…
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Sin management?
This a repost of a daily reading from the Wild at Heart website by John Eldredge You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am,…
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A little on who satan is and his demise
This article is a little follow on from the last one where I wrote about accusations. Here are some considerations about accusations. Some would say it’s good to know your enemy and what they’re up to even The Apostle Paul alludes to this in 2 Corinthians 4.5-11 , especially verse…
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The dream that saved a farmers farm
Here’s a quick post highlighting the importance of listening to God through dreams. This one is a story about a dream which saved a farmers farm. This comes from Dr. Tania Harris email news. You can see more of resources here. God Conversations
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A dream that led to important biblical English words beginning with ‘re’.
Everybody dreams, whether they remember them or not is the real issue. As you will know from this website especially the dreams and interpretation menu, I am an advocate that you should pay attention to your dreams. In the last month I came across Tania Harris who has written a…
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Imaging God in the garden
I have come back to thinking about the image of God and being made in his likeness. I love this video which helpfully explains about the context of what is going on in the ancient times in other cultures surrounding Israel.
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The Lodger
A small gecko lived in my house – I never knew him. His ways were beyond my eyes, but days would come when my life would intersect with his and then I knew he was there. ~ A man lived in my house – I never knew him. He was…
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Shephanim – a mystery creature?
This morning I was reading Psalm 104 – a great creation Psalm in the New American Standard Bible. I reached verse 18 and read the word shephanim. Here was a word that required looking up. First the verse: The high mountains are for the wild goats;The cliffs are a refuge…
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A new place for nature connection
For some time I’ve been passing an opening in a hedge line and seeing a set of gates which are never open. I thought it was access to some private property. Chris who has written a blog for me on this site was adventurous and recently said he’d been and…
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Tea Ceremony Forest Church
Inspiration can come at the most unexpected times. I was weeding ground elder and suddenly a little thought came out of the blue about what I should prepare and lead at the next Forest Church. The little thought was tea ceremony. I had a rush of excitement as I considered…
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Underground Forest – Regeneration of degraded land
I can’t remember how it happened but I signed up to watch a webinar about the underground forest with Australian Tony Rinaudo. It was hosted by JRI, the John Ray Initiative. The John Ray Initiative (JRI) is an educational charity with a vision to bring together scientific and Christian understandings…
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Late April bird walk with surprises
I headed out to an area I haven’t visited for about a year. I parked by the green in Wood Street on the edge of Guildford in Surrey and went down one of the lanes which leads to the pedestrian railway crossing. About 12 years ago to the day –…
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Faith, loyalty, royalty and idolatry
I would like to share with you something I have been considering recently. It relates to faith, loyalty, royalty and idolatry. Some of my thinking is still raw but it might set off something in your thinking and cause you to look at what the Bible says about it in…
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A short Dose of Nature!
On March 19th I wrote a throw away comment on a very short post which was a poem. The post mentioned Dose of Nature. This is a relatively new charity which I have become a guide for. You can find out more about the charity here: https://www.doseofnature.org.uk/ This charity was…
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Brother.do.you.love.me.
A month or so ago I came across a book which piqued my interest. I was considering whether I should buy it but it came up in our local county library through their online service which uses the Libby App. The book is still relatively new at the time of…
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Ash keys
Whilst training today as a Dose of nature guide we were encouraged to sit and write for three minutes about something that we could see that took our attention. I wrote this which sounded like a poem as my pencil scribed: Ash keys, hanging at height, clustered tightly together. Dieing…
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Elusive goshawks in a local forest
It was a bit of a murky afternoon but brightening. The temperature warmed from the chill of the February morning where ice had to be scraped off the vehicles. I climbed into the car and managed to avoid the traffic works by driving in the opposite direction. There was a…
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See new page above in Supernatural menu
New page added under the Supernatural menu of supernatural video links to some Biblical based content.
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Contentious bird sighting – Goshawk – theophany?!
Potentially contentious sighting as you will see when you read on. It is due to the nature of the bird in question that it is contentious. Fox Corner Community Wildlife Reserve called me today. It’s the time of year for hearing or beginning to hear common frog (Rana temporaria).…
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Two bird poems which caught my attention
Whilst researching for Forest Church I came across these two poems which are appropriate for this site. The Jackdaw There is a bird who, by his coat And by the hoarseness of his note, Might be supposed a crow; A great frequenter of the church, Where, bishop-like, he finds a perch, And dormitory too. Above the…
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Walk on shortest day of 2023
Yesterday went out for a saunter with the family bar one member who needed extra sleep. Depending on who’s view you read it was Britain’s shortest day. Newlands Corner on the edge of the North Downs was the destination. Ever since the kids were little we use to go there…
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Write what you see
Introduction The beginning of my exploration into writing came a few years ago, whilst I was overseas in Ghana, West Africa. Writing about what was happening in my situation, on a monthly basis, was considered to be a courtesy. The writing was to inform friends and family supporters of what…
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Witchcraft and Protection SIU Seminar
(SIU stands for Scripture in use) During the following days of February 28th – March 3rd 2000 an SIU workshop was held at Kanvilli GILLBT training centre. There was a good attendance of people from the various GILLBT projects and some other visitors who work with the indigenous people of…
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Report on the Deg literacy Day
It was an uneventful start to the day as we packed oursleves up to go off to the Deg literacy day, to be held at Cherada on the main road between Buipe and Kintampo. Pat Herbert was our faithful pilot, who was accompanied by Marj Crouch, Simon Mensah, Wilford Opoku…
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Unstead Reserve November 25th 2023
Unstead nature reserve is one of our local reserves which is not far from Guildford, which is a good place to visit. It is located just off the A3100 on the edge of Peasmarsh or accessed from the A281 Horsham Road, just after Shalford village. Parking is limited by the…
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Speech for Gonja literacy day
MANDARI, DEC 11TH 1999 Mr Chairman, District Chief Executive, Bole Wura, Mandari Wura, Chiefs and elders, distinguished invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, I bring you greetings from the Director and the entire family of the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT), Tamale. There is a time for…
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More on the church and Christians in Iran
Back in August of last year (2022) I wrote a post about the Iranian church. Today I have been watching some other videos about Iran which are from a different source. This is where you can find the first one of the series. It’s called ‘Why Christianity is Booming in…
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Isn’t this supposed to be a Gonja literacy day?
