Welcome to my blog...whatever image springs to mind, be it a hippopotamus, Tigger, red-haired Highland cattle, or a simple kitchen table, 'Unless a Seed' is a four-legged creature. My hope is that having read a Book Review, a Poem, or a What is a Christian? or some random post in Everything Else, you will be kind enough to leave a comment or a short reply. And I hope you enjoy reading its contents
What is a Christian?
Book, Podcast, Film, and Blog Reviews
Poetry
For Writers, Writing and Everything Else
Now we move
The Israelites in the wilderness did not move until the cloud and pillar of fire moved. Then they moved. Jesus updated this in his curious conversation with Nicodemus at night John 3
The Lover of My Soul ii Like Mary
‘Jesus, lover of my soul’ is the title of John Wesley’s 1740 hymn. It sparked controversy then…maybe the same now as you read this poem? But why?
Silence at 7.05
One of those deep silences came and poured itself around me early in the morning, after I’d finished my normal routines, exercise, tea, cereal, read bible/pray…then it came…surprisingly like a gift.
A Haiku Triple Serving
A triple helping to three disconnected Haikus. I suppose they are riddles but then many things are, aren’t they?
A Beer Beach Poem
Enfin! My first visit to Beer Beach in 2026. I think part of my soul has a beach hut here. Cornwall is stunning, the Algarve equally so…but
Two Nine to Ninety Poems: What it is to be nine & Will we make it to ninety?
Don’t ask me how I started thinking of the nine year old boy emptying his pockets or the running down the clock at the end of life…but I did.
Kissing the Feet
I’m always moved by Luke’s account of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet. I feel sure that she had met him before the supper and had received His forgiveness…her response was to find him later and wash and anoint his feet. Her tears a sign of the life changing effect of His forgiveness after years of dislocation and carrying the loneliness of guilt.
The Apple on the Other Tree
Perhaps we all live with apples on the other tree? It could be as mundane as dithering over buying a piece of art…or an intangible apple…as intended in this poem
My Father in Heaven
These days I have a beard and struggle to trim the tash…could do with a lesson from my father in heaven
How to Keep Cool
The UK is experiencing a heat wave. Temps in the shade are the same as body temp…in the sun eggs fry inside the shell, butter turns to a lake, and…well…time to read the poem
In The Mourning
It’s a strange thing this poetry: a foundation stone in a disused chapel stopping me in my tracks
Love the Lord your God with all your heart…
A wrestling poem grappling with the command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength