Blog

  • Just back from the count

    Counted!

  • No sermon today

    No sermon today. This year was my last year of a four year term o­n the General Synod. It is the first when I have managed it all well – stayed in a hotel in Edinburgh instead of going backwards and forwards every day and have also arranged for someone else to preach today, so…

  • General Synod

    I’m back from the General Synod in Edinburgh. I think that of the four years that I have been there, I probably enjoyed this one more than I have before. The business was not that heavy. Here are the headlines. We decided, in an over-emotional debate to loan money to a Retirement Home and authorised…

  • Polling Day

    Voted!

  • St Columba's Day

    St Kelvin’s Day too. I celebrated my sixth anniversary as a priest today.

  • Voting

    “No, I’m not voting on Thursday – there is no point. It makes not difference anyway. I cannot think of any reason to vote at all.” Is the threat of far-right parties taking seats not reason enough for anyone?

  • Hoodwinked

    Yesterday was Trinity Sunday and so we sang St Patrick’s Breastplate in church. Unfortunately, I was hoodwinked by a modern hymn book which missed out the following verse – Against all Satan’s spells and wiles, Against false words of heresy, Against the knowledge that defiles, Against the heart’s idolatry, Against the wizard’s evil craft, Against…

  • Dogs and Cats

    I had to explain to a couple of the younger servers a fortnight ago why I am more welcoming to dogs at divine worship than cats. At the time I illustrated this with a story about a priest that I knew whose dog acted as a server at the mass – patiently sitting on one…

  • Church Times Adverts

    Two adverts in the Church Times have caught my eye. Both from the Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness.Firstly, this: THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLANDA rare opportunity for NSM/Retired PriestHouse for DutyRectory adjacent to church set in idyllic location, o­nly10 minutes from Inverness.The views are some of the finest in Scotland.Secondly this: DIOCESE OF MORAY, ROSS…

  • Fuel Protests

    These fuel protesters seem able to get the government to say whatever they like. It cannot be good for the country in the long run to have taxation decided by lorry drivers and the “countryside” lobby.