Dave Hop

Having seen this film last week I started reading the book for a second time, and one of the things which has struck me is this. As Harold walks so …

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, …

It is the evening of the Day of Resurrection. “We left too soon! Let us in! It’s Cleopas! Let us in! We have seen him! He is alive! “Quiet, Cleopas.. …

With Palm Sunday coming soon, here’s an interactive version of the happening that day. Teach the congregation the following responses and invite them to join in, as you tell this version of …

Mary’s mother tells the Rabbi the most amazing tale: (for The Annunciation) “Rabbi, it had been a lovely spring day, good to be able to work outside with the other …

You can hear a short interview I gave on UCB1 radio recently here. Interview with UCB1’s Helen Price. And you can see this and other features on Helen’s UCB1 page …

The Centurion “Now, Centurion, I want you to take your Cohort into Bethlehem tonight.  Right into the heart of the town, they’re a rebellious lot anyway, and with this Imperial …

“I really wish I could have gone with them. I know I could have helped them. I can’t, I have to register here for this awful Roman census, unlike Joseph …

The new version of All Quiet on the Western Front highlights once more the incredible courage and bravery of the soldiers on the front lines in WW1. The terrible conditions they endured …

Hello, and thanks for visiting my site. There are loads of creative thoughts and pieces here, please feel free to draw on them, share them, make use of them if …

A responsive reading. Ideal for assemblies, all-age worship and Sunday schools. A single narrator reads the following piece while the audience joins in with the responses whenever they hear the …

by James Clarke ‘Hello I’m Jacob, one of the volunteers here in Jerusalem’s great Temple.  I guide people to the right places, stop some going where they shouldn’t, only a …

Jimmy Deal looked at the chalk in his hand, twisted it in his fingers, almost dropped it as he did so. Outside the rain was tapping at him on the …

A simple Nativity Drama in various scenes which could be acted live, presented as a reading using a group of voices, or presented to camera and filmed for sharing. You …

Penny for the guy, we used to cry, Though we had no idea why. It was just a night to set things alight, Without knowing much about Guy.   His …

I look out on our back garden and see a pink slide, a half-open, poo-strewn guinea pig hutch, a deflating beach ball, and a grubby upended paddling pool. It’s all …

It’s been a week of news on music and musicians. Just today I’ve been reading about a new album by Gerry Rafferty, compiled and produced by his daughter Martha, 10 …

Pentecost 2021 A Very Special Festival by Rev H James Clarke We had come down from Damascus for the Festival of Weeks…. we went into the city early because we …

There’s a figure here in no man’s land, Always present, and forever at hand, Unafraid of the cratered haze, Understands our difficult days. Knows riots and howls and the lives …

It was a truly glorious morning. We walked up the Mount of Olives, Joanna, Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ mother, and a few others of the women with me, as we had …

Father take this cup from me, Yet not my will be done but yours, This sacrifice – it weighs on me, This call to open heaven’s door. They’ll nail me …

Nine Witness Stories for the days of Holy Week, 2021 By James Clarke These stories were commissioned by Hereford Diocese for their Holy Week Internet project. Shared with permission. + …

There was a chilly bite in the air as I walked further up the hill. As if I was being wrapped in a blanket that had come straight out of …

It’s hard to concentrate at the moment, half the time I don’t know if I’m hammering or chiselling. My head’s like a maze of endless corridors, the thoughts going round …

A new video from Simeon Wood and myself. A reflection on the theme of Trust…   To know peace for the day’s travelling, For the mountains we must climb, And …

Taking some time out from my usual creative posts this week I read a little of Pete Greig’s book God on Mute, and it led me to reflect again on the …

A lighthearted tail of something or nothing. Barely an anecdote really, yet also about fears we hold and the way talking with another can sometimes help… The great fish moved …

A retelling by Simeon Wood and Dave Hopwood.

A short 2-minute video about my latest writing, a kind of autobiography… There are more details about the book here.

A talk given in this recent online service for Roundswell church – to see the whole service click here.

A reflection on the moment when Jesus says goodbye to his friends, affirms them and promises the help of God’s Holy Spirit, by Simeon Wood and myself…

A new telling of the Easter account. Music by Simeon Wood. This Easter (The narrative) They gather, talk, eat, squabble, the usual things. Have no idea what’s around the corner. …