kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth

Who is Paul Sibley?
You may have already guessed this, but the owner and writer of this blog is a chap called Paul Sibley — the domain name, tagline and this question rather give it away. I usually write my name as, “…paul sibley“: the three dots are important, ask me about it sometime.

I’m a family man in my fifties: married to Liz, with two grown up daughters, Bec and Sam. I’m very proud of my family; they’re wonderful people.

I am a Licensed Reader in the Church of England: serving in the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Godmanchester, in the Diocese of Ely which encompasses much of East Anglia. A Licensed Reader is a lay (not ordained) minister in the Church. You can find much more information about what a Reader is and does on the Church of England Readers Website.

Despite having undertaken almost three years (part-time) theological training to become a Reader some ten years ago, I would very definitely not claim any real expertise in the subject. I like to think I’m informed, but very much still on an exciting journey of discovery and learning.

Blog Title and Content
The blog title, kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth, is also the title of the first post written on the blog. The Christmas Collects, where the line is from, were one of the main inspirations for the type of blog being written. Much loved prayers, as are most of the Additional Collects, they often provoke a thought or two: sometimes those thoughts might even be of interest to others. The thoughts and reflections posted on the blog might not always be specifically about the week’s Collect, or the season of the Christian year. Rather, I intend to allow my thoughts to roam, and the reflections here will be a result of that roaming — so may just be thoughts that a phrase within the prayer triggers off.

Header Photograph
The photograph used as the header image for the blog was taken in the summer of 2007. It was taken from the cottage Liz and I stayed in for our holiday in Icklesham, a small village between Hastings and Rye in East Sussex, England. This is a picture of the cottage itself.