Blog

I'm racing to get through From the Holy Mountain before the book club meets tonight. I last read it when I was going off to Egypt in 1997, just before I was ordained deacon and I had forgotten how rich a read it was.Part of yesterday was spent doing open heart surgery to a computer to…

I've been listening to the most amazing Armenian Chant on the web – beautiful, measured, holy. What a long way we are in the UK from the liturgical form which we need. Chant has never, ever been more popular and yet all that most people get fed in church in Scotland is the Victorian Dirge…

Jim Wallace MSP – the Enterprise Minister is coming to Stirling University next month. He is coming at the invitation of the Stirling University Liberal Democrat students, but allcomers are invited to the meeting. The date is 25 September 2003 at 1930 – room to be announced nearer the time.

Many years ago, a friend suggested that Balsamic Vinager and Strawberries went together. Have not tried it until this week. Was very apprehensive. Now, I'm a believer. Oh, taste and see…

So then, parts of America have had no power for 24 hours. No dishwashers, no air conditioning, no ice in their soda – no civilization. How many of the millions who had no power have been spending the time reflecting o­n the lives of the Iraqis who have had no power for months? How many…

To Edinburgh last night to hear William Dalrymple at the Book Festival. What seemed as though it was going to be mere social history turned into an amazing denunciation of those who would separate the peoples of the world into false polarities such as Christian/Muslim, East/West etc. Beginning from the wills and private correspondance of…

I was rather depressed last week looking through some old sermons. They were the o­nes that I preached when I was a curate in Perth. I was looking for a sermon illustration that I remembered from about 4 years ago. I was depressed because the sermons seemed to me to be quite good – I…

Have spent part of the afternoon reflecting o­n the life and death of SCOC, the Scottish Churches Open College with Jayne Scott, its Principal. I was involved in it, by convening the committee which oversaw the degree programme. It is so sad that the college is being closed this year. I still believe in the…

I read o­n someone else's weblog the other day that they thought that keeping o­ne was like having a dog – worth it, but a lot of work. I guess that is true. The number of page views is increasing as each day goes by and I have hardly told anyone about this yet, which is…