Being present

The wildlife around here is pretty amazing. Seeing all sorts of creatures I don't have names for. Yesterday we walked alongside the highway (not done around here) and saw an amazing array of birds living in marshland right beside all the speeding traffic. Most fok are unaware off the presence of such beauty in their midst. That applies to wildlife - and to the people we meet every day - every one of them created in God's image.

Shooting the breeze

Been hanging out at this place, just enjoying the company of a sister and soul mate before we join the rest of the revgals on the cruise. Looking out over the water where the fish keep jumping. I'm sure there is a scientific reason why the fish jump out of the water but I like to think it is just their natural exuberance. Happy fish!

Meenisters and boats

I'm finally getting around to thinking about Study Leave  - which begins this Thursday. I'm heading out to Tampa, Florida to meet up with 40 women ministers who are part of Rev Gal Blog Pals, an online lectionary forum and support network that I've been part of for the past few years. We are embarking on a cruise and studying together Reframing Hope with author Carol Howard Merrit. Para Handy would be birling in his grave at the thought of so many ministers on the one boat! And women at that! Who would have thought that, after years of sharing struggles and supporting each other with the texts week by week, I'd get the chance to meet up in real life with some of these colleagues whom I feel I know so well?
And, it was a bonus to discover David Tennant (aka Dr Who) in this clip of the old series about the Scottish puffer The Vital Spark and her crew.

Too busy not to!

My study leave begins on Thursday. There simply aren't enough hours between now and then to do all that must be done before I leave - preaching, praying, teaching, praying, cooking, praying, shopping, praying, packing, praying.... At times like these it is so important that prayer doesn't get squeezed out of the picture.
As well as being built up by spending time with God, I have also been conscious this week of being emptied - not because God isn't interested in all the frenetic activity but because God is skilled at creating space within us to take on more and, in the silence and stillness, God speaks and directs and achieves what, in the whirlwind, seems impossible.
It's a relief to know that God doesn't require us to retreat before we can be refueled (though I LOVE retreats) but that God is also skilled at taking our overstuffed lives and pouring grace in to settle in all the nooks and crannies.
The image in my head this morning is of an over full suitcase (not that I've even started packing yet) that God will skilfully rearrange so that there is still room for what is important.

Notes of change

I heard the sound of Spring today

in the middle of town

above the noise of the traffic

on the busy road

birdsong rose high above all else

Not the rough call of the crow

or the battle cry of the magpies

but the clear, sweet song 

of birds preparing to nest

busy with activity

accompanied by music

that heralds change

- the good sort.

I heard the sound of Spring.

Beach drama

A dragon stalks the beach

seeking unsuspecting fools

who dare to brave the hail

and traipse the sand.

A reminder that summer pleasures

are still a long way off.

 But who can resist the lure

and the drama unfolding hourly

as the landscape shifts and changes

A reminder that nothing stands still

Creation goes on

being amazing

always surprising

and delighting

mimicking the creator - 

who entertains

to perfection.

Litany of choosing

Get up now or snuggle in?

Toast, cereal, tea or coffee?

Zesty lemon shower gel or honey and almond?

Blue socks or green?

Shoes or boots?

Walk or drive?

From the minute we open our eyes

or not

our day is full of choices.

Some huge, some little

but all with consequences.

Impacting us and our neighbour,

folk like us with choices

and folk for whom there are no options

only unremitting sameness

and resignation.

So whether the deal

seems big or small

whatever the ease or difficulty of decision

May we always value the luxury of choice

And may our choices be life enhancing.


See I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.
Deuteronomy 30 v 15

Spilling more beans

After a couple of days back in November, planning with some creative friends and then filling in the blanks through December, the second pilot of Spill the Beans is ready - thanks to Roddy and Peter for their editing skills.
Spill the beans is a lectionary based all age worship curriculum for use in churches. It has a distinctive Scottish flavour. This pilot covers the season of Lent. You can download yours from either Roddy's or Peter's blogs.
Go on - you know you want to.

Salt and Light

We were off lectionary this morning, launching some new music initiatives, but I couldn't help reflecting on the Lectionary passage - Jesus' words to his listeners about being salt and light in the world. These words seem alien in a society that warns about the dangers of too much salt in our diet and flags up light pollution. Is there any way to retrieve the essence of Jesus' teaching in our contemporary living? The impact that must have accompanied Jesus' words - to listeners who really appreciated the difference a grain of salt could make and who knew the value of the dimmest light in real darkness - is just lost on us.
That concept of making a difference through basic infiltration - how does that look today? What would be the  contemporary images or word bytes that might speak to Christ's followers in this age? It's tempting to think that it might be about being techno-savvy - getting ourselves out there on the web - being "connected". Making the biggest impact while conserving effort. But, the truth is that even in this vastly changed world, so different from the world that Christ entered, our affecting each other in the end comes down, quite simply, to relationships. Personal, up close relationships. Global community is undeniably important and can make a difference. But our relationship with our neighbour is still at the heart of our witness. It is still the single most effective tool. Salt and light might not have the same conceptual impact that it may have had in Jesus' day but the idea of gentle, persuasive interaction persists to create a real difference in the communities we inhabit - global and local.

Heads in the sand

Flooding, cyclones, snowlocausts and, here in Scotland, the usual wind and rain - weather is the hot topic of conversation just now. While recent extreme weather has wreaked havoc and caused devastation, talking about that saves us from having to think about violent events in Tunisia or Egypt or other communities that have reached boiling point because their citizens are asserting their right to be treated as human beings. Talking about the weather also prevents us from having to face up to our complicity in perpetuating such injustice. The luxury of irrelevance.

Thin evangelism?

In my last parish, I indulged in some pub evangelism. I've not had that opportunity in my present charge - mainly because the pub in the parish is a dive - and the first time I went there I was asked to move because I had taken someone's seat - worse than the kirk!
However, today, at the local slimming club, I saw a great model of evangelism. Folk shared openly the ups and downs, what worked and what didn't. Achievements, mainly losses, were celebrated. They were supportive of each other, even swapping details so that contact could be made when things got tough. And, on top of all that, they had a good laugh together. What a good model of church! Sharing and learning.