The Power of Invitation One of the things I have been thinking about recently is the power of invitation. Invitations can lead us in both positive and negative directions. During my second curacy, where I served as an assistant in a busy parish in Dublin, my boss used to impress upon us the importance of […]
Making New Starts It’s the time of year when social media feeds are full of photos of children heading back to school. Some are starting for the first time and are there smiling nervously while their older seasoned siblings seem to be taking it all in their stride. People are making preparations, too, for heading […]
Making the most of who we are, where we are Over the summer months I have had the privilege of worshipping in a few different places while on holiday, and certain things have struck me very powerfully. Those who have been leading worship have prepared thoughtfully and conscientiously to make it a positive and inspiring […]
An Inspiring Meeting on the Glider Belfast was buzzing last week as it hosted the biggest celebration of Irish music and culture, the Fleadh from 2-9 August. It is estimated that 1.65 million visitors came to the city to sample the atmosphere and take part in the multiplicity of concerts and events around this special […]
Thinking Outside the Box A cousin of my father’s was an artist in London. He could turn his hand to many mediums and was continually creative in how he responded to situations. He was once refused entry to a nightclub in the early 1970’s and, in response to this, when we came to visit he […]
The Joy of Pilgrimage A few weeks ago, I stood at the top of Croagh Patrick with my son Conor. It’s often called Ireland’s holiest mountain and is associated with St. Patrick, who is believed to have made the ascent in 441 AD and spent 40 days in prayer and fasting as he considered how […]
When Church Takes Your Breath Away Over the years that I have been writing this blog I have tried, in a small way, to pull back the curtains and to let people know what sorts of things go on in a church. I’m very conscious that, for many people in our society, churches are a […]
Searching for Consistency There can sometimes be a disconnect or an inconsistency between the words we speak or the values we espouse and the actions of our lives. For as long as I can remember, Christians have been accused of hypocrisy because of the gap between their lives and the one they claim to follow. […]
Passing On the Baton Over the course of the past 48 hours, I’ve observed 2 public figures signal their intention to hand over power in quite striking ways. The Bishop of Meath and Kildare, the Most Reverend Pat Storey, announced her retirement some months ago. We trained in theological college around the same time, over […]
Where Everybody Knows Your Name Yesterday morning, I had breakfast in the Hare’s Corner with my mum and my brother. It was my mum’s birthday, and my brother and I were delighted to make it home from Leicester and Belfast respectively on Sunday evening. It’s not often we manage to find ourselves in the same […]