Most years I try to watch the main party leaders speeches so this afternoon has seen me watching David Cameron’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference. Leaving aside the contrast from last week, dour liberal Presbyterian to new church leader who hasn’t yet mastered hermeneutics, I found myself wondering….. In many church conversations there... Continue Reading →
Positive intent
Maybe I keep the wrong company but I sense that ministers often find it easy to lapse into cynicism, to allow grumpy to become a stock in trade. But ordination wasn’t a call to grumpiness but a call to manifest grace, it wasn’t a charge to negativity but a charge to holiness. In a... Continue Reading →
Dissonance
I’m at a Ministers’ refresher conference (along with baptist bookworm and Catriona) laid on by the Baptist Union as part of their commitment to ministers. Listening to the conversations over meal tables and coffee has got me wondering about the relationship between minister and congregation. Clearly there are many ministers who are well suited to... Continue Reading →
Creeping Presbyterianism?
Now back to the routine including Church Meetings which has got me thinking “why do we do them the way we do?” and “there must be a better way”. Church Meetings here are typically held monthly during term time. The agenda includes reports from groups in the church such as the Mission Teams, Youthwork... Continue Reading →
Holiday over
Actually our holiday was over nearly two weeks ago but it has taken me this long to get back to the blog. A brief resume of our holiday follows for those interested; I will try and add some more detailed site reports to http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk when I get a chance: We travelled by Norfolkline Ferries Dover... Continue Reading →
Holiday break
After this Sunday's services we are off on holiday for several weeks so probably no more blogging till September.We are off to France with the Caravan, staying initially outside Belfort at the southern end of the Vosges and the Ballon before moving a little further south to the Dauphine countryside and the foothils of the... Continue Reading →
Misc musings
The slacker summer pace gives opportunity for catching up with various things and preparing for the autumn; which will include a sermon series based from Proverbs called ‘wisdom for living’. I’ve read the latest instalment of Willow Creek’s reveal series in the last couple of days. ‘Follow me’ follows on from the previous research Willow... Continue Reading →
It’s all in Plato of course…….
"It's all in Plato of course, bless me what do they teach them in those schools" is a quote which has appealed to me for some while (Lord Digory in C S Lewis The Last Battle).So I note with interest that one university plan MA course in Rhetoric (here) though whether the media department have... Continue Reading →
Tired out
I promised some further reflections on ministry and I’m often struck by the way ministry makes me tired. This may say more about me than about the nature of ministry because the things that enthuse or energise people vary, as do the things which drain you. Neither is this to suggest that ministry is more... Continue Reading →
Lessons on being a minister 2
Three years ago I moved from being the minister of one church, that the BUGB count as a smaller church, to Poynton (which is described as a larger church). Initially it was a steep learning curve, but here are some reflections on what I learnt. 1. Clarity of speech. In a smaller church the same... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 