Welcome to The Burning Word

Hello and welcome to my website.  I hope you enjoy having a look around and I’d love to hear from you if you have any comments or suggestions or if you’d just like to say hi!

NEW>>> Worship resources for Candlemas Year B

I was, until recently, a Licensed Reader at St Mary’s Church in the lovely village of Bishops Lydeard, near Taunton, Somerset.  I’m also a freelance writer and the author of three books:

“The Way of the Cross – Meditations on the Death of Jesus”
     (Redemptorist Publications 2007)
“Angels in the Wilderness – hope and healing in depression”
     (Redemptorist Publications 2010)
“Recovering from Depression – A Companion Guide for Christians”
     (SPCK 2014)

You’ll see that this site has two sections:

Worship Resources
Here you will find resources linked to the Common Worship Lectionary for Years A, B and C.  There are sermons, intercessions, stories and reflections for specific days and for seasonal use.  Some of this material has previously been published by Redemptorist Publications and I am grateful to them for their permission to include these pieces on this website. As time goes by I will be adding to this section which will remain “Work in Progress”!

You are very welcome to use these resources in any way you wish.  But just for my own interest I’d appreciate it if you could let me know how you’ve used anything you find here – I promise this won’t mean you’ll receive unwanted emails or any other communications from me! You can email me here.

Depression:  hope, healing and recovery
Having experienced frequent episodes of depression over a long period of time I’ve struggled to understand where God is when everything seems so negative and hopeless.  I have no easy answers for anyone going through the valley of shadows that is depression.  But in my two books, “Angels in the Wilderness – hope and healing in depression” and “Recovering from Depression – A Companion Guide for Christians” I have shared some of my thoughts and ideas in the hope that they might offer support and information both for those weighed down by the illness and for those who love and care for them.