(10.12.99) After experiencing my coldest night (15°C) in Ghana – in the Upper West region, the sun was gladly welcomed – almost willed into the sky! It was good not to rush to the site of the Gonja literacy day directly from Tamale, but to take time after travelling for five…
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Yeshua as the mercy seat – Yahweh’s presence on earth
On October 7th 2023 Israel was attacked by Hamas. It put me in mind of the chapters from Romans 9 to 11 in the New Testament of the Bible. I thought it would be good to read it again from a thought-for-thought translation – the New Living Translation (NLT). More…
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Written in Ghana in 2000
About a close encounter with an often heard yet not easily seen small owl in Ghana,West Africa. Owlet discovery A long time pursuitOf chasing some birds,Occurred again today.One’s seen beforeWere all that we saw,All that came our way.A pleasant surpriseGreeted our eyes,As we gazed at plumageAll brown.An owl with four…
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Mystical Trees
Mystical trees, Explode from the earth Showering the lower sky With their outstretched arms. Lungs of this realm Give back to us our need for air, Without thought Built in to their nature. Reaching for light Absorbing the very elements. “The kestrel….Waits and waits and waits in silence and then it…
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Moving to a new address
Connect3ways – A website about nature connection and how God speaks in different ways, including nature, dreams, visions and people, from a personal perspective was formally at Connect3Ways.com it has moved to https://connect3ways.co.uk/ with a new look.
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Herald grabs writers attention reminding him of the message
For some time now I feel like I have been paddling on the edges. I am going to stick my head above the parapet and speak. As a follower of Christ it is beholden of me to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom. I cannot get away from it! Over…
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Meeting of minds and the surprising basis of Western thought
Many of you may have heard by now of Jordan B Peterson. He is a Clinical Psychologist with many accolades to his name. He’s all over YouTube and various media sites. I first heard of him relatively recently on a Facebook post. Since then I have dabbled on and off…
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Can nature connection support people with disordered eating?
This is not a post by me but one that came through on my feed which people might find helpful. It’s from Finding Nature a project set up by Professor Miles Richardson and it’s a guest blog about a research project on whether nature connection can support people with disordered…
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The city theme in the Bible
For the last few weeks I have been listening to a podcast from the Bible Project about the city. Within the Bible this theme of the city is an extensive one which is written about within the first book of the Bible, Genesis all the way through to the last…
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The beast in the machine and real truth
This is a miniblog of something longer and deeper which has end of the age repurcussions. Fresh out as an an episode on a relatively new podcast – the title Re-enchanting Nature, Paul Kingsnorth is interviewed. The podcast incidentally is Re-enchanting by Seen and Unseen presented by Justin Brierley and…
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Squelching in the mud with larks, voles and others
Whilst waiting for the Forest Church participants I witnessed a buzzard which didn’t act like the typical buzzard. The markings on it were similar yet different at the same time including a grey head and a grey band around the rump. The circling that common buzzard’s tend to do was…
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Forest Church May 2023
Meeting on Sunday 3-5pm at Wood Street Cricket ground car park. Wear suitable footwear. Keep an eye on the weather. Feel free to bring something with you that can help you to engage with nature eg. binoculars, camera, note/sketchpad. There will be opportunity to use these. Location: OS Grid map…
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Forest Church April 2023
Sunday April 16th, 3-5pm Fox Corner Community Wildlife Area Parking on Berry Lane, Fox Corner https://w3w.co/slang.apples.name Google https://goo.gl/maps/sQrZmnwamsgYd2Dr7 51.2854338, -0.6185560 Pirbright, Woking GU3 3PU Meet @ gate to reserve https://w3w.co/feels.silly.singer Google https://goo.gl/maps/NdM98EG4Hx1Lw9ya6 51.283178, -0.619592 Pirbright, Woking GU3 3PW OS Map SU963547 Bring something to sit on. There will be a…
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Forest Church March 18th
Meeting on Saturday 18th March 3-5pm at Wood Street Cricket ground car park. Wear suitable footwear. Keep an eye on the weather. Last time we were up to our wellies in water after heavy rain! It was much drier on Sunday 5th March . Feel free to bring something with…
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Immerse yourself in the Immerse Bible
Today I was compelled to go back to the website which I discovered and wrote of a couple of days ago in regards to The Two Powers. The one I refer to is the website of the Institute for Bible Reading. Being a nosey person my eye was drawn to…
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Dr. Michael Heiser Passing
Today I heard the sad news that Dr. Michael Heiser passed away yesterday 20.02.23. Here is more details about that from Charisma news website Twitter Feed
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The Two Powers – Another view
In my question to Google in which I thought I needed a refresher on, it led me to the website for the Institute for Bible reading and also BioLogos which were both at the top of the list. The question was: What does it mean that the scriptures weren’t written…
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Caught in espionage out in the wilds
It was a drab end of winter day. I decided to go on one of my forays out into the borderlands of Surrey and Hampshire. The Basingstoke Canal called me as often it would back in my early twenties. Around that time, I also fished those waters not with great…
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An audio feast of a poet, a writer and a ‘fun-gi’ to be with!
There are so many stimulating, inspirational and fascinating nature programmes out there both on television and radio. In regards to the TV ones I’m afraid I fall asleep, not because they’re boring but for some other reason. I even drop off to sleep if I watch one in my lunch…
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Spiritual warfare, what you need to know!
Spiritual warfare and the kingdom: Satan, demons and principalities This subject is one that can be a contentious issue. We in the west live in a materialistic world. What-you-see with your two eyes is what-you-get, kind of approach. In other parts of the world, they are more aware of these…
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The mountain designated by Jesus to hear the great commission from
I sometimes challenge myself by going back to what the Bible says. I was thinking about discipleship, and I wanted to look at what it meant. I turned to Matthew 28 and the great commission passage and start to read and don’t get very far as I let the text…
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Family
Dream. I arrive at a large house which I am welcomed in to. There’s a lot of space and posh features. The rest of my family are there. I’m hoping we might all meet all at the same time. I meet one of my relatives indoors who I’ve not met…
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New findings about my favourite bird!
Yesterday I was inspired to go for a walk out in the countryside. That may sound strange. It is some time now since I have been for a focussed walk on a common, to a field or anything like that to specifically see something. Backing up. The day before yesterday…
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Making all things new – the big project
There are dreams that you forget and ones that you remember and come back to you. This is one of the latter. I dreamt a very masculine dream! I was with a man who was orchestrating a project. I’m not sure but he was like an older John Eldredge (the…
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The state of affairs, the challenge of the Iranian Church to the West and making disciples
The world is a messy place, both good and bad are evident in and around us. There’s a reason for this which isn’t always readily apparent. There’s a supernatural world not seen with the human eyes (that link takes you to a youth version of a programme of study with…
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Two of the best places in UK for nature
On the weekend of my 50th birthday I had the opportunity to visit two very special places. The first was the Knepp Estate which has been featured on the BBC Countryfile programme and in my favourite book of 2019 – Wilding, by Isabella Tree. The second was planned by my…
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Standing firm is the empowerment you need!
