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#SensingSpirituality Thought of the Day

Quiet Fire

Alison has sent in this reflection from a quiet morning at Elsieshields. Rabbi Yehoshua was once asked “Why did God appear to Moses in such a lowly bush?”The Rabbi answered “Why in a thorn bush? I’ll tell you: To teach there is no place where the Divine Presence is not found, even in a lowly […]

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#SensingSpirituality Thought of the Day Youth

Light

“Light” is used frequently in the Gospels, especially in the good news as told by John. I chose this theme for my final assembly with the Dumfries High School year group I have been chaplain to since they started secondary school during lockdown. As they gather I usually run a video which introduces the theme […]

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Theology Thought of the Day

Ascension

Today is a big holiday in Norway. It can be (very) roughly translated as Christ speeding heavenward on a rocket. I have been thinking about how when we visit saints caves, or wilderness places, we think of anchorites experiencing remoteness. What if, while Ninian sat by the sea, he was looking at the best way […]

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climate change Thought of the Day

Sea Change

Things can change for the better, and Jesus reveals that change. This post is about prophesy, the gift given for building up the Church. Prophets reveal things, and in the stories when people respond things get better – or at least the calamity that approaches is averted. When the religious authorities (whose role it was […]

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Community Mission Thought of the Day

Neighbours

Would it upset you to know that there are people living peacefully in Dumfries, having come here to find sanctuary, who are in fear of being detained by representitives of the UK government and deported to Africa? Does this sound like the sort of country you want to live in, or a good way to […]

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Forest Church Thought of the Day

Birdsong

This was sent in on our glimmers group. There have been a few posts recently of people simply enjoying their gardens, listening to the birds. This simplicity of living, enjoying the moment, is a gift the worth of which does not depend on words. However, as we have words here are some that are helpful […]

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Forest Church Theology Thought of the Day

The preaching of trees

“What are the sermons that the woods—those places of betweenness, repositories of ancient stories—might impart from their fretwork of branches and twigs, their columnar trunks and the boughs that hold up the sky?” Words are powerful communicators of meaning. Study, training, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit help us interpret, learn, and apply, what we find […]

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Forest Church Thought of the Day

Greenthinking

Rethinking how we think… Jesus talks about being “born again” – but what does that mean, Particularly for those who have grown up in a culturally Christian culture. Have some sympathy for the teachers of the law when he walked the earth, because they most often really couldn’t see what Jesus was on about. There […]

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Theology Thought of the Day

Progress

The passage photographed comes from a family Bible written over a century ago. The author makes some bold claims. Have they stood the test of time? As you read with the benefit of hindsight do any alarm bells start ringing in your mind? What achievements can we be proud of as members of the Church, […]

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climate change Thought of the Day

Driving Climate change

Electric or Fossil fuel vehicle? If you value restoring a right relationship with the rest of creation then environmental impact is a big concern. How can you make the best choice? Everything has an impact, but the impact of oil use, and fossil fuels in general, has been off the scale. This is a global […]