Songs for Advent
In the weeks leading up to our celebration of Christmas day, you’ll know that various strains of seasonal music begins to dominate the airwaves. Some...
19
Nov
Staff Reflections
19
Nov
From the Tradition: Learning from the Beguines
A few years ago while I was on holiday, a friend put before me an article and encouraged me to read it. It was a...
18
Nov
Field Notes: Rachel Kitchens
Rachel Kitchens is on staff at Venn Foundation, offering Spiritual Direction on the Residential Fellowship, and teaching on Summer Conference. She grew up in Atlanta,...
22
Oct
From the Tradition: John Cassian on Restlessness
The driver of the white convertible rests one arm casually on the steering wheel. He has long hair and is wearing bracelets. Next to him...
24
Sep
Look at the Birds of the Air
“Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.” (Job 12:7) My office window overlooks a green lawn, which runs for perhaps ten metres...
23
Sep
Radio Vaccine
This feels like date night. Or, as the case may be, date late afternoon—lockdown edition. With an eagerness that belies the nature of our trip,...
23
Sep
From the Tradition: The Blackbird of Loch Laig
From the Tradition is a new regular column in Common Ground. Here, we’ll consider an element drawn from the witness of the Church through time...
23
Sep
Monthly Practice: Look, Reflect, Give Thanks
I was five when Mount Ruapehu erupted in 1996. It let fly with a series of spectacular gas explosions, heaving hot ash into the sky...
20
Aug
Encountering Reality: Learning to Read the Christian Tradition
Some years ago I sought a group of young people who lived almost a century ago. One intrigued me in particular, and I tracked him...
18
Jun
Jesus and the Good of Work
Introduction In 1817, Percy Shelley penned his poem, “Ozymandias,” a meditation on the greatness of human work that is as pointed as it is brief. The...