Here’s a short post which I thought I had published a month ago. A few thoughts about some verses in the Bible. I was considering a passage in the Bible which I have written on a little before which I come back to time and time again within the year and…
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A surprising song line to wake up with!
There are a number of things I’ve been wanting to write about which have happened recently from trips out to special nature places, my back garden developments, to things that have been in my mind or thoughts in regards to what God has been saying to me personally but I…
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Forest Church – March 2022 An early Springtime of space and reflection – Westborough Woods.
by Chris Burchell The clouds were banking up and the breeze was keen as a small group of us gathered for Forest Church led by Rob Marshall. The location was Westborough Woods, a small relict of the once extensive Royal Deer Park that stretched Northwest of Guildford and remembered in…
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Eunice took my Cherry tree and other garden delights!
Recently I began writing about our garden here on this blog. I have begun to notice some small changes since then. Down the right hand side of the garden up against the wire fence are some very broad sharp leaves pushing through the ground. Since first noticing them about three…
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Forest Church March 2022
Please Note As of today 3rd March 2022 my eldest son has tested positive for Covid yet doesn’t have any symptoms. If for whatever reason with that knowledge feel that you shouldn’t attend I will understand. Similarly if you do feel able with that knowledge I would appreciate you joining…
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New house – New garden and garden bird list!
It’s time to start a new garden bird list. I had to say goodbye to the last garden and its list which reached 36. What a good one that was! Over the next few months look out for updates on what is happening in the garden. As it’s January (time…
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You’re included in the Royal Family whatever state your in!
At the church I attend we are in a period of seeking God – shouldn’t we always! As it happens our verse for the year states this theme. It is found in 1 Chronicles 16.11 and can also be found in Psalm 105.4. This verse and the surrounding verses are…
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That out of place feeling – again! A common human experience.
As a little introduction to this post look out for a key repeated phrase and concept. Some of you who read this or all of you may experience the repeated theme. I will explore its meaning after recounting the dream. I was helping out at an inspection of royalty at…
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Close to one of nature’s miniature furry creatures!
Today was a rather windy damp December, day making it feel like 3 degrees Celsius! I was in a garden working. Some Crocosmia sp needed thinning out as it was dominating a corner of the garden. Being close to the ground made what was about happen rather special. I was…
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Consoling presence of the Holy Spirit in anxious times
During singing a newer song in the morning service at the church I attend I saw and sensed a picture at the same time, of the Father embracing us. Many of us have lost loved ones, had things break, things haven’t been going quite as we’d like them too recently.…
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Watch out, be ready and alert
This subject of being alert, ready and watchful that I write about here is being impressed upon me. What I am going to write will also help you to see some of the dream interpretation process that I go through. Sometimes I get an initial overall feel for a dream.…
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Welcome the seed of the good news!
At the church where I attend we’re moving into a new season which is without a minister. We are thrown onto the mercy of God. We begin this time with 36 hours of prayer launched with praise and worship. There was an opportunity for individuals throughout the evening to write…
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You shall know the truth, it will set you free
Nebulous thoughts in the mornings that cannot be pierced, don’t bode well. When they linger through the day – you feel like you’re in trouble! One questions am I doing something wrong? It starts to affect your whole outlook for the day. I was having one of those days, except…
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Out of the ordinary eye catching plant
Whilst out on the saltmarsh at low tide at Pagham Harbour recently, I came across this plant. It looked familiar but I couldn’t place it. The flowers are somewhat like a nightshade (Solanum sp.). The specimen was alone and standing very tall and erect at about 1.5m. I used the…
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Forest Church makes a come back after viral imposition!
Forest Church has been out of action for some time. I considered it was a good time to plan for one and get it going again in the local area. It all started with news of a Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus – written about before here) in the churchyard at St…
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Doxecology – Study Guide – engageworship
For those of you who are concerned about Creation and want a resource to express your praise of God in worship about creation, also to lament what has happened to it and have a way to respond in hope. This study and audio visual will enable you to do that.…
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Reaching out to all the people of Israel
The other day whilst listening to Naked Bible Podcast I was introduced to a book, followed by a website. This blog is about that below. The book subject is about something that has perturbed me academically. It is about whether Christians should follow the law. It is written by a…
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Nature depletion comes to the UK!
This post is adapted from one of my journal entries which was on my birthday. In short this post is about the state of nature in the UK, my part in that and yours. I was recently inspired and challenged by the Countryfile Magazine Podcast, which had the author of…
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A short commentary on the poem The Windhover by British comedian Frank Skinner!
A Comedian’s Prayer Book was a recent acquistion; a birthday gift from my wife, written by Frank Skinner. Being only a little familiar with his shows I am intrigued by this small book. I thought I’d look him up as I have time whilst gardening to listen to podcasts and…
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Little, Reed, and Rustic Bunting on Thursley Common
Saturday morning before the clocks changed I headed off to Thursley Common. The sun was rising and a large full moon setting low over the western sky as I drove towards Elstead. The car park had three other cars in it as I arrived. The area near the moat showed…
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Fox Corner walk March 21, 2021
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Short lockdown walk February 15th
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An enthusiastic podcast episode recommendation about gardening
This inspiring podcast with Gardeners World Miranda Janatka and writer, Dr Rangan Chatterjee covers a lot of ground about gardening and it’s benefits to all round health. He also talks about our relationship with food and exercise. Some really helpful things to help in life very simple but motivational. I…
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A longing in life common to all of humanity
I ended up on Pluto (the planet that once was a planet). I was on a track which was just like a track in the English countryside. It was set into a hill somewhat like a shallow version of a drovers road. There was a woman who appeared by me…
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Big Garden Birdwatch 2021, my bird list update and the BTO
This post will be very short! Judging by the nature of the records I obtained and the weather which probably contributed to the poor show this year’s BGB (see title) was somewhat of a washout. I spent Saturday looking out of the window thinking ‘Shall I do it now? …Or…
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Taking the initiative in life
Life is like a man on his first day at a new job at a new Tesco where Budgen’s used to be. His manager was called Uma. As the manager she wasn’t very interactive and didn’t really speak to this man along with all the other staff, apart from a…
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A taste of heaven experienced in the night
I had one of those expansive dreams where I was with Debbie, my wife, at a Christian conference. A part I recall is where we were in a room together and we needed help to know our way around the site and centre and what services were available. We were…
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When darkness comes – choose to resist
The doorbell rang. A man went to the door but couldn’t see or hear who it was even when he opened the door fully. Outside of the door was dark blackness. There was a presence, a person blending in with the darkness. The man asked as he thought he saw…
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Beginning of the year dawn chorus
Stuck myself out of the door this morning to get some air around 7.15 GMT. The sky was growing lighter and there was a frost on the ground. The robins were singing. There must have been at least 3. It was delightful. Here’s a short 35 sec sample:
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The staff that brings comfort and directs the right way
Do you feel like you’re stretched thin at the moment? Do you think, ‘I’m not sure I’ll hold up’? Can I continue like I am? Is everything being stripped away from you? This may well be for you. We are all under pressure in so many ways as we enter…
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abiding presence - friendship with God - knowing God - partnering with God - Prayer - union with Christ
The best friendship you can have!
