2007 Review

This is my 274th blog posting of 2007, and will probably be my last of this year, which means it is time for the annual year review posting! Last year, I had 292 postings, so I haven't blogged just as much this year. Having said that, I've had over 15,000 page views, so thank you for visiting!

What has unfolded in 2007?

January started with me being unwell, but quickly recovering to allow me to enjoy the last few days before Lynsey went back to Scotland. During that time I discovered the best way to slow me down, as well as tasting pheasant and venison. I also penned a few posts on Lamentations, which you can see here, here and here. Another new feature in January was the proper use of Flickr!

February brought my new toy, and a couple of sermons - here and here. I also visited Scotland during this month, but not for the last time in 2007!

The main highlight in March was the Councils Challenge. Robert and myself on a road trip around Northern Ireland, visiting every district council in the one day! There was also the disappointment of another Schools Cup Final defeat for Wallace.

April was the month of Easter, and I had some special postings for Holy Week. It also saw the football match between Union College and CITC. Least said about that the better! On a brighter note, granny turned 80, and mum turned 60.

May was the month of second year exams, which were passed! It also seemed to be the beginning of my 1 Peter summer, as I blogged a bit about it, and also preached on it.

June was probably the month when my photo-taking really kicked off. I really liked this photo. There was a trip to Liverpool, and a few days in Scotland.

July was the month of Bryan and Louise's wedding, Summer Madness, and lots of preachings in Annalong, Dundonald, and Dromore.

August was my summer placement month in Romania. My time with the Smiles Foundation was very special and I will never forget the people I worked with, and the faith of the people out there. Our God is a great big God!

September was back to college and the beginning of my new placement in Drumgooland and Drumgath.

October was the least blogged month, with just 10 posts, although, looking back, the postings weren't high in numbers for the whole second half of the year. I'll have to work harder at producing some content on the blog in 2008! The most notable thing from this month had to be my 'return' to school.

November was the start of the Appointment of Candidate Deacons process, or as we know it better, the Curacy List. A month on, and we're still in the thick of it!

December has been another quiet month on the blog, with some reflections on Advent and Christmas, and some photos being shared.

In my next postings, I'll look forward to 2008 and bring you my favourite photos from 2007. Until then, happy new year!

The Testimony of Stephen

Today is known by some as Boxing Day, but it is also called St Stephen's Day by some. It got me thinking about Stephen, the first Christian martyr, so I had a look at Acts 6-7.

You may or may not know that Stephen comes from the Greek for 'crown' or 'garland', and the testimony of Acts is that Stephen was indeed crowned with splendour. Just pause for a moment and consider these words describing him:

'Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit' (6:5) ... 'a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people' (6:8) ... 'they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke' (6:10) ... 'his face was like the face of an angel' (6:15) ... Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (7:56).

What a testimony! Not only was he crowned, he was 'full' - of faith, of God's grace, of God's power, and of the Holy Spirit. When opposed in the Sanhedrin, he boldly preached Scripture and testified to the wisdom and glory of God.

Tertullian once said that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church. Had we been leaders of the church in Jerusalem at the time, would we have encouraged Stephen to holy boldness, or urged him to be restrained, not wanting to lose one of our best men? The testimony of Stephen against the Jews (Acts 7:2-53) is a compelling outline of the history of God's dealings with his people and their constant turning away. It led to fury among the Jews.

But more than that, the resulting persecution spread the gospel farther out from Jerusalem, sending 'all except the apostles ... throughout Judea and Samaria' (8:1).

God grant that we would share in the fullness of Christ, and that we would also know the holy boldness of Stephen, as we seek to share our faith and tell of the good news of Jesus.

Christmas Greetings

May I wish you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas as you remember Christ Jesus and celebrate the good news of his birth and the success of God's rescue plan to save us from our sins.

The Happy Couple

The Happy Couple
Originally uploaded by Gary McMurray.

Today Glenn Gibson married Linsey McLeod at a service in Great Victoria Street Presbyterian Church in Belfast. Lynsey and myself were present, and this is one of the photos from the day. Many more can be found by clicking on the photo, or by clicking here.

My best wishes and prayers for the couple as they begin their married life together.

