Living as a Migrant For most of my adult life I have been a migrant. I have lived in lands that are not my own for reasons of employment or choice. Perhaps, that is why the scenes that we have seen unfold in many UK cities over the past week or so, have been so […]
Christian Camps and Festivals A friend of mine was in touch on social media recently. She was stepping down from the leadership of a Christian Festival that runs annually in Cornwall. It’s a free event and is open to families to camp onsite for the 5 day programme. It celebrates worship, the arts and creativity. […]
Exercising the Faith Muscle When it comes to fatherhood I find that every day is a school day. I’m constantly learning about the bewildering world facing our teenage children. Whether it is the pressures of social media and apps like Snapchat, BeReal, or dear knows what the latest one is, or why pop stars like […]
Some Summer Reading? One of the joys of a summer break is the opportunity to do a bit of reading. I like to mix fiction and non-fiction and here are a few that regular readers of the blog might enjoy. We are blessed in this area to have a number of local libraries and, every […]
Marking Significant Moments Many years ago, I spent a year living in a community called the Larche community. It was a community in which adults with learning disabilities invited others to come alongside them in a residential setting and to live a simple life together based on gospel values. It was one of the years […]
Anniversaries and Birthdays I recently had a week of annual leave and, while I didn’t travel very far, it gave me the opportunity to mark a few special anniversaries and birthdays. On 9th June 1996, I was ordained deacon in Dromore Cathedral. My year had hoped to mark our 25th anniversary of ordination by getting […]
Mind Matters One of the things that we have become much more conscious of since the pandemic is the state of our mental health. Many people went through very traumatic things over that time and there was a growing consciousness of how important it is to be able to speak to someone about these struggles. […]
Trying to Make Things Grow I don’t know if it was a rush of blood to the head or some things I have been reading, but we have started to take a bit more interest in the garden recently. Last summer, one of our projects was to dig up a bed at the front of […]
Farewell to Jurgen, Planning for Succession There were emotional scenes at Anfield, the home of Liverpool Football Club on Sunday past, as Jurgen Klopp took charge as manager for the last time. Liverpool beat Wolves in the last fixture of the season and many were in tears as they saluted the contribution of one of […]
The Fabric of Our Lives Do you ever find yourself thinking about those people and places that are part of the fabric of our lives? For most of us the people and places we think about will be unique to us and to our circumstances. I found myself flicking through an old photograph album I […]