Sometimes it takes years for us to fully grasp something and there’s more to unpack when we think we have grasped a truth. For the last two or three years I have had regular dreams, scriptures and words from the Lord which at the time seemed unrelated. When I look…
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An uplifting walk where the trees flourish
Even though it was a dank dull still day we managed to take a walk at Winkworth Arboretum which is always a delight. The National Trust were encouraging people to get out. They required you to book a place as the nation was still under its second lockdown. We’d booked…
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Enjoying growth by watching trees
Here’s a short video of something that caught my attention this morning biking back home taking the long way, from dropping my van at the garage.
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Forest Church video, My Story and more
There are some new pages and content which have been added recently to this website. All of these pages can be accessed by the menu buttons at the top of the page which look like this example: See the Connect with me/Contacts page to see how to sign up for…
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Master of the house – Partnering with God
In my home-group we have been following some of the parables of Jesus – the ones which Jesus shares on his way to Jerusalem. They can be found in the book of Matthew in the New Testament of the Bible. One in particular I want to draw attention to has…
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Awake to newness of life!
Something we see, at first may not initially catch our attention. Yet there’s something about it that tugs at us and makes us take a closer look. Like Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3. He sees the bush like he would have at any other time but because…
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Moth Trap 2020
First moth trap of 2020 and the first for a couple of years. Sadly I seem to have lost my former records, swallowed up in the ethernet somewhere. The last one recorded on this website was in 2018 also in July. It was a warm night somewhere between 17 and…
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First proper outing since lockdown
I would like to dedicate this post to Chris Burchell, kindred spirit and friend. The walk I write about here was the day after his birthday. I think he would have appreciated it. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they can ever praise you. Selah. Blessed is the…
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Church versus World
Now and then I have a dream that seems to speak of what is going on in the wider world in relation to the Kingdom of God. This one I write about here seems to be one of those. I was working on the land as an agricultural worker. It…
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Understanding the dreaming process
My last two dreams have raised an issue for me. It’s not the first time it’s happened to me. How much importance should be given to a dream? Is it really God speaking? I noticed a podcast on dreams and visions from the Bible Project guys. I’ve written about it further on…
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Shaking picture
The 25th March was the day after Boris Johnson declared a nationwide lockdown regarding the Coronavirus. The same day my wife went to work as a nurse in the hospital as she normally does. That was when the possible consequences of the pandemic really hit me. I awoke with anxiety…
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The Droste effect!
Many an encouragement comes in the early hours of the day! I almost missed this encouragement from my dream. As you will see I was puzzled. The puzzlement conveys a message too. My initial reaction was: ‘Should I give time to this dream?’ It wasn’t something bad or discouraging –…
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Get out of your comfort zone!
Here is another dream from last year which continues to stir and provoke me. In our current situation as people of God we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in reaching out to others. This dream is like the title states about stepping out of your…
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The Bully dream!
I arrive by my van at a garage, service station and was watching some of the activity. One large thug like guy was threatening others and throwing his weight around. I needed something doing to my vehicle. My vehicle had changed to a kind of quad bike. He approaches me…
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The harvest
Thinking of harvest has made sense of a couple of dreams that I had last year. One in around February and the other in October. I wrote of the first one in the last blog. I will expand on that one a little here and introduce another one which I…
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Freak wave
Here is another of those very vivid dreams which caught my attention February 2019. What I recall was that we, the family and the Arnotts (wider family) had gone to the beach. One of those with a promenade behind it like Worthing. The sea was pretty normal looking. It was…
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Restricted nature connection
Yes at this time of household lockdown we are restricted in our nature connection but we can enjoy what we see before us however small that is. When I say small I mean a small space as well as a small flower, bee, lichen or whatever. Each day I go…
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Postscript to Mars bars…
Later I had the scripture whilst gardening, trying to settle myself in the Lord: Be of good cheer I have overcome the world. I couldn’t recall where it was from but it was great to have that to keep coming back to all morning and throughout the day. I did…
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Mars bars or bread of life?!
In these uncertain times with Covid-19 I have to face what might happen in regards to my family, with lots of uncertainty. I’ve been praying about that, people I know and the local church. I was longing to receive a word from God particularly for Debbie in her situation with…
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Good news for creation
Some of you may have heard of NT Wright the theologian. He was once the Bishop of Durham. He talks in his writings and lectures about heaven and earth coming together in Christ. The New Heaven and the New Earth has been started by Jesus. I was reading some of…
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Meditation!
This blog is a short Interlude from my Freedom dream posts. I want to write on the theme of biblical meditation. I have been a little bit uncertain about mindfulness, especially that which involves meditation where you sit and empty yourself and do breathing exercises. I’m not sure that’s a…
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Freedom dream (Part 4)
I continue unpacking the Freedom dream. In this post I deal with the part where I get alongside Rosemary who is blind. I have often wondered why she was chosen by my sleeping brain. Of all the elements within the dream I spent the most time considering who she is…
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Freedom Dream (Part 3)
There I was trudging along through the darkness in the dream with a host of other people. I was in the same position as other human beings; being driven, not knowing the way out or whether there was a way out. Then into the darkness came a choice to receive…
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Some winter beauty!
This is a kind of fungus (possibly Antrodia serialis) which I found appealing which is on a gate post that is rotting. I don’t know what it is about things like this that appeal. Maybe it’s something about the pattern. There is an irregular regularity about it. I’m sure that…
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Freedom dream (Part 2)
In this post I begin unpacking the Freedom dream. One thing I must say at this point there was a very strong feeling about this dream that it wasn’t just for me. There was a strong sense of the corporate about it. The initial feeling that was so strong was…
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Freedom dream (Part 1)
Back in April 2018 whilst on holiday I was woken up rather shaken from the following dream. I was literally shaking from an overwhelming need to address the dream and understand what it was saying. It was one of those dreams where I participated and observed within the dream. Ever…
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Garden bird addition 1
Today brings a welcome addition to the garden bird list, one that is long overdue. The house was empty on arriving home for lunch but there was a tell-tale sign of some detective work regarding a bird sighting. On the side in the kitchen was a small pair of binoculars…
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What the heart is thinking?