The Christmas Shop

Now don't worry, I'm not speaking about those awful shops where all the year round, you can buy tree decorations and baubles. Rather, I'm talking about the Christmas shop - the big grocery shop for Christmas.

I remember in years gone by, we looked forward to the Christmas shop for several months, the time when multipacks of crisps and lots of extra food were bought in! Mum and dad don't drive, so we did it in J & J's - the biggest supermarket in Dromore at the time. One year I can even remember us bringing it all home in the trolley with dad pushing it through the town!

Anyway, today was the designated day of the Christmas shop. Just mum and me this year, and surprisingly, Tesco wasn't overly busy. Busy enough, but not as bad as I've seen it in previous years. And even more surprisingly, we managed to get everything we were looking - except for one thing.

You'll never guess what was out of stock in Tesco Bentrim Road in Lisburn... Digestive biscuits! McVities and Tesco own brand and any other brand were all sold out! After braving Tesco, we then had to call into Sainsbury's on the way home.

So, in the familiar words of the harvest hymn, all has been safely gathered in for the Christmas celebrations. What a pity that for so many, the over-indulgence is their only thought at Christmas, rather than the Christ child at the heart of the celebration.

Yes, it's Christmas

For me, it is now officially Christmas. Yes, I know I've been on holiday for two weeks now (eep - which means we're halfway through the college break), and we've had the Christmas dinner and party in college. Yes, I know I've already had turkey a few times, including the other day in a panini in Cafe Zipporah in the Jethro Centre in Lurgan (best I've ever tasted!). Yes, I know it's the cold and frosty weather. Yes, I know I've been in Belfast and seen the Continental Market and the stalls and the last minute shoppers.

But for all that, Christmas started for me tonight. I was in the Clayton Memorial Hall, the smaller of our parish's two buildings, in the choir room. It was the last practice before the Carol Service, and also the first one I've been to. Singing the carols and hearing the thrilling descants means that Christmas is here for 2007!

Normally I would be going out carol singing - I always love being bundled up and hitting the streets to sing carols and spread the good news about Jesus, but I haven't been this year. On Sunday, we visited a parish on the Curacy List, and they were talking about carolling on Tuesday night. Oh how I wish I was going!

So Christmas is here. Once again we recall the good news that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity took on flesh, giving up the splendours of heaven for the grotty stable; being born so that he would grow up and die for us. Isn't that fantastic news?!

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. - 2 Corinthians 8:9

Flickr Statr

stats
Originally uploaded by Gary McMurray.

Flickr have recently launched their indepth stats. You can read more about it here, but for me it has been quite an eye-opener.

Just yesterday I was chuffed to have reached 15,000 views - but now I realise this was 15,000 views of my photostream. My photos have actually been viewed over 55,000 times!

Some difference!

Holiday Update

Just a wee update after the first week of holidays from college! Sadly, the week began with some car trouble, which meant I was immobile for 3 days - back to public transport again, which was different, but enjoyable - meant I could read while travelling.

Then yesterday I had a meeting with one of the Curacy Rectors. It was very positive, and we'll see what comes of it...

Other than that, I'm taking it easy and can't wait for tomorrow, when Lyns arrives home for the holidays! Will be great to see her again and spend some quality time with her, as it's a bit wick being so far away from her most of the time with all the partings when we are together.

Still three weeks of holidays left- hurray!

It's Wheely Wheely Big!

It's Wheely Wheely Big!
Originally uploaded by Gary McMurray.

Yesterday was the first time I was in Belfast City Centre for a long time, well, long enough to get some photos of the Continental Market and the Belfast Wheel. This is one of my favourite shots, although there are a lot more in my Flickr account - links to it from the right of this blog.

And apologies for the awful title of this posting (which is also the title of the photo), but it is really wheely big!

Deck the Halls!

Last Saturday there was a pipe band playing Christmas tunes in the Abbeycentre. Think it was Major Sinclair Memorial Pipe Band. Here they are, playing 'deck the halls':

Repent! A sermon preached in Ballyward and Rathfriland on 9th December 2007. Matthew 3:1-12

A few weeks ago, we were coming out of a lecture in Trinity, when we noticed a lot of security around the campus. Being kind of nosy, we asked what was happening, and we were told that the King and Queen of Belgium were due to arrive soon. So we decided to wait around to see them. There were TV crews, a group of students dressed in the colours of the Belgian flag, security guards, police, the whole works. There was even a man with a hoover, sucking up the leaves from the courtyard!

