Following the leadings of love and truth, to joyful action in the world
Sauchie Home Farm, Stirling 8th-10th August 2025 The multiple existential threats to our world seem worse every time we look at the news: species going extinct, plastic polluting the oceans, rising war and authoritarianism, ice caps melting at an unprecedented rate, the industrial growth economy spiralling out of control. The temptation is either to sink … Read more
#MonthofMinistry Day 22 In Buddhism, wisdom doesn’t just mean having a lot of knowledge or understanding. Instead it’s about having an insight or realisation about the true nature of reality. This is to do with the realisation that all things are interconnected at a deep level, which is often referred to as “emptiness”. Thich Nhat … Read more
#MonthofMinstry Day 21 I search for the languagethat is also yoursalmost all our language has been taxed by war Allen Ginsberg, Witchita Vortex Sutra So many of the commonplace words and expressions we use have their origins in military language: What others can you think of? Can you think of creative alternatives for any of … Read more
#MonthOfMinistry Days 17 and 18 In Quaker circles we talk a lot about the “Light”. It’s one of the commonest words we use to point at the sense (beyond all words) of good and loving kindness within each of us. We say we “hold someone in the light” when we wish to uphold them perhaps at … Read more
#MonthOfMinistry Day 15 This is such a tricky word! I’ve always struggled with the idea of “god” as some sort of separate and powerful being who maybe created the world; who maybe judges whether we’ve done the right things in life and rewards or punishes us accordingly. Even if such a being made sense to me, … Read more
#MonthOfMinistry Day 14 How do we find balance between “surrender” and “intention”? The latter sounds like a focussed act of will, the very opposite of “Give over thine own willing, give over thine own running…” as Isaac Pennington put it. This morning, Janine was speaking about the Hindu concept of tapas, the spiritual power that … Read more
#MonthOfMinistry Day 12 War is a crime against humanity. I am therefore determined not to support any kind of war, and to strive for the removal of all causes of war. War Resisters’ International Declaration Much of my activism is working for peace, and an end to all wars, opposing the arms trade and military … Read more
#MonthOfMinistry Day 11 “Surrender” is another word I find very difficult: it clearly has military origins. It seems to be about giving up the struggle, ceding control of our lives and our society to the brutal forces of power over. It seems very clear right now that we can’t afford to do that. The forces … Read more
#MonthOfMinistry Day 10 I don’t belong to a “church”, but I guess our Quaker Meeting is the nearest equivalent. If you’re used to going to church, it might be a little different to what you expect – there’s no priest or minister standing at the front taking charge and telling us what to believe, we … Read more
#MonthOfMinistry Day 9 Presence – the still place where we experience being fully here, in the world, in the present moment, and remember that we’re all interconnected in a deep way. The place where, as John O’Donohue puts it, we “experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder”. There are … Read more