For some time now I have been considering my purpose in this world. It is something I come back to time and time again. Some of you may have seen a post which I accidentally posted about calling which was unfinished. I may work on it more and repost. This…
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Seeing black and white!
Earlier in the year I was reminded of a faint dream from the early hours of the morning. I see someone seeing words before them and they are highlighted in an unusual way, to stand out in relief – in black and white! As I consider what I can recall…
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Pursue me!
Recently I had a dream where I was visited by an old friend of mine who sneaked back into my life. I’ll give you the raw dream and show you my interpretation of it which came very clearly. I was at home and Quentin turned up to see me as…
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Ring ouzel
Back in January I wrote about the birds I’ve recorded in my garden since moving in (see Garden bird records). I would like to make a further addition to that hot off the press: Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus. Many of you may not know what this bird is. The nature…
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An addition to recommend
In my blog a few days ago I mentioned books I have read that have benefitted me recently. A book I forgot to mention was: I managed to find this one on the RB digital app linked to my local library. I work outside gardening. I listen to books, podcasts,…
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A biblical scholar
I would like to draw your attention to someone I have discovered in the last few months. His name is Dr. Michael Heiser . He is a biblical scholar and has written a number of books, papers and blogs. He has a number of websites and podcasts including one on fringe…
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Recommended reading
I want to bring to your attention some books I have read over the summer and more recently. The first of these is on a subject which is very current. It is a story of a former gay activist who writes about his life. He shares how he has struggled…
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A recommended life
I have just finished a book by Amy Pascoe called ‘Don’t Faint Pray’. For those of you outside of Cornwall you may not know of this lady. Having grown up in Cornwall during my teenage years I came across her and worked for her family during a couple of Summer…
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Two bird poems
This post was somehow removed from display when I transferred from my old platform. I thought I might give you a couple of my poems from the turn of the millenium which may inspire you to appreciate a bird or some other bit of nature and help you in your…
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Thursley Common adventure
Yesterday evening a friend and I went to a poetry evening with Mary Colwell. She has written a book called Curlew Moon. At this event the plight of curlews Numenius arquata was explained to us with passion and gentleness. We had managed to speak to her before she shared her…
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A journey stick
I haven’t posted anything for a while. Gardening has been taking up my time and frankly I have been physically tired. Found this note in clearing out some papers:
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Contrasting bird songs
As a family we had the pleasure of visiting Fox Corner local nature reserve for the first time this year a few days ago. What struck me the most was a blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) singing in an unusual manner in some shrubs. I then heard another further away but it…
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Update on Gaultheria shallon
On the 10th August 2016 I wrote an extended entry on the aforementioned plant. I recently inherited, very kindly, a set of Chris Howkins books and booklets. This author was quite well known by the former owner of the books having been to numerous talks of his. He researches and…
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A podcast by Kris Vallotton, learning to think
I have attached below a great talk which is about thinking. This is something we all do and I have plenty of it in my time gardening! Kris unpacks it and relates our thinking to the passage in Roman’s 12 about the mind of Christ. He takes the listener into…
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Encounter(s)
A short comment about a podcast I listened to today which unpacks through a husband and wife conversation, encounters with God. This podcast explains to my mind about this particular paradigm in our relationship with God which is essential for our transformation. I found it encouraging and it picked me…
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Forest Church Feb 2019
My thanks to Melissa Foat and Debbie Marshall for these photos. Enjoy these photos to experience some of what we did. Examine in silence imagining bird song and the air on your face. On an exceptionally bright and warm day in February, a few of us gathered for Forest church…
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Song Thrush
A new record for the garden this morning. A song thrush (Turdus philomelos) was walking and hopping down the garden path feeding as it went. We’ve had their relatives, blackbird (Turdus merula), redwing (Turdus iliacus) and fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) in the garden but not this one. A real pleasure to…
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Further Forest Church recce
This morning started out bright and cheerful. There was a real hint of spring. Very mild compared to last week. The sky was a wintry colour with the sun breaking through. In the back garden where the silver birch (Betula pendula), of the neighbour’s grows, I hear siskins (Spinis spinus)…
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Forest Church recce
This is a good time of year for a Forest Church walk. (Search previous posts for what Forest Church entails). I have begun to plan for this. The route in mind needed to be checked out. The map was showing a path but from previous experience small grey dashes don’t…
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Garden bird records
Since moving to this house in 2014 I have been recording different species of birds and the most numbers of one species at one time. (I must add here in parenthesis in our last garden the most amazing event and striking one was the presence of 14 waxwing (Bombycilla garullus)!…
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A short busy activity of wildlife!
I was just filling the dishwasher when something caught my eye outside I looked up and there was a green woodpecker near our little apple tree with two pigeons in the background. I was a little distracted by the activity to the left of the trampoline and was torn between watching…
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Fragrance of Holy Spirit
I found this page smell of the spirit after doing a job for a client clearing out brambles and bindweed in a scrubby patch by the side of a garage. All of a sudden I got a waft of bay (Laurus nobilis). I scoured around visually and didn’t see anything…
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Tweet of the day podcast
Yesterday I listened to the podcast which you can see below. This podcast is a regular one which you can hear via the BBC iPlayer or in my case Podbean. It is Tweet of the Day. I first came across Tweet Of The Day when I was listening to a…
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Cavalcade
I haven’t written on connecting with God for some time. Some of you may wander how I do this. The process I undertake varies. I don’t think there is a formula for this kind of activity but it helps to at least start somewhere.This morning my thoughts took a ready…
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A serendipitous firecrest!
