Time

A recorded reflection about time: how we use it and why we worry about it. There is a stilling exercise, a time of silence and a spoken reflection on the theme of time. This is inspired by mindfulness and Christian contemplative practices. https://soundcloud.com/leedsmethodistmission/time Please do listen on this page but you may want to download …

Self-Care

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” 1 Corinthians 13 Take a look at the first image. This is one of the sculptures that I mentioned in last week’s blog by Louise Bourgeous. What does it convey to you? Care? Compassion maybe? When thinking about survival for a previous …

How am I?

A wellbeing resource for small groups We believe everyone deserves to flourish and we hope this resource will help you see your own wellbeing afresh. This exercise will look and feel different for each person. We cannot tell another what it means to flourish, we can only walk alongside them and discover together. This resource …

Touchy Feely

“Hold me now, warm my heart, stay with me” Thompson Twins Take a look at the first image. This a piece by artist Ashleigh Taupaki, an artist based in New Zealand. Ashleigh’s art works are all about holding, caring and cradling fragility and ephemerality such as the slight things of nature that we easily ignore: …

Trust: mindfulness pillar 4

The fifth in our podcast series introducing us to the pillars of mindfulness. These are the things that make mindfulness useful to us and the mindsets to try and adopt. Tim from Blackbird Mindfulness takes us through these key attitudes each month. This month it is all about trust! https://soundcloud.com/leedsmethodistmission/trust To start from the beginning …

Starstruck

“I do not know where you are leading. I am empty, unsure, uncomfortable.  I have only a beckoning star to follow.” Kate Compston Take a look at the two pictures, what strikes you most? the first is a medieval stone relief and the second is by Nicholas Mynheer, a contemporary British artist. We have recently …

Broken Beauty

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (St Paul) The quote above was in last week’s meditation and it started me thinking about the idea of imperfection as beauty. The first image here shows a mended bowl using the Japanese concept of Kintsugi, the ‘art of precious scars’. When the …

Rhythm and ritual

‘Your daily life is your temple and religion. When you enter into it take with you your all.’ (Kahlil Gibran) Take a look at the first picture. This is a picture of our advent ring in the second week of advent. Every year I save our Christmas wreath and then use it for our advent …

‘I wonder…’

As one year ends and another begins, it can be a good time to pause, look back and reflect as well as look forward in hope.  In my ponderings, I’ve been drawn to the theme of ‘wondering’.  One definition of ‘wonder’ includes; a feeling of amazement and admiration, caused by something beautiful, remarkable or unfamiliar.  …

Word of the Year

“Act upon hope” Commoners Choir Take a look at the first picture – you will be familiar with this by now, as I have used it twice previously this month. I have asked my daughter to adapt it in her own style for this week’s blog. For some reason, it’s has spoken to me in …