Rapport – Lee Abbey Movement

Rapport is the official magazine of the Lee Abbey Movement. It is published three times a year and sent to all Lee Abbey Friends of Jesus. Here are some of its recent articles.

September to December 2019

Easter re-imagined
The Beacon Activity Centre Team find an innovative way to engage children with the Easter story

Grief: a journey through the seasons
Abi May explores how we can cope with the changes that bereavement brings

Cover photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

May to August 2019

Tree of life
Ann Persson introduces a creative reflection which will help us take stock of our lives

Earthen vessels: Treasured containers
Bridget Macaulay gets to grips with how God inhabits this ‘fragile vessel’, us.

Beautiful and mysterious
The poet Malcolm Guite explores how Jesus reveals Himself to us through the ‘I Am’ sayings of John’s Gospel

January to April 2019

Knowing God: Fully human and fully divine
Jane Williams examines how our vision of God shapes who we are, how we live and what we think the world is for

Hope for tomorrow
Justin Tomkins looks at how we can help future generations celebrate technology and science without being ruled by it

Healing: are we diffident, arrogant or confident?
Val Turner explores how we trust God when praying for healing

September to December 2018

The gift of tears
Suppressed, hidden, apologised for, writer and speaker David Runcorn asks us to look again at how God can use our tears

Ascension to Pentecost: prayer, community and mission
Inspired by the Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative Jonathan Banks and Esther Birtwistle reflect on a ‘zig zag’ journey from Devon to Yorkshire

Bringing good news to Crickhowell, Wales
Mission chaplain Nick Haigh and a team from Lee Abbey join in with what God is doing

May to August 2018

Get wisdom!
Bev Shepherd examines the biblical definition of true wisdom
and how to steer a course which leads to life

Living in Christian community
Bishop Alan St Albans considers the resurgence of Christian communities in the West and what we can learn from St Benedict

Wrestling in the dark
Dave Hopwood reflects on Jacob’s struggle at the River Jabbok and
other Bible characters who wrestle with reality

January to April 2018

A revue to remember
Simon Holland considers the radical love of the Servant King, demonstrated in Lee Abbey Devon’s performance of Lee Misérabbeys

Seasoned by Seasons
Michael Mitton reflects on Bible stories which connect with the seasons of the soul

September to December 2017

Martha, Mary and the toothbrush test
Sally Dakin reflects on finding the balance of activity and rest and choosing to be ‘present to the presence of God.’

Mustard seeds, diamonds and dancing feet
Barry Dugmore explores growth in discipleship and how our ‘mustard seed’ of faith can extend the Kingdom of God

Exciting times ahead for Lee Abbey’s SMCs
Susan Edmondson unpacks the future vision

May to August 2017

‘The holy here’ – encounters with God in the ordinary
Bridget Macauley recognises those everyday moments of life which are charged with God’s presence

Remarkable lives used by God
Mark and Joanna Williamson look at four inspirational stories

Gardens – the new sanctuary space
Award winning garden designer Hannah Genders reflects on how our gardens can become the spaces that provide a sanctuary from this modern, fast paced world

January to April 2017

Raw power and intricate detail
Ruth Bancewicz and Bob White consider the awesome wonder of God revealed in creation

What on earth are we doing?
Living a purposeful life in the Kingdom of God

September to December 2016

70th celebrations
Simon Holland reflects on the spiritual power-house that is Lee Abbey at 70

Letting in the LIGHT
Shaun Lambert considers the value of being still whilst on a retreat and ‘cleaning the windows of our soul’

May to August 2016

Food and faith
Andy Lester and Ruth Valerio examine how we can live well whilst also protecting the needs of the planet.

Being ‘unbusy’ with God
Bev Shepherd considers how spending time in prayer enables us to receive God’s love and restoration

Words of Life
Silas Crawley examines how our words can be a powerful catalyst for affirmation and growth

January to April 2016

God, science and nature
Graham Swinerd and John Bryant consider the evidence of divine design in our awe-inspiring universe.

Blessed
Jane Willis reflects on a silent retreat at Lee Abbey Devon: ‘No words, no wine, no web – but I had my camera.’

Moving from trying to training
Joe Davis looks at how we can redeem a ‘dark night’ of the soul by the practice of spiritual disciplines in following Jesus.

September to December 2015

Life’s changing seasons
Bob Evens reflects on life’s different seasons – and God’s provision for each new phase.

I wish we had all been ready
The Parable of the Sower has a vital message for today as Barry Kissell explains …

Contemplating the Psalms
Roger Wagner reflects on the inspiration behind his project to illustrate and translate the Psalms.

May to August 2015

Creation sings the Father’s song
Lee Abbey Warden David Rowe considers the beauty of creation and the way God brings order out of chaos so that nothing is lost.

Sssshhhhhhhh … going on a silent retreat
A guest’s experience of a silent retreat at Lee Abbey

January to April 2015

To be a pilgrim
A new course, commissioned by the Church of England, aimed to inspire confident, transformative discipleship. Is this a rival to Alpha? Paula Gooder unpacks the Pilgrim course.

Interpreting the Lee Abbey Vision for today, and tomorrow …
Hope means hearing the music of the future. Faith means dancing to it now.

September to December 2014

What’s so amazing about place?
Dave Bookless reflects on ‘thin places’ and finding God’s presence wherever we live.

The Psalms Project
Ali Hull talks to composer Steven Faux about The Psalms Project, a contemporary journey through the vivid landscape of Psalms told in the musical language of feature films.

The God who calls: Genesis and the love of God
Jane Williams explains why she is enthralled by the book of Genesis.