On Wednesday 3rd October I took a trip over to St Mary’s Church, Worplesdon. This was to gather more ideas for the next Forest Church meet. It was pleasantly empty. I was alone apart from the graves of many who have passed on. I headed to the south east corner…
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July 2018 Moth trap
Last weekend on the 13th and 14th July I set up the moth trap. The weather was dry and bright with the night temperature about 19°C. I recorded 22 species which were both in the trap and around the trap. The trap was using an MVA bulb. The species recorded…
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Beauty! — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2wW1oO0
Beauty! — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2wW1oO0 from Tumblr https://ift.tt/2rRYHIlvia IFTTT
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Tice’s Meadow Bioblitz — view on Instagram…
Tice’s Meadow Bioblitz — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JWR4Xx from Tumblr https://ift.tt/2rnqIqPvia IFTTT
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Isaiah 12 v 3 and a dream connection
In my preparation for a recent Encounter meeting I was researching into the Hebrew meanings of the words in the verse, using some of the original pictographs courtesy of Jeff Benner’s work. The same morning, I had a dream which, contained within it images which related to the study! Taking the…
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Forest Church 3
Hindered by two padlocked gates and another further on. The sign demonstrating the nature of the place! from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2r5RXZnvia IFTTT
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Forest church 2
Traversing up the side of Crown Prince Hill which is 115m at the top. from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2r6k1vNvia IFTTT
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Forest Church January 2018
At the weekend enjoyed Forest Church with a band of 11 others. We explored the hills on the Ash Ranges not far from Henley Park lake near Pirbright. One person who came commented that she hadn’t heard any cars and it was the first time in Surrey that had happened!…
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Connections: Spirituality and Conservation
Connections: Spirituality and Conservation – Peter Harris from A Rocha International on Vimeo. from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2D16fjw via IFTTT
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Map Connections
I don’t know about you, but I have a natural nosiness! Whenever I see a noticeboard on the common I want to read it and see what’s on it. These kind of noticeboards, often have information that help us to know what is on the common, things like plants and…
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An insight into spiritual war
I don’t always write about such things as they are very personal to me and can only be read usually in my jourrnal. I have wondered about sharing them more publicly so this might not be the last time to do this. Here is what I wrote: This morning I…
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Extraordinary strategist
The end of daylight today. This is where my sit spot is. I’ve come full circle in my year or two in this case! Today a mystery bird of prey kew, kew, kewing with rapid flight and pulsing wing beats. A surprise frog at 4℃ under the leaf pile I’d…
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Three memorable views
On the way down to Cornwall at half term we saw a rainbow which was over the road. Suddenly we were actually in the rainbow. I’d never experienced anything quite like it. The rainbow was so close you could have touched it. It had a shadow on the outside and…
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Hawk Conservancy Trust trip
The Hawk Conservancy Trust is a wonderful place to visit as we found out on a day out in August. There is a wonderful atmosphere throughout the centre. Hawks are not the only bird that the charity takes care of. Mostly it is birds of prey including owls, kites, vultures…
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Bat pilgrimage
Bat walks are a feature of various National Trust properties. Near us in Surrey there are a number of National Trust properties. Hatchlands is one of these, a large Parkland consisting of a little over 480 acres. Within the grounds of hatchlands comma there are wooded areas comma pasture a…
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The Eldest Son in the Prodigal son story
Recently, the words of the Father in Luke 15 came to me whilst gardening. You are always with me, everything I have is yours. So I looked again at the story where this comes from. We need to remember who Jesus was talking too. In verse 1 of the same…
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Sparrowhawk
The Sunday after the Leprosy Mission talk I arrived home with the family. Debbie and I were beginning to sort lunch out and I was in the kitchen. I looked up, out of the side kitchen window – there on the fence was a male sparrowhawk (Accipiter nissus)! I tried…
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The small bird, big tree and fungi!
In January I took a walk on the edges of the Ash Ranges. I began to relax into the environment and in turn my thinking. As I walked along the path I was alerted to some calls high up in the scots pines (Pinus sylvestris). A coal tit (Periparus ater) flew across…
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Fractal attractors, fishing and the mind!
Our verse for the year at Emmanuel is Romans 12 verse 2 from The Message. In the New Living Translation, the section about renewing your mind says: ‘…but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…’ This translation in the past has helped me to…
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Great Grey shrike (Lanius excubitor)
On a Sunday at the end of October I had a conversation with my good bird watching friend Chris Burchell. He and I often catch up on what birds we have seen or heard about in the vicinity. I happened to mention that the Surrey Bird Club news Tweet had…
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Heavenly body?!
It’s been awhile since doing a blog. I have had a few ideas going around my head. This evening I was on the way to drop the kids off at Bible Club when I noticed an interesting cloud. On first looking at the cloud it looked like a distinct column…
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Addition
An addition to my blog on Leith Hill regarding Gaultheria shallon. This species according to Plantlife the charity, is an invasive. Shallon can be found in garden centres around the country. It is causing other species to be smothered according to them on their website: http://plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/shallon I suspected something wasn’t…
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Leith Hill
On Friday 5th August I took my children on a walk to Leith Hill. We left the car in the car park on the southwest side of the hill and followed the tower waymarkers. Not far from the car park there was a fallen beech tree which was very attractive…
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Beewolf!
It’s been a while since writing. Something yesterday sparked my interest. (There has been other sparks such as a local sparrowhawk and other garden bird activity) I took the kids to a park we all like. (For those of you who read this from overseas, and I note there are…
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Parbola evening
Parbola campsite was quite a find. Set in West Cornwall about 5 miles south of Camborne and surrounded by hedges on one side and a mixed woodland with a stand of spruce. During the May bank holiday it had only 10 tents at the most but certainly could accommodate many more.…
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Jesus is Lord! Creation’s voice proclaims it
Jesus is Lord! Creation’s voice proclaims itFor by His power each tree and flowerWas planned and madeJesus is Lord! The universe declares itSun, moon and stars in heavenCry, ‘Jesus is Lord’‘Jesus is Lord!’ ‘Jesus is Lord’Praise him with Hallelujah’sFor Jesus is Lord! I was looking for a creation creed that…
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Unexpected surprises
A couple of weeks ago I was out on my bike with my boys in Queen Elizabeth Park. We all needed fresh air and exercise and we all like going up and down the paths on our bikes even though it’s a small area even better when no one around…
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Meditation on a scene
Recently I was attracted to this picture, which was in colour but works just as well in black and white. Immediately the symbolism of the picture hit me and I saw that it would be something to share with you. I would like to try and get you thinking about…
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A little something in February
Maybe February is not a month that we like. It is for me as a gardener my least busy month! Even though this is the case I have had an increase in work over the last few years within in it – I say that just in case you’re worried…
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First walk of the year
Went out on a walk taking in Chitty’s Common including the boardwalk where I slow-walked, drinking in the sights and sounds, even going off track and meeting a Goldcrest. It was raining and the sky was heavy with dark grey clouds but it was trying to brighten although evening dusk…
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Birds, Donkeys and Squirrels
I had another of my walks recently. The place which I had frequented earlier on in the year Ash Ranges called to me again! On arriving I was not surprised to see that the red flag was flying so I decided to follow a route that I had not tried…
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The Nature of place
In this New Year I suggest that you stretch your wings if you can and explore somewhere new. I read or heard somewhere that if you try a new route to somewhere you go to regularly this increases your creative potential and expands your mind. I like to explore different…
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The Seasonal Nature of Christmas!
