The Conversion of St Paul

Thursday 25th January 2018

The flag given to St Cuthbert's Bellingham UK by St Paul's Bellingham USA flies on the Church's feast day to commemorate the Conversion of Saul. Saul was on the way to Damascus engaged in persecuting the early Christians in the years immediately following the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ when he heard a voice saying "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"  "Who are you, sir?"  "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting."  After that conversion experience he changed his name to Paul and became a leading Christian missionary spreading the Good News of God's love for all people.

And now rain

Wednesday 23rd January 2018

The River North Tyne overflows the public footpath which runs through the bottom of the Rectory glebeland.

A bit wintry

Sunday 21st January 2018

Ten or eleven years ago I might have thought this looked bleak.  Now it's just a familiar stretch of local road as I move on to the third parish of the day.  (The car was stationary at this point!)

Catching up

Saturday 20th January 2018

Durham from the train

After a two-day residential meeting, I returned to northern snow and to a study snowed under by e-mails and paperwork waiting to be done.  I'm still on annual statistics, preparations for biennial ministry development review and some other admin, interspersed with Bible study group, preparatory Confirmation class, school visit and now sermon writing.

Time to reflect

Friday 12th January 2018

The "playdough" made a successful contribution to the Reflection Time in school as all years had a turn in moulding something which could help them to develop wisdom (whilst others were engaging with the gifts of the Magi or "wise men")

A peculiar vocation

Wednesday 10th January

When I resigned from my academic post nearly thirty years ago, I never guessed that following my vocation would involve staying up to make "playdough" for the purposes of meditation in school tomorrow.

The first pause of 2018

Monday 8th January 2018

There hasn't been much time for taking pictures recently....Saturday: a training morning for lay people preparing to contribute to conducting worship, an afternoon service of prayer and dedication before a civil marriage and a reception, an evening of service preparations.  Sunday: Family Eucharist at Bellingham, Parish Communion at Falstone, an Epiphany Christingle service and a formal Evensong.  Monday: a school training session on safeguarding children, a seventy-mile round trip to the crematorium, a funeral at Bellingham followed by going over to Woodburn to collect a burial register and pause for a photograph as the sun went down.