My book on wholeness and the fruits of the spirit

In the letter to the Galatians in the New Testament St Paul outlines the fruits that can be expected to be present in the lives of believers as a gift from the Holy Spirit.

In this book I look at what each of the gifts of the spirit involves and how together they indicate what to be fully human means.

Wholeness is a word often used today and I explains that wholeness is the result of these spiritual gifts becoming our normal way of life. Jesus came to bring fullness of life and in this book this special life that is open to all is explained.

This book has been described as a spiritual treasure, and though it is a short book ( just under 16,000 words) it is full of practical wisdom that comes from my long experience of ministry in the church.

To purchase for your kindle in the UK click here

To purchase this book for your Kindle in the USA click here

The book is now available on Amazon in paperback as well as a Kindle download.

To see the amazon page in the USA click here

or to see the Amazon page in the UK click here.

Compassion

"The principal of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions and it calls us always to treat all others as we would wish to be treated ourselves."

With these words, Karen Armstrong unveiled the Charter for Compassionon November 9th 2009.  This charter is for people of every faith and those with no faith from around the world. The charter contains the public confession that “we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion."

The Charter for Compassion was devised by Karen Armstrong who has written several books on religion and faith in the contemporary world. She was at one time a Roman Catholic nun before studying at Oxford University and ending up as a teacher. In recent years she has become widely known as a writer and speaker. Her study of the world’s religions revealed very clearly their differences but she identified a common thread that ran through them all. The common thread is compassion.

This dream is not simple or naieve but sums up the aspirations of all thinking and caring people irrespective of their faith. The Charter “impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures and to honor the inviolable sanctity of every single human being treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.”

By early 2012 more than 85,000 people had affirmed the charter online. It has been implemented in various settings. One of the most notable is in a jail in Washington State (USA) where the goal was to decrease violence by 2.5 percent. The project was much more successful than hoped and violence decreased by 100 percent. The creators are evaluating the advantages for the federal government of implementing this program across the country.

Let Christ out

Nobody worries about Christ as long as he can be kept shut up in churches. He is quite safe inside. But there is always trouble if you try and let him out.

-- G. A. Studdert Kennedy

Geoffrey A Studdert Kennedy,  (27 June 1883 – 8 March 1929), was Church of England priest and poet. He was nicknamed 'Woodbine Willie' during the first world war for giving Woodbine cigarettes along with spiritual aid to injured and dying soldiers.

After the war he had a parish in London where he bacame a vocal campaigner for Christian Socialism until his death. 

Solvitur Ambulando - a cure for stress from St Augustine

St Augustine is believed to have coined the phrase "Solvitur Ambulando" which means "it is solved by walking".


Diogenes of Sinope, also known as "Diogenes the Cynic," is said to have replied to the argument that motion is unreal by standing up and walking away. A more idiomatic English translation might be “you’ll find the answer as you go.”


Whichever is the correct source of the phrase it has been quoted by Dorothy L Sayers, Thoreau, and Bruce Chatwin in their works.


When you feel stressed a walk is the best cure I know. Once you get outdoors in the open air, ideally amongst nature, then with the wind blowing around you and in your hair, your own concerns seen to shrink and get into proportion. My mind clears and I see much better probably because of both the fresh air and the exercise.

We have two dogs. They love to walk.  They have to go out every day rain or snow, wind or storm. They make me walk them even when I don't feel like it or would prefer to be huddled up beside the fire with a good book.


Setting out for a walk you can hold some question that is causing you concern in your mind. Not worrying about it but holding it there gently in your thoughts as you enjoy the physical aspects of taking a walk. Perhaps you want to do the same with something that you are worrying about. It is likely that when you return from the walk the stress will be reduced or gone and you will see more clearly.


When you walk in company you often chat about problems you are facing and often come up with solutions. Walking alone is essential for a writer friend who finds it is a time that he comes up with plots and ideas for his books. A walk can also be a cure for a writers block.  If you are not blessed as I am to live next to beautiful woods maybe when you walk you have to cross major road intersections. Instead instead of streams and distant mountain views you walk past apartment blocks, shops and factories but you can still lose yourself in the exercise. You are outside. You are taking in the perspective of the wider world. It is the walking that brings healing and up to a point it doesn't matter where you walk - though I know which I would find preferable.


Solvitur Ambulando

After Easter

Easter isn't only a one off event.

Easter is the starting block for numerous other adventures. These new beginnings lead on to bring more and more people into the experience of life in all its fullness.

Wholeness and the fruits of the spirit

In the letter to the Galatians in the New Testament St Paul outlines the fruits that can be expected to be made manifest in the lives of believers as a gift from the Holy Spirit.

In this book Pastor John looks at what each of the gifts of the spirit involves and how together they indicate what to be fully human means.

Wholeness is a word often used today and Pastor John explains that wholeness is the result of these spiritual gifts becoming our normal way of life. Jesus came to bring fullness of life and in this book this special life that is open to all is explained.

This book is a spiritual treasure, and though it is a short book ( just under 16,000 words) it is full of practical wisdom that comes from Pastor John's long experience of ministry in the church.

To purchase for your kindle in the UK click here

To purchase this book for your Kindle in the USA click here