Blog

Last night I was elected as the new convenor of the Liberal Democrats in Stirling, taking over from someone who has done the job with some passion o­n and off for almost thirty years. Right now, the local Lib Dems are getting very excited about the new voting arrangements for the next local elections (which…

Someone put a postcard through my door last night whilst I was out taking a Vestry meeting. It has me puzzled. It is a nice picture of a stained glass window in Dunfermline Abbey. The back of the card is completely blank. It was in a brown office envelope which was sealed and bears my name…

I remember the effort that it took to get the Church Sign boards updated when I first moved here. They were covered in cobwebs and offered in illegible script information o­n contacting a range of clergy, some of whom were no longer there and o­ne of whom was dead. There were also details of services…

I'm indebted to another member of the clergy for forwarding this o­n to me yesterday – it brightened up the day and made me laugh a lot:?The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians are an affront to Christians everywhere.  I am just thankful that the church's founder, Henry VIII, and his wife, Catherine of Aragon,…

I've just received my first Christmas card. It is from a company wanting to sell me Church Copyright licences – a business which I find unpleasant enough at the best of times. I hope that I am not being too Scrooge-like by putting it straight in the bin. I have a feeling that a lot of…

I rather like bonfire night, but the cat does not. Last night she spent part of the evening hiding under the dining room table refusing to come out until the banging noises stopped. I ended up under the table trying to convince her that life was worth hanging o­nto for a couple of days and…

One aspect of the Gene Robinson story really interested me. It was the news that people around his diocese had been contributing gold jewellery to be melted down to make a pectoral cross – ie the cross which most Western bishops wear near their heart. Some divorcees had contributed wedding rings and there were some…

It is quite extraordinary to be able to participate in the consecration of a bishop in the USA whilst sitting at home watching a screen. I've never been to a consecration before, but I felt very present last night watching the events in New Hampshire.A blessing o­n you, Gene Robinson from Bridge of Allan -…