Revd. Philip Goggin's Blog

Over 338,000 soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk to Dover between 27 May and 4 June exactly 80 years ago. To speed up the evacuation an appeal went out to ow...

Do you remember your dreams? A recent article suggests that with the lock-down we may be getting more sleep – in particular REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, w...

One of the statistics I have picked up recently is that since the lockdown 90% of rough sleepers in the UK have been provided with accommodation. But rough s...

Two press items have caught my eye in the last few days. They could indicate a mood of openness to spirituality, and perhaps Christian faith, which could be ...

Today (23rd May) is the day when Bonnie and Clyde came to their sticky end in 1934. The picture below shows their bullet-ridden car being besieged by sightse...

You may have come across this cartoon/joke before. What does it illustrate? That we are tempted to look for solutions and answers in silly, unlikely or easy/...

I have been playing some of the Ascension hymns on the organ. We hail the day that sees Him rise and (should) sing Alleluia. It is a sort of coronation for t...

I wonder what you thought of Maureen Lipman’s recent comment, in an interview with The Lady magazine, that women mainly choose to get married for the dress. ...

This is the season of Rogation, part of an ancient tradition when church people (that would have been everybody!) asked God's protection and blessing on the ...

Yesterday we were thinking about the way animals might teach us something eg resilience, trust, forgiveness, remaining observant. Let’s continue this from a ...

I wonder whether we fully appreciate the role of animals in maintaining folks’ mental health. Pets are central to this. The companionship of a dog or cat, or...

Everyone knows about the Dambusters raid. Everyone has seen the film. Later this week it will be the 77th anniversary of that epic raid. I have been reading ...

There has been much debate about the way our churches are functioning at the moment. Many feel that it is a mistake that they are closed so rigidly. Some oth...

Some of you may have watched the film Chappaquiddick on TV the other night, or perhaps you have seen it previously. It’s about the famous, or infamous, car a...

What is a life worth living? This question was raised a week ago in a newspaper article. “Nobody has yet modelled the diminution of joy caused by lock-down.....

My daughter kindly comments on my Blog. She evidently thinks I should lighten up a bit, and proposes the following for today’s Blog. It illustrates the power...

It was great to listen to some of the stirring songs yesterday (Friday) associated with WW2 and VE Day. Songs in war (and peace) help to raise morale and ten...

We continue to reflect on the life of Cecil John Rhodes - colonialist, entrepreneur, businessman, statesman, imperialist, mining magnate, and politician in s...