June 2021 – Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings

Nothing Fancy

A few weeks ago the leaders of the G7 gathered for their summit in Cornwall, the southwest corner of England. I recalled a walking holiday a few years ago along the coastal paths of Cornwall. Some days the path stayed fairly close to the coast and other days it took turns inland and uphill asContinue reading “Nothing Fancy”

The Summer Day

In my last post I mentioned I would be staying with the poems of Mary Oliver for a few days. Her poem The Summer Day ends with the often quoted last two lines. Yet don’t be in any hurry to arrive there, enjoy her every word. The poem begins with the questions we have allContinue reading “The Summer Day”

Sunflowers

Although I’m “not in Kansas anymore” I can recall the surprise and delight of the hot summer days and the wide wide prairies, and the sight of fields and fields of sunflowers. The contrast of the wide horizons of the prairies from the smaller, tighter space of Scotland took much adjustment. In fairness though, bothContinue reading “Sunflowers”

Leap of Faith

Before you ask, the answer is No! I don’t possess the courage to do such a circus act as the flying trapeze. Just looking at the photo brings my heart to my mouth! Courage and artistic flair are combined with commitment and trust in the ability to pull this off. Certainly, as a child goingContinue reading “Leap of Faith”

A Thin Place

Perhaps there never will be enough photographs of Iona Abbey! At one time Iona was the center of Europe in the sense that from this center Christianity was spread throughout Scotland and from there through the rest of the United Kingdom and beyond eastward into many parts of Europe. Certainly, when viewed on a map,Continue reading “A Thin Place”

“While the tennis ball went back and forth”

The middle of June through the early part of July for tennis fans means the clay courts of Stade Roland Garros in Paris and the grass courts of Wimbledon, London. These venues are home for two of the great Grand Slam tennis fixtures. As a child I so loved the two weeks of what seemedContinue reading ““While the tennis ball went back and forth””