One of the many books I’ve been reading is called The Celtic Wheel of the Year, Celtic and Christian Seasonal Prayers by Tess Ward. The reason for reading is to inform my prayers in following more of a daily pattern, over the months, onward through the year. I am using…
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The little green lizard!
Work started out as a beautiful Autumnal morning down by the river. The ever changing sky was full of magic, from wispy cirrus to varied nimbus clouds and colours of pink and yellow. The river although overshadowed by the sound of the A3 had the same expectancy too. A song…
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Lilee
To all those who enjoyed hearing and reading about Lilee. Today she passed away very peacefully after 4 years of enjoying her company and personality. We had Lilee from the age of 3 months and we believe she would have been 4 years old this month but are not sure…
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Tices Meadow visit
Last week, on Saturday 25th I visited Tices Meadow for some bird watching. I had read of Bearded Tit’s present. It was not long after 7am I arrived. On walking through the woodland path it opened out and there at another hedge line cut a small dumpy, neck-less, falcon appeared…
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Why it’s called Forest Church
Back in 2011 I was invited to go on a course by one of my head teachers. This was when I was new into the job. The course was to enable the participants to become Level 3 Forest School Practitioners. Forest School is, to quote from the Forest School Association…
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Resurrection!
I have not long finished listening to a podcast from The Liturgists (see the link on the left) No. 22. On this comment and discussion is made on ghosts but most of all there is discussion on resurrection and Science Mike as he is affectionately called states this which grew…
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Joy of Discovery
On holiday in Wales recently we stayed in a lovely converted milking parlour which had 15 acres of land surrounding it. We had the privilege of walking three Kune-kune pigs down the meadow with their owners. It was within the field that the owner said that he couldn’t mow the…
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What if? A few thoughts
What if the whole creation, the process behind it being what it is, was a person, wouldn’t that make life more interesting?! An unfolding adventure?! In a moment of sleeping in one of my children’s beds after swapping, I was trying to get off to sleep so started whisper praying (thinking,…
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Ash Ranges BTO Nightjar survey
Wednesday evening I went and joined 25 others to do a count of churring male nightjars. I was initially surprised to see so many folk (mainly male out of interest – no correlation with the survey!?). The reason for this number soon became apparent. The group was to be divided…
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Nightjar
There are always new things we can learn and experience about God and the natural world. We may not understand fully what the creator has made. There is great mystery in both the Creator and the created. If we dig deeper into the created we can see something of God. One of my favourite…
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Morning moth trap
Went into the garden and prepared myself for the day out loud as I had done silently in bed whilst reading and reflecting on the Prayer of 7 directions (David Adam). I started with a simple version to embed it in my head and heart: God is before me, (face…
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Bat detector recording +
Monday evening was such a delightful evening I went out for another Whitmoor walk. The sun was setting and had got caught behind some interesting clouds. The lower cloud was darker grey and had an overlay of narrow white angled pillars. Above this was a large fish-bone effect. I took…
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Home is in a garden too!
Most of us have a garden of some sort or another – some of us even have allotments! The ones that are private are easily accessed by stepping out of our front or back doors! These gardens are part of our homes and they are homes for other non-human inhabitants…
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Mini blog on a bat
A lovely mild evening out there this evening with blue sky and light cloud noticeable even after sunset. I only had the energy to go out the back door with my bat detector. As soon as I stepped out I turned it on and picked up the fine ticking of a pipistrelle…
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7th May 2015
Today has been a day of pleasant nature surprises. It has been one where mostly nature has come to me. This morning I heard that recognisable screaming of swifts above my head and counted around 15. Great to see them back again. In the same garden there were some very…
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Whitmoor wandering
Yesterday evening I went to Whitmoor to do my first reconnaisance for Forest Church number 3. I have been to Whitmoor before so I know my way around. Whitmoor Common is about 185ha in size and is made up of 4 compartments. The main car park is based in compartment…
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Sit spot +
Went out to check if nightingale around st Broadstreet Common, no song in evidence. Decided to go to my sit spot before knowing whether a nightingale would show. Thought I’d use sensio divina too to aid my commune. The sun had already set but due to the amount of light…
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Easter Sunday 2015
I parked the car and headed down the hill towards Fox Corner LNR just before 6am. There was an owl call just above my head. Locating it was tricky. As it was early I didn’t feel too stupid standing staring up into a tree. Suddenly I saw a blob on…
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Spring
“What is all this juice and all this joy? A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning…” Gerard Manley Hopkins If the old adage is anything to go by: “Ash before oak, we’re in for a soak; Oak before ash we’re in for a splash” then it looks…
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Early Spring Afternoon
In my preparation for Forest Church (and because I love to get out and be with nature) I have been visiting Fox Corner Community Wildlife Area. I have also been developing a sit spot. I headed down to my waiting rustic bench, glad that I was alone. I had already…
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Crows caught in the act!
Yesterday I witnessed some bird behaviour never seen before. I glanced up at our lawn to see a crow crouched down with wings stretched out flat either side and its tail was being worked from side to side rapidly – also flat, like a fan for about a minute. I…
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Fox Corner
On arriving at Fox Corner today there was a busyness about the birds and more of a presence than previous times. I had to slow myself down into the mode as I flushed a number of Redwing’s by my rapidity. They were rather nervy today anyway. The weather was mild and…
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More lichen’s
Went for a very early morning walk, before the sun was up. The sunrise was a rapid intense pink and was greeted by a similar intensification of bird song at Fox Corner Community Wildlife Area. There were geese honking in the darkness upon the pond just before this sunrise. I…
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Lichen exploration
Whether you pronounce the “ich” as in like or as in itch doesn’t really matter. (As a matter of preference I say it as in like, as I like them – but I use to say it as in itch as it figuratively scratches something that itches in me!) This…
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A different kind of lent thought
For those of you who read this blog I would like to take a moment to highlight some other writings which are in process on another site which you will see on the left side of the page. These daily missives belong on the Mystic Christ blog and are those…
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Up North
The half term is over it is back to normal. I wondered whether I would be able to relate to the time spent off – I was pleasantly surprised. As a family we spent some time with friends up north. An area where we as southerners are maligned and portrayed…
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First Forest Church Revealed
Thank you to many of you who have expressed an interest in Forest Church. It has been very encouraging to receive your support. A number of folk were not able to make it on the day for various reasons but we had a good turn-out for the first of many…
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Hebrew for worship
In another book by Chaim Bentorah (See a previous post on livabethini), I came across something pretty amazing. The Hebrew word for worship is shachah and it is read from right to left in the Hebrew text. The first letter is shin, traditionally carrying the meaning of passion, fire, or a fiery passion. Thus…
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Amazing lichens
This photo is an example according to Tristan Gooley’s latest book of the most underrated and underrappreciated groups in nature. Carl Linnaeus called them (from a Latin translation) ‘Poor little peasants of nature’. The Greeks; eruptions, warts or leprosy. Here we have Xanthoria polycarpa (I think) which is sensitive to…
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Thoughts from a walk and from a Hebrew scholar
In preparing for Forest Church I walked the route as a recce yesterday morning. Going into the ‘foresty’ bit with tall firs reaching to the sky with the sun glinting on the tops of the trees caused me to lift my head up in wonder and see their skeletal shapes…
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Broken and contrite heart
Wasn’t sure what to read this morning so went for the 5 Psalms a day grouping and as it’s 11th January read 51 first. Came to v17 NET The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit – O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject. This reminded…
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J.E.H.O.M-O?
