February 2021

  • Lindisfarne, the Holy Isle

    By Peter Porteous We had talked of going to see Lindisfarne and in one September past, we managed to get there!  It is 400 miles from Axminster so after staying with friends for the first night and a hotel in York for the next, we arrived on the North Sea coast of Northumberland for a…

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  • First Sunday in Lent

    Matthew 9: 14-15 Fasting When I was a seminarian, I remember being advised to watch television soaps. “If you do this” we were told, “you’ll always have a topic of conversation for any pastoral visit which you might make.” I’m not sure the advice was good, but I am able to blame the adviser for…

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  • Forde Abbey

    by Peter Porteous A hooded boy stands in front of the Cistercian wall painting of the crucifixion in the North Undercroft.  We were sheltering from the humidity and fierce July sun during the Forde Abbey Summer Fair in what may have been a chapel for the novice monks built more than 700 years ago. The…

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  • Mark 1: 40-45

    The leper came to Jesus and asked for healing and he believed that Jesus could heal him. The faith of the leper and the compassion of Jesus allowed Gods healing love to work the miracle. And have you noticed that pretty much every healing through Jesus involved this same combination of compassion and faith? Sometimes…

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  • Rome

    By Peter Porteous I had never been to Rome so it was about time I matched the ancient ruins and heavenly basilicas in my head with the reality of a modern city aware of its extraordinary heritage.  For a stay of less than a week, we knew we would only see a fraction of what…

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