Eventually, the police outriders on their motorbikes came through the front gate, with lots of cars in the convoy, and finally, the car carrying the king and queen themselves. How did we know to get ready to see them? The outriders were coming in front, preparing the way, making it was clear.

In our Gospel reading this morning, we encounter the ‘outrider’ in front of Jesus, preparing us for the coming of Jesus. That outrider was, of course, John the Baptist. He is even introduced to us in that way by Matthew. Look at verse 3: ‘This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”’ (Matt 3:3).

Long ago, God had spoken through the prophet Isaiah, and had promised that before Jesus arrived, there would be a messenger, an outrider to prepare the way for him. We’re going to think about that voice in the desert, to see what his message was, the effects of his message, and what it means for us today.

So what was the message? What was the voice crying out? We see the summary in verse 2. ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ Within the message, John tells us some news, and what to do about it. Notice that he says the ‘kingdom of heaven’ is near. The kingdom of heaven speaks of the kingship of God. God’s rule on earth is coming near.

The Old Testament prophets had spoken of how God’s king would come and reign. But from the time of Malachi, there had been four hundred years of silence from heaven. No king had come. Then suddenly, John appears on the scene and declares that God’s king is coming. What the people had to do was ‘repent.’

But what does that mean? Sometimes we use words in church that we think everyone understands, but because they’re used so often, we forget what it is all about. So I ask again, what was the message?

When John called out to the people to repent, he was calling them to turn around. It wasn’t in a Simon says kind of way, not a physical turning, but a turning of their ways. You see, they, like us, had been going in their own ways, doing whatever they wanted, running away from God.

John calls them, and us, to repent, to turn around; to stop going our own way and to turn and go God’s way. Imagine that I was heading to Dublin after church and set off in the car. But rather than heading for Banbridge, Newry and onto the new M1, I was going towards Belfast and on up towards Coleraine. Whenever I realised my mistake, I could either keep going the wrong way, or I could turn around, repent, and go the right way.

This is what John was telling the people to do. For so long they had been running away from God. Now he calls them to repent, to turn around, and go towards God.

So what were the effects of John’s message? If you remember that John was preaching in the desert of Judea (verse 1), out in the wilderness, then it may surprise you to read that ‘people went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan’ (3:5). Despite the distance and inconvenience, people went to hear what he had to say.

More than that, they took on board what he was saying and obeyed him. As we read verse 6 today, we may not grasp the scandal of what’s going on there. It says this: ‘Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River.’

If a Gentile wanted to become a Jew, they would undergo a ceremonial washing, to purify them. This was their baptism. For a Jew, therefore, to be baptised was a scandalous thing. They were admitting their need of God, rather than dependence on themselves, or on their heritage.

The people confessed their sins, acknowledging how they had failed in the past, how they had gone their own way. Then they were baptised for repentance, a sign of washing, and a symbol of turning to God.

But notice that it isn’t enough just to be baptised; it isn’t enough to just repent. More than that, he urges them to ‘produce fruit in keeping with repentance’ (Matt 3:8). It’s not enough to just talk the talk, you also have to walk the walk.

This is what John is saying to the crowds, and to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to hear him. They thought that they were ok with God, because they were part of Abraham’s family. But John quite clearly says that what we do is as important as who we are. Look at verse 10. ‘The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’

Are you producing good fruit in your life? It’s easy to say that you’re following God, that Jesus is the Lord of your life. You might even think that because you have been baptised, that that is enough. Yet John says that God is looking for the fruit of repentance, for evidence of the changed life. Is it obvious to those around you that you have repented, that you have turned around? Can people who have known you for a long time, or even a short time, see that there is something different about you?

As we think of John’s words today, do you see the urgency of them? John was the messenger, the outrider, preparing the way for Jesus. He was calling people to be ready for Jesus. This is also what our season of Advent is all about. We’re preparing for Jesus’ coming – while we remember his first coming, we look to his second coming, as king and judge.