I don’t know about you but I really connected with Frank’s New Year sermon. He headed it with the overall theme of worship and then used six words to hang his content on which I have used here. There are different styles of worship and we move in and out…
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Lichens +
This time of year because the trees are bare of leaves the exposed bark and branches are revealed showing some interesting forms. I have been stretching my knowledge and looking at this phenomena commonly known as lichens. Lichens are composite organisms made up of a fungus and one or more…
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Serendipity v non-serendipity(!)
Went for a walk yesterday morning with Ethan, to get myself air and to deliver him from the screen! I took my binoculars just in case as you never know! It was a fresh and bright morning, dry but icy especially in the shade. We were staying over at the…
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A December Ramble
Now, I thought it was about time for a new post. The title reflects more of my thinking than of an actual ramble – that would be fine too. Saying that, I am missing going outside at present and have a real longing to have a winter walk. I can…
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School nature
Took a group of kids out today at school and saw a number of creatures. Don’t know who was more excited, me or them! A heron flew in low towards us as we walked near the pond. It landed stately like upon the end apex above the resource room. Watching…
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A good read
(This is somewhat misleading as it was actually a good listen!) Debbie bought a set of books by Gill Lewis. I’d never heard of her before. One of her books is called The Moon Bear. The local library has an ebook and audio book loan service and I managed to…
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Who Jesus is to me.
As we come to this Christmas time I want to share who Jesus is to me, making it personal and hopefully encouraging you and maybe enticing you in further to knowing him more. When I was 8 I read a lot, reading the Bible was one of the many books…
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Seeing and knowing
I wanted to share a bit of where I am at. Both yesterday’s post and today’s share a similar theme. There is so much I would like to read and watch like the books by my bed, on my devices and stuff to watch on internet and YouTube but I…
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I will be found by you
It had been a busy day and I was positively buzzing in my head. I was glad to get into bed. As I did I managed to quieten down. I just laid back on my pillow and I wasn’t even trying to hear, or straining that is, to hear God’s…
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Messy church +
You may remember in a previous article mention of Forest Church. Well, whilst researching this topic I came across the newest version of the same, called Mossy Church. This subset of Forest Church is aimed at more junior members. I discovered what I thought was a big Mossy Church event…
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Free Eagle
From time to time I read The Mirror – no not the popular tabloid but a paraphrase of some of the New Testament. There is a lot of commentary in it which gets mixed in with the verses but it’s there to help explain how the author, Francois du Toit…
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Simple Pleasures
It was one of those mornings. I was coming too (waking up) and I was besieged by dark irrational thoughts, we all get them from time to time. I don’t think they come from a good place or from the Holy Spirit. It was difficult to break through but I…
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Summer School report 2014
You may remember last year I reported on the summer school sessions regarding faith and ecology. Well this year the subject for all the sessions related to peace. I had a flip through the brochure and was disappointed that nothing really appealed to me apart from one session which set…
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Lesson from a tree
I was walking down to church the other Sunday evening. I noticed a tree in the corner of the grounds belonging to the flats by the long alley way on the Worplesdon road. I recalled not seeing one for quite some time (since the event I’ve seen two in a…
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The walk that became something else
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes”. Elizabeth Scott Browning On an early morning walk recently I headed towards Whitmoor Common. The sky was clear blue, the light was bright and the dew was glinting in the sunshine. Noisy young…
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Tanzanian Safari
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalm 24:1 Our trip to Ruaha Game Park was amazing. We had a rough drive there. At the road-side we enjoyed lunch of home-made chipatis and crisps. Some of us saw a mask spider; all of us admired…
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Tanzanian Wildlife moments (Psalms 150:1-2,6)
As Team Tanzania we had an amazing trip for other reasons apart from achieving what we set out to do, meeting brothers and sisters in Christ, being blessed and being a blessing. We had the opportunity virtually every day, to drink in the sights and sounds of that beautiful country.…
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Naming nature
Last month I looked at trees and how Debbie and I made our email address – we created our own name using Gingertree. This month I thought I’d look at names and particularly naming the nature around us. As human’s we like to know someone’s name. It’s the beginning…
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Trees
Some of you may know quite well by now our email address. The prefix of that address is Gingertree72. There is a little story behind that. Debbie and I both have an affinity with trees, particularly in reference to: Jeremiah 17:7-8 (Ps 1:3): Blessed is the person who trusts Yahweh…
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Saving souls or the planet
Should we as Christians really be bothered about looking after the planet? After all it’s going to be burnt up (or is it?) – should our job not be about saving souls? I was musing on these things recently after a few comments I read on a social network site.…
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Water works
Recently I bought a book to help me at work called Wow! Our Amazing Planet – A cross- curricular conservation resource for RE teachers (ideal for KS1 and 2) written by a friend of mine. I was reading it to improve my knowledge and in it I read about pigeons! Pigeons are…
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Christmas and creation
This is the time of year when we start looking towards Christmas and what that entails. It is a time when we are surrounded by so many demands on our time and finances. For us as Christians we look towards Christ’s first coming but what does that mean for us…
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God who provides through nature
As the Tanzania team are preparing to go and being one of them I have been challenged in regards to how we will pay for it! When I say pay for it I mean financially and not figuratively, although we could do that too – observe us when we come…
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Becoming an eco-congregation and the Cost of creation
In July I attended the Diocesan summer school sessions on ‘Becoming an Eco-congregation; a local response’ and ‘The Cost of Creation’. There were a few others from Emmanuel there apart from myself and a small representation from different churches. In the first session we learnt about being an Eco-congregation through…
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Introducing A Rocha
A Rocha is probably my favourite charity as it combines all of my interests into one! If you don’t know of A Rocha I would like to introduce and commend it to you in this short piece. I first came across A Rocha back in the mid 90’s through reading…