The Ponderings of a Meandering Minister…
It’s time for a moment of honesty. I got up early this morning before the rest of the house. I had some work to do that required the quiet of a calm house and was planning to get a head start. As I often do when I plan to work early I end up spending … Read moreRuins
Often during Lent I either give up something or take up a new practice. One year I gave up sugar in my coffee and never took it up again. One year Ross and I gave up TV – a habit we resumed very quickly as soon as Lent was over. Then there was the year … Read moreHouse of Miracles
We have two fridges in our house. A small one in the kitchen and a big one in our utility room to cope with the overflow for our big family! I went out to the utility room to put something in the fridge this evening. The picture above caught my eye and memories flooded my … Read moreTalking About Cancer
This weekend twenty-four years ago, the first ‘Autumn Soul’ weekend for Youth Fellowship groups of The Methodist Church in Ireland took place in Bangor, Co. Down. Run by a group of young volunteers overseen by David Neilands and led by Julian Hamilton from the Department of Youth and Children’s Work (now IMYC), we took over … Read moreDeath and Re-Birth
In November 2019, we received the news for the second time that Timothy’s cancer had returned. In the middle of the 7 days of chemotherapy that followed soon after, we squeezed in a family trip to an empty cinema to see Frozen 2. Like me, I’m sure that you have cried at plenty of Disney … Read moreDo the Next Right Thing
We went on a little trip on a ferry today to visit Donegal. We took the boys to Malin Head and then visited a beautiful beach just outside the village of Culdaff. When I was 16 or 17, one of my friends in school had a caravan beside this beach and we used to go … Read moreWe didn’t know…
An empty field is here No vans or tents attend the monkey puzzle The lakeshore silent stands Beautiful but not surrounded Flirting, courageous teens who love Jesus Do not linger at washroom doors Arms outstretched in worship Invisibly remembered Yet the air is pregnant With expectation
It’s a beautiful morning and I’m sitting outside with coffee and breakfast in the sunshine before the noise of the day starts. It’s a Bank Holiday weekend. It should be the perfect, relaxing day… However, it’s not! Even sitting in the sunshine that’s warm already at 8.30am there’s no escaping what’s going on in the … Read moreAsk, Seek, Knock
As the COVID-19 lockdown continues into its third week, churches around the world have moved their worship, community and care online. Video worship is a whole new world for most church leaders (including me!), so I was asked to gather a few key tips. None of these is original to me, so I’m grateful to … Read moreRecording for Video Worship
Ross and I have worked from home in various capacities during our adult life. This has changed as we have added more kids to our brood and while we have dealt with childhood cancer in our household. We’ve had to learn how to make it work in the middle of difficult situations – sometimes this … Read moreThe wonders of working from home!