Look at verse 12. The image is of Jesus as a farmer, threshing the wheat. Just as David reminded us last week of the two destinations, heaven and hell, so John speaks of them here. ‘His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’

On that day of judgement it will be too late to change your mind, or to turn around and repent. Where we finish is determined by our course. Will you continue to set your own course, going your own way, running from God? Or will you hear and heed the words of John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus – ‘repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’

Adventing

I've been finding recently that I haven't been blogging as much as I used to. It's almost a week since my last posting, so here goes!

We're well into Advent now, the time of waiting and preparation, the time of getting ready for Christmas, but more importantly, for the second coming of Jesus, as King and Judge. For a great advent sermon, check out Robert's blog. He hits the nail on the head.

As well as being Advent, it's the last week of the Michaelmas term in College. Where have the last eleven weeks gone? The essay deadlines are looming - last year all the essays were spaced through the term, but this year we have a blanket deadline of Friday week. So that was a bit of a different dynamic, not having to produce an essay each week, but needing to get them all done before the deadline hits. Having managed to read for and write my Old Testament yesterday, I just have a couple of hundred words left to do on my Church History essay, although the books I need are somewhere at home. It was such a great relief to hand in three essays this morning, and just the one to finish off.

Ahead now are the four weeks of Christmas holidays - happy days, although they'll be my last big long Christmas holidays as next year (DV) I'll be in my new parish. Yes, the Curacy List continues to rumble away in the background - have visited one of the possibilities last weekend and going to another this week. Exciting times!

But the best thing about my Christmas holidays is that my darling Lynsey will be home for the last three of them. It's always good to spend some time together on the same island, and I can't wait to be with her for the holidays, making final preparations and plans for the wedding and thinking over the possibilities of the Curacy parishes... Roll on the 15th!

A Truly Mobile Phone

A Truly Mobile Phone
Originally uploaded by Gary McMurray.

As seen on Grafton Street in Dublin recently.

The Advent Alarm

I was up far earlier than normal today, and not just because our tutorial group was going out for breakfast. One of my other roles in college this year is fire marshal for the top floor - a potentially disastrous appointment, due to my ability to sleep right through the fire alarm a few weeks back. The fire marshals had received an email saying there would be a testing of the alarm system and evacuation procedure this morning at 7.45am.

I rightly decided that it would be a good idea to be up early enough to have a shower and to be ready to roll as soon as the alarm sounded. In fact, as it turned out, I had about ten minutes to sit and relax. When the alarm sounded and we all gathered outside, it became apparent that some had known that the alarm would be sounded and were ready, while others had dragged themselves out of bed, standing in pajamas in the cold while numbers were checked.

As we approach Advent this Sunday, the events of this morning seemed to be a parable of the Day of the Lord. On that day, the trumpet will sound and all will be called, ready or not. There will be those who were ready for the return of Jesus, watching for his coming, indeed, delighting to see his coming; while others will not be ready, unaware of the alarm to be sounded, sleeping soundly or going about their own business.

When it comes to the Last Day, will you be ready, or appearing in your pajamas?

'You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.' (Luke 12:40)

Quote of the Day

I'm currently reading 'All Things For Good' by Thomas Watson. It's in the Puritan Paperbacks series published by The Banner of Truth Trust, and is a lengthy exposition of Romans 8:28.

Watson is writing about how prayer works for the good of the godly, and is discussing how Peter was released from prison by an angel in Acts 12. Peter then went to the church, who had been praying for him, but who were entirely surprised to see him released! Here's his summary of the incident:

The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.

What an incentive to prayer!

The Wait is Over!

Well folks, the waiting has finished. The Curacy List (yes, another post about that!) is in our hands. Immediately after the Communion service last night we were ushered into the principal's office and given an envelope with the list of vacant parishes for us to choose from. Quite a shock actually, as we were mentally preparing ourselves for the list on Thursday. So to get it on Wednesday was surprising.

The List itself, well, it appears to be interesting - a wide range of parishes with a good geographical spread. Some that we're interested in from the off, but it'll be deciding after a lot of prayer and thinking; oh, and the chance to get the parish profiles and meet the rectors. I'm not going to publish the list online, but if I know you, I may just talk to you about it...

