The Ponderings of a Meandering Minister…
This article first appeared in the Lisburn & Dromore Circuit magazine, “The Light”, March 2019 edition. It introduces us to the six churches among whom we now live and work, and gives an update to readers of this blog who haven’t seen any news since some GDPR guidance nearly a year ago! ….. Hello, I’m … Read moreA Family of Paradoxes
I’ve been working on helping the Methodist Church in Ireland get ready for the General Data Protection Regulation. Here’s an article I wrote originally for the Methodist Newsletter… +++++++++++++++++++ If you subscribe to the Methodist Newsletter, there is probably a list somewhere – perhaps a scribbled note, maybe on a digital spreadsheet – with your … Read moreThe Gift of Knowledge
This morning, our local church expressed their thanks for our ministry amongst them over the last five years. It’s a bit of a weird transition – I’ve been on compassionate leave since Christmas, and the lovely Ruth Craig has been the minister since July, but we still live in Ballynahinch and consider the Methodist Church … Read moreA Word for Ballynahinch Methodist Church
We replaced our caravan this summer, and while there are times when I miss hotel holidays in the sun – remember when you used to bring a pile of books to read by the pool, and children were the amusing distractions belonging to other people? – I am very grateful to have this way of … Read moreA Caravanner’s Prayer
Earlier today I posted thirty-five tweets, telling our family’s story of the last seven months and saying thanks to lots of people. But not everyone is on Twitter, so here they are for your delectation in one post, thirty-five chunks of 140 characters or less (unless I’ve changed the Twitter handle to an organisation’s real … Read moreMyelodysplasia Thank Yous
This is a very different post to the one I’ve been dreading writing for the last few days. Many of you will have heard over the weekend, the devastating news that we expected our eldest son, Timothy, to be diagnosed today with leukaemia – it was just a question of which type. Since Saturday he … Read morePrayer Works, Keep Praying!
So we’re leaving the EU. I’m not impressed by that decision, but we live in a democracy, and I’ve been disappointed by pretty much every election I’ve participated in since I turned 18. Some initial thoughts: pants. flip. a holiday abroad next year is going to be more expensive. bye bye peace money. are we … Read moreBrexit
Last Friday night, as I lay down in a sleeping bag and on an airbed in a church hall, knowing I’d have to get up several times to quieten the boys in the next room, I found my heart and head simply filled with praise to God for the privilege of being there. [‘There’ was … Read moreSoul Mates Weekend 2016
I just signed a few petitions and sent a letter to our MP regarding the mounting crisis facing people attempting to escape war, persecution and poverty in their own countries, by travelling to Europe. What if every church in the UK and Ireland took in just one family? Here’s the letter:————————————— Dear Mr Shannon, My … Read moreRefugees
I had a birthday recently – not a particularly significant one but it’s been well celebrated and I’ve appreciated the warm wishes coming from friends and family that we’ve connected with over the years. I have a facebook policy where I don’t tend to post birthday greetings on other folks’ walls because I’d only miss … Read moreA Discipline Disaster