Poetry, faith and imagination can all help us time travel - or capture within our experience moments outside the present. This Whirlow Spirituality Centre blog opens up such ideas, which may be helpful when things are tough or wearisome - a common trial for many in January!
Read MoreReflections
Updates from Whirlow
Safety Nets - Old Habits - New Opportunities: Jesus' invitation to the fishermen.
What associations come to mind when you hear the word net?
Fish? Safety? A trap? A great goal? Net worth? The world wide web? …
Today’s reflection is inspired by a reading that features fishing nets. We invite you to use them as a symbol; let them represent whatever best fits.
Read More"Only Connect!" - (holy) invitations to listen and attend this Remembrance Weekend
We ponder an invitation to connect with others and with deep truth today, as we engage with stories from the bible, face the emotional demands of Armistice weekend and continue to grapple with responsible social distancing.
Read MorePeople and Planet - reflecting on COP26
Leaders, authorities, experts, campaigners and advocates have this week descended upon Glasgow for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). As host nations, with a government talking about a need for global action, this reflection invites us to meditate on our impact on the planet.
Read MorePoetry for All Saints and Souls
Today, we offer a poem about St Francis of Assisi - whose feast day was last month - and another inspired by Psalm 131, a sacred song used at Whirlow this week.
Read More
Please find here some resources for spending a structured quiet day in your own time. With thanks to Catherine Musgrave for producing these for October’s Simple Quiet Day.
A Simple Quiet Day in October →
What Does it Mean to Belong - Home, Heaven ... Heartache?
Home is an emotive word. There is a powerful drive in all of us to belong, to find places where we are welcome. Specific buildings or places often represent encounters with the Divine and feel like spiritual homes. But … Jesus often identified with those who had no home, and staying ‘Home’ can have negative connotations (particularly in lockdown!) Here are some thoughts for reflection.
Read MoreBroken Bodies - the Cross of Christ and Suicide Prevention Day
Today (10 September) is World Suicide Prevention Day and on Tuesday the Christian church will celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Today’s post incorporates a personal reflection by writer Adrian Scott, as we try to bind these troubling stories together.
Read MoreSeasonal Shift: a mandate for change in Luke's gospel
As summer gives way to autumn and a new term begins for many, are you too thinking about change? Has the pandemic changed your attitudes? Is something changing in your life? This reflection contemplates a radical new vision of society set out by Jesus in a speech recorded in the Gospel according to Luke, that might inspire any changes we make.
Read MoreA Lesson in Facing Hostility - Jesus' assertiveness and boundary-setting
How easy do you find it to remain calm when others’ displeasure or hostility is aimed at you? For many of us, this requires energy and is difficult. (Finding it easy to face others’ animosity may not be a good thing!) Jesus has much to teach us in today’s story from the Gospel according to Luke.
Read MoreGideon's Identity Crisis: Who is God? Who am I?!
Many of us lack confidence and experience Imposter Syndrome. If we claim religious faith, this can deter us from acting on God’s call - we want to be sure we have not misheard. And that is ok. But, sometimes, as Gideon’s story teaches us, our natural feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty are really not the point.
Read More