Yesterday was a busy day, as it turned out. Last night (not very long after the list emerged) I was down in Temple Bar at the Delirious concert. Different sort of a concert to what they would normally do - certainly not the 5000 people in the King's Hall or a couple of thousand at the Waterfront. We reckoned there was about 600 in all? Six from college went, and we enjoyed it. It seemed strange, though, singing praise in the middle of Temple Bar, with a bar at the back of the venue...

Anyways, that's my update for now. Still in Dublin tonight as we have a College Day tomorrow. More updates in the near future!

CITC Community Review - Senior Student's Column

Over the summer I had the privilege of travelling to Romania for my College Summer Placement. Through the two weeks with the Smiles Foundation, I saw the tremendous growth of the gospel where previously there had been oppression. One of the highlights of the trip was being in Tileagd Community Church, on the edge of a gypsy village. Together, we praised God – a small fulfilling of the vision of John where he saw every tribe, people and language (Rev 7:9). In the time of open prayer, people prayed aloud to God in English, Romanian, the Gypsy language, and even a flurry of Ulster-Scots! My time in Romania enlarged my vision of God, affirming that ‘Our God is a great big God!’ But more than that, it demonstrated the words of Paul to the Colossians – ‘All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth’ (Col 1:6). We who have been called to preach the gospel can find heart that the gospel of Jesus is powerful and effective, and is still bearing fruit!

Standing for God - A sermon preached in Ballyward and Rathfriland on 18th November 2007. Daniel 6

I want to ask you a question today. If the government made it illegal to pray, would it make any difference to you? Would there be enough evidence to convict you?

In our Old Testament reading today, we heard of events in Babylon during the reign of King Darius. The king made a law that said you weren’t allowed to pray to God or to a false god or to any person, except the king. As we think about what happened, we’ll see how Daniel stands up for God, even when it is dangerous and unpopular.

Daniel, you might remember, was a young man from Judah who was carried away to Babylon when Jerusalem was destroyed by its enemies. The book of Daniel records some of the events of his life, as he and his friends (Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego) stood up for God away from home.

By the time we come to today’s reading, Daniel is an older man, and helps the king to run the country. He’s like one of the top civil servants in the country, or something like the Prime Minister or First Minister.

If you were listening closely, you will have heard that Daniel was very good at his job, so that the king was going to put him into the top job alone. But you know what? His colleagues and fellow-workers didn’t like this, and didn’t like him. His good work showed up their bad work. His work life was a witness to his faith in God.

So they planned to ambush him. They needed to find something to bring him down. Something to have him removed from his job. But what? There was no corruption, nothing that he had done wrong. Until they realised that they could attack him through his faith.

His colleagues got the king to pass the law banning all prayers (except to the king) for the next month. Imagine it, thirty days without prayer! You’ve maybe heard the old phrase that ‘seven days without prayer makes one weak.’ What would Daniel do for thirty days?

Look at verse 10. There we see his response to the problem. He doesn’t launch a protest march, or a letter-writing campaign, or complain to the rector. What does he do? ‘Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.’

Law or no law, Daniel would not be stopped from praying! More than that, when the men go to catch him praying, they find him ‘praying and asking God for help.’ It was probably the easiest crime ever solved. The law said you couldn’t pray; the men went to Daniel’s house and found him praying. Case closed. And what would the punishment be?

The law stated clearly – thrown into the lions’ den. Despite the king trying to find a way to stop it, he could do nothing. The law said it, so it must happen. Daniel would be thrown to the lions. Even thought the king did it reluctantly, notice that he expresses some hope or trust in God himself – “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” The king who had banned prayer was praying himself!

When I was preparing for this morning, I was struck by the forward hint of Jesus’ death. Look at verse 17. ‘A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the ring of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation may not be changed.’ Does it remind you of how Pilate and the chief priests sealed Jesus’ tomb? ‘So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting a guard.’ (Matthew 27:66)

What would happen? Would God save Daniel? How could it happen? I know this story is probably very familiar to you, and you’ve heard it many times, but try to hear it again for the first time.

It seems that Daniel spent a better night than the king. Daniel was in the den of lions, whereas the king couldn’t eat or drink, and he didn’t even want any entertainment. I don’t think this meant that he didn’t play on his Nintendo Wii or his Playstation, but he didn’t have a happy night. Then he couldn’t even sleep, he was so worried about Daniel.

Early the next morning, he rushes to the den of lions and shouts out to Daniel – if you’re in there, let me know! ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’ Would Daniel answer? Or had he been eaten for supper by the lions?

Then amazingly, Daniel’s voice echoes out of the den of lions, answering the king! ‘O king, live for ever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.’ Isn’t this great? Daniel wasn’t left alone to avoid the jaws of the hungry lions. God intervened to save him, to stop the lions from eating him. Remember, it wasn’t because the lions weren’t hungry that they didn’t eat him – later when his accusers are thrown to the lions they are overpowered before they even reach the bottom of the den. Only God could have saved and rescued Daniel.

If you were looking closely, you might even find another forward picture of Jesus. Remember how Daniel had been put in the den, and the entrance stone sealed? Think of verse 23. ‘The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no would was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.’ Daniel was lifted, or raised from the den. We see an image of Jesus’ death and resurrection in Daniel.

But for today – what does the reading mean for us? What difference will it make to you and me? Firstly, there’s the challenge of the working witness. How would your colleagues fare if they were trying to bring you down? Are your business dealings above board? Or in school, is all the work you do your own? Do you cheat, or study?

There’s also the challenge of our evidence as Christians. As I asked at the start, if you were charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? How important is your prayer life? Daniel prayed three times a day – but once would be a good place to start! A regular pattern or routine can help get started. It isn’t easy, but stick at it. God delights to hear our prayers.

These challenges all come under the main point, though. The call today is to stand for God, trusting in him, even when things are difficult – especially when times are hard. Despite facing the threat of the lions den, Daniel kept praying to his God. Remember those words from the end of verse 23. ‘No wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God.’

By trusting in God, Daniel had been saved. In the book of James it says this – ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you.’ (James 4:8), and in 1 Samuel 2:30, God says – ‘Those who honour me, I will honour.’

Are you standing for God today? The real hero in our reading today is not Daniel. Yes, we should be like him and do what he did. But the real hero in our reading today is – God. He is the one who reaches out and rescues Daniel. If God can shut the mouths of hungry lions for Daniel, then what can he do for you? Nothing is too difficult for him. Will you stand for God, and see what God will do for you?

Curacy List Countdown

It's just over a week until the list of parishes that are looking Curate Assistants will be available to us. For so long the talk in college has been about possible parishes and predictions. Now it's just around the corner. The immanency was made real for me yesterday when we got the official guide to the process emailed out from the office. This is actually happening, and very soon!

It's obviously affecting me somehow - last night I was even dreaming about the list, and was amazed to discover two parishes very close to my own on it - even though one is probably too small to ever have a curate. Let's hope I'm not plagued by similar silly dreams for the next week...

Our position was even more real when Lyns submitted her job application last Thursday. Both of us seeking jobs at roughly the same time; hopefully near by each other, or the marriage will have a difficult start.

And yet we hope. God knew our situation when he brought us together. Is it too difficult for God to work out these things? Not at all. But it's not always easy waiting to see how he's going to do it.

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One other thing for this posting - a happy birthday to my darling Lynsey!

Just Like Christmas

This afternoon in my room it's just like Christmas morning. The reason? Well, the APCK Book Grant has arrived!

Every year, the Association for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (APCK) provides ordinands with a grant for books. We had the forms all filled in on the first day of term, and the books have now arrived! There was an exciting box sitting awaiting every third year today when we came out of Church History class. Straight away, it was a rush back to the room to get the box opened to see what had arrived!

So far 15 of my choices have come, with another 3 waiting on. So now I have a great choice of books to read, including Mark Driscoll's latest book 'Confessions of a Reformission Rev'; three books by Christopher Wright; the new book 'Pierced for our transgressions', and Ray Galea's book 'Nothing in my hand I bring' on the differences between Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs. Interesting reading ahead, if only I